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Resignation Letter Templates & Generator (US)

A resignation letter needs four sentences: you are resigning, from this role, on this date, thank you. Pick a version below — two weeks' notice, short notice, immediate, email, a job you just started — choose a tone, fill in six details, and download it as Word, PDF or plain text. Nothing you type leaves this page.

Resignation letter generator

Pick the version, choose a tone, fill in six details. The letter builds itself as you type — copy it, or download Word, PDF or plain text. Nothing is uploaded.

Which version do you need?

A named person. Copy HR on the email; address the letter to your manager.

Two weeks from the date you send it is the norm; the letter states the actual notice you give. Vest or bonus soon? Pick the day after it.

Formal for a large employer or a strained relationship. Warm for a manager you'd work with again. Brief when short is kinder.

You do not owe one. If you add one, keep it neutral and short — it becomes part of your file.

A resignation letter is read twice: by your manager this week, and by HR if anything about your exit is later disputed. Every version here is written for the second reader — concise, no admissions, no promises you can't keep. If you are resigning over harassment, unsafe work, unpaid wages or discrimination, do not let the letter say something untrue; see the guidance below the templates.

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0 of 6 details filled

[Date]

[Manager's name]

[Company]

Dear [Manager's name],

Please accept this letter as formal notice of my resignation from my position as [Your job title] at [Company]. My last day of work will be [last day].

Between now and my last day I will document my current work, complete what can reasonably be completed, and help transition the rest to whoever you designate. Please let me know how I can make the handover as smooth as possible.

I appreciate the opportunities I have had during my time with [Company] and the support I have received from you and the team.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

[Your job title]

Free, no signup, no email needed. Everything you type stays in this browser — the document is built on your device and nothing is sent to us.

Client-side only: the letter, the .docx and the PDF are all assembled on your device. No account, no email, no upload.

Quick Answer

How do you write a resignation letter?

State it, date it, thank them, offer a handover, sign it.“Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation from my position as [title] at [company]. My last day will be [date].” Add one line of thanks and one offer to help with the transition. That is a complete, professional resignation letter — anything longer is usually worse.

Tell your manager in person or on a call first, then send the letter by email the same day with HR copied, so there is a timestamp. Two weeks is the US norm, not the law; check your handbook for anything that ties PTO payout or a bonus to the notice you give.

Estimated time
60 seconds with the generator
Cost / impact
Free · no signup
What you need
Your title, your manager's name, and your last day

What a resignation letter needs (and nothing else)

The letter has one job: to put the fact and the date of your resignation on record in a form nobody can later argue with. It is not the place to explain, persuade, or settle scores. Every template on this page is built on the same five parts.

Include

  • A clear statement that you are resigning, and from which position.
  • Your last day, as a date. Not "in two weeks" — the date.
  • One sentence of thanks. It costs nothing and it is what the file will show.
  • An offer to help with the handover, in terms you will actually keep.
  • Your name and title at the bottom; the date and your manager's name at the top.

Leave out

  • Why you are leaving, unless it is neutral and fits in one line.
  • Criticism of anyone — manager, team, company, product.
  • A detailed account of a grievance, in a routine resignation. It belongs in its own written complaint — but see the note below if the grievance is the reason you are leaving.
  • Where you are going, or what you will be paid there.
  • Open-ended promises of unpaid help after your last day. Handover ends with your employment unless you agree something separately in writing.
  • Anything you would not want read aloud in a meeting you are not in.
Format.Date at the top right, your manager's name and the company on the left, “Dear [name],” then the body, then “Sincerely,” your name and title. For an email, replace the address block with a subject line that states the fact and the date: Resignation – [your name], last day [date]. HR triages on the subject line.

8 resignation letter templates

Each one is the formal-tone output of the generator above with the blanks left in brackets, so what you copy here and what you download there match. Two lines under each heading say when to use it.

Two weeks notice letter

When to use this: The standard. Use when you have a start date elsewhere and a normal relationship with your manager.

[Date]

[Manager's name]
[Company]

Dear [Manager's name],
Please accept this letter as formal notice of my resignation from my position as [Your job title] at [Company]. My last day of work will be [last day].
Between now and my last day I will document my current work, complete what can reasonably be completed, and help transition the rest to whoever you designate. Please let me know how I can make the handover as smooth as possible.
I appreciate the opportunities I have had during my time with [Company] and the support I have received from you and the team.

