Resignation letter: UK template, examples and your notice period

Example letter

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Example

Priya Shah

14 Brudenell Grove, Leeds LS6 1HR

priya.shah@example.com · 07700 900147

Mr Gareth Holt, Production Manager

Calder Print and Packaging Ltd

Unit 6, Stourton Industrial Estate, Leeds LS10 1SR

2 November 2026

Notice of resignation

Dear Mr Holt,

Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation from my position as Production Planner at Calder Print and Packaging Ltd.

My contract sets a notice period of one month, so I believe my last working day will be Wednesday 2 December 2026. Please let me know if that date is incorrect.

Could you also confirm how much accrued holiday I have left, and whether you would like me to take it during my notice period or have it paid with my final salary?

Thank you for your support over the past three years. Before I leave, I will update the production schedule to January, document the weekly planning routine and hand over my supplier contacts to the team.

Yours sincerely,

Priya Shah

This resignation letter template covers the most common UK case: a permanent employee with a contractual notice period. Change the names, job title, employer and dates, check your notice period in your contract, then sign and date it. If you send it by email, attach a signed copy or type your full name.

"Yours sincerely" is the right sign-off when you address your manager by name; "Yours faithfully" only follows "Dear Sir or Madam". The template is free to copy and paste, no account needed.

GOV.UK says your contract will tell you whether notice has to be given in writing; otherwise you can resign verbally. It also advises written notice whenever you might need to refer to it later, for example at an employment tribunal. Giving notice verbally when the contract asks for it in writing can put you in breach of contract.

In practice, a short resignation letter is the simplest proof of two things: the day you resigned, which starts your notice, and the last working day you expect.

Start with your employment contract or written statement of employment particulars: Acas notes it must say how much notice you have to give. If the document says nothing, section 86 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 sets the minimum in England, Scotland and Wales.

These are minimums: a longer notice period in your contract applies. Notice usually runs from the start of the day after you hand it in, unless your contract says otherwise. If you leave without working your notice and your employer has not agreed, Acas says you are likely to be breaching your contract, and GOV.UK warns that your employer could take you to court. Our guide to the notice period shows how to count it, with examples.

The Acas template fits in a few lines. Keep yours short, in this order:

1. The date: the day you hand in the letter.
2. Your manager's name, and the employer's name and address if you print it.
3. One clear sentence of resignation, with your job title: "Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation from my position as [job title]."
4. Your notice period and last working day, with a request to confirm the date.
5. A question about holiday and final pay: how much accrued holiday you are owed, and whether you'll take it or be paid for it.
6. A short thank-you and an offer to help with the handover, if the relationship allows it.
7. "Yours sincerely", your signature and your name.

Leave out the reasons, criticism of colleagues and anything you would not want a future employer to read: the letter stays on your personnel file. You do not have to explain why you are leaving.

Each resignation letter example below replaces the body of the template. The heading, greeting and sign-off stay the same.

More subject lines and examples for each case are in our resignation email guide.

• Pay: you usually get your normal pay rate while you work your notice, and bonuses and commission unless your contract says otherwise.
• Holiday: you may be able to take your remaining statutory leave during your notice period. If you don't, your employer must pay you for untaken statutory leave when you leave.
• Payment in lieu of notice: your employer can ask you to leave straight away and pay you instead, but only if your contract allows it or you agree. Otherwise you can work out your notice.
• Garden leave: your employer can ask you to stay at home until you leave. You keep the same pay and contractual benefits.
• Restrictive covenants: check your contract for clauses that stop you working for a competitor or contacting clients for a time after you leave.
• Your P45: ask when you will receive it. Your new employer uses it to work out your tax.

Acas warns against using a standard resignation letter template if you believe you have no choice but to resign because of something your employer has done, such as a serious breach of your contract. That can change how much notice you need to give, and it is the territory of constructive dismissal: a complex area of law. Read Acas's advice on constructive dismissal or call the Acas helpline before you write anything.

1. Wait until your new job offer is unconditional: references and checks cleared, start date agreed in writing.
2. Tell your manager first, face to face or on a call, then give them the letter the same day.
3. Keep a copy of the letter or the sent email, and of the reply confirming your last day.
4. Agree the handover: who takes over what, and by when.

Resigned in the heat of the moment, during an argument? GOV.UK advises telling your employer immediately that you have changed your mind. They can choose whether to accept your resignation or not.

Ask your manager now whether they will act as a referee: Acas notes that an employer does not usually have to give a reference by law. If you need someone outside work to vouch for you, see our character reference template. Still interviewing? Prepare the questions to ask at the end of an interview.