Resignation letter: a template to copy and samples for every situation

Example letter

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Example

Jordan Ellis

418 Maple Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215

jordan.ellis@example.com · (614) 555-0147

November 2, 2026

Dana Brooks, Operations Director

Northfield Logistics

2200 Harbor Road, Columbus, OH 43219

Re: Resignation, Jordan Ellis

Dear Ms. Brooks,

Please accept this letter as formal notice of my resignation from my position as Logistics Coordinator at Northfield Logistics. My last day of work will be Monday, November 16, 2026, two weeks from today.

Thank you for the opportunity to grow with this team over the past four years. I learned a great deal about carrier management and planning, and I am grateful for your support.

Before I leave, I will finish the December shipping schedule, update the carrier contact list and walk the team through the weekly planning process. Please let me know what else would make the transition easier.

You can reach me at jordan.ellis@example.com for any final paperwork. I wish you and everyone at Northfield continued success.

Sincerely,

Jordan Ellis

This resignation letter template fits the most common case: a full-time job, two weeks' notice and a good relationship with your manager. Replace the name, address, job title, company and dates with your own, then sign it if you print it. If you send it by email, your typed name is enough.

Keep it to one page, three or four short paragraphs. A resignation letter is a record of your decision and your last day, not a place to explain or justify it. You can copy this template without signing up and paste it into your own document.

A resignation letter is the written notice you give your employer to say you are leaving your job. It goes to your direct manager, often with a copy to human resources (HR), and it ends up in your personnel file. In New York, you can ask for a free copy of that file from November 8, 2026.

Your employee handbook may require written notice. Even when it doesn't, a letter or email does three useful things: it fixes the date you gave notice, it states your last day without ambiguity, and it gives HR what it needs to process your final pay and benefits.

Follow the order of the template. Each part has a job:

1. Your contact information and the date: the date is the day your notice starts.
2. Your manager's name, title and the company address: in an email, the subject line replaces this block.
3. A clear statement of resignation: "Please accept this letter as formal notice of my resignation from my position as [job title]."
4. Your last day of work: write the actual date, not "two weeks from today".
5. A short thank-you: one or two sentences about what you gained.
6. An offer to help with the transition: finishing a project, documenting your tasks, training a colleague.
7. A personal email or phone number: for your final paycheck, tax forms and benefits paperwork.
8. A professional closing: "Sincerely" or "Best regards", then your name.

Three things don't belong in a resignation letter:

• Complaints: the letter stays in your file. If you want to give feedback, save it for a conversation or the exit interview.
• A long explanation: "I have accepted a new position" is plenty, and no reason at all is fine.
• Conditions or bargaining: "I'll stay if you match my offer" turns a decision into a negotiation. Have that conversation before you write the letter.

Each resignation letter sample below replaces the body of the template. The header, greeting, closing and signature stay the same.

Most US jobs are "at will". The Illinois Department of Labor puts it plainly: an employer or an employee may end the relationship at any time, and "notice is not required by either party". Georgia's State Accounting Office describes notice as "preferable, but not required", with two weeks as "the generally accepted professional standard".

At will works both ways: your employer can thank you and make your resignation effective the same day. Plan your budget for that possibility. Montana is an exception to at-will employment, and it concerns firing: after the probationary period, a discharge without good cause is wrongful under Montana law.

1. Tell your manager first, in person or on a video call. Learning it from an email or from HR is the worst way to hear it.
2. Hand over or send the letter right after, the same day. Email works at most companies; follow your handbook if it asks for a signed letter.
3. Send a copy to HR if your manager doesn't forward it.
4. Keep a copy of the letter and any reply. It proves the date you gave notice.

Don't resign until your new offer is final and in writing, with any background check cleared. A counteroffer can arrive after you resign: decide in advance what would make you stay, if anything.

• Writing it angry: a future employer may call this company for a reference. Wait a day before you send it.
• Vague dates: "in a couple of weeks" leaves your last day open to interpretation.
• Telling coworkers before your manager: news travels faster than the letter.
• Copying a template word for word: a short personal line about what you learned makes the letter yours.
• Forgetting company property: list what you'll return (laptop, badge, keys) to avoid a dispute over your final pay.

Ask HR these questions during your notice period:

• Your final paycheck: federal law doesn't require employers to pay it immediately, but some states do. If your regular payday passes without it, the Department of Labor points you to its Wage and Hour Division or your state labor department.
• Unused vacation: the Fair Labor Standards Act doesn't require pay for time not worked; vacation is a matter of agreement with your employer. Read your company's policy and check your state's rules.
• Health insurance: COBRA lets some workers and their families keep their group health coverage for a limited time after they leave. Ask when your coverage ends.
• Unemployment benefits: they are for workers unemployed through no fault of their own, as each state defines it. A voluntary resignation often doesn't qualify, but each state runs its own program: check with yours before you resign if you'll need benefits.

Ask your manager for a reference while you still work together: memories fade fast after you leave. If you're still job hunting, prepare the questions to ask the interviewer and a calm answer to "why are you leaving your current job?". Other work letters are on the letter templates page.