Sincerely,

[Your name]
[Your job title]

Simple resignation letter

When to use this: Three sentences. Use when the conversation has already happened and this is just the paperwork.

[Date]

[Manager's name]
[Company]

Dear [Manager's name],
I am resigning from my position as [Your job title] at [Company]. My last day will be [last day].
Thank you for the opportunity.

Sincerely,

[Your name]
[Your job title]

Resignation email

When to use this: Subject line plus body. Use when your team is remote or when you need a timestamp today.

Subject: Resignation – [Your name], last day [last day]

Dear [Manager's name],
I'm writing to let you know that I am resigning from my role as [Your job title] at [Company]. My last day will be [last day].
Between now and my last day I will document my current work, complete what can reasonably be completed, and help transition the rest to whoever you designate. Please let me know how I can make the handover as smooth as possible.
I appreciate the opportunities I have had during my time with [Company] and the support I have received from you and the team.
I'm copying HR so the paperwork can start. Please let me know if you'd like a signed copy as well.

Best regards,
[Your name]

Resignation letter for a new job

When to use this: Mentions the new role without naming it. Use when the reason is good news and you want to say so.

[Date]

[Manager's name]
[Company]

Dear [Manager's name],
I am writing to formally resign from my position as [Your job title] at [Company]. I have accepted a position with another organization. My last day will be [last day].
This was not an easy decision. I have learned a great deal here and I am leaving on good terms, with real appreciation for the team.
Between now and my last day I will document my current work, complete what can reasonably be completed, and help transition the rest to whoever you designate. Please let me know how I can make the handover as smooth as possible.
I appreciate the opportunities I have had during my time with [Company] and the support I have received from you and the team.

Sincerely,

[Your name]
[Your job title]

Short notice resignation letter

When to use this: Acknowledges the short notice once, without apologising twice. Use when the new start date is fixed.

[Date]

[Manager's name]
[Company]

Dear [Manager's name],
I am writing to let you know that I am resigning from my position as [Your job title] at [Company]. My last day will be [last day].
I recognise this is shorter than the usual two weeks' notice. Circumstances make a longer notice period impossible, and I wanted you to have the date in writing as early as I could give it.
I will use the time before my last day to document my work and hand over anything in progress.
I appreciate the opportunities I have had during my time with [Company] and the support I have received from you and the team.

Sincerely,

[Your name]
[Your job title]

Immediate resignation letter

When to use this: Effective today — set the last day to today. Use only when you cannot safely or practically work a notice period.

[Date]

[Manager's name]
[Company]

Dear [Manager's name],
Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation from my position as [Your job title] at [Company], effective immediately. My last day of employment is [last day].
I am not in a position to work a notice period, and I understand the difficulty that creates. I am not able to go into the reasons here.
I will return all company property promptly. If the company would like my help locating files or answering handover questions after today, I am open to agreeing that separately in writing.
Please confirm in writing my final pay date, the status of any accrued paid time off, and the date my health coverage ends.
Thank you for the opportunity to work at [Company].

Sincerely,

[Your name]
[Your job title]

Resignation letter for a job you just started

When to use this: Owns the early exit and asks about clawbacks. Use inside the first few months.

[Date]

[Manager's name]
[Company]

Dear [Manager's name],
I am writing to resign from my position as [Your job title] at [Company]. My last day will be [last day].
After starting in the role, I have concluded that it is not the right fit, and I think it is better for both of us that I say so now rather than in six months.
I am sorry for the disruption this causes so early. I will document what I've picked up so far and return all equipment and access before I leave.
Please confirm whether any sign-on or relocation payment is subject to repayment, and the date my benefits end.
Thank you for the opportunity, and for the welcome I received from the team.

Sincerely,

[Your name]
[Your job title]

Resignation letter with written requests

When to use this: Adds a bulleted ask for final pay, PTO, benefits and reference details. Use when you want the answers on record.

[Date]

[Manager's name]
[Company]

Dear [Manager's name],
Please accept this letter as formal notice of my resignation from my position as [Your job title] at [Company]. My last day of work will be [last day].
Between now and my last day I will document my current work, complete what can reasonably be completed, and help transition the rest to whoever you designate. Please let me know how I can make the handover as smooth as possible.
So that I can plan the transition, I would be grateful for written confirmation of the following:
  - the date my final paycheck will be issued and what it will include;
  - whether my accrued, unused paid time off will be paid out, and the number of hours;
  - the date my health coverage ends and when I can expect the COBRA election notice;
  - the status of any equity, bonus, or retirement-plan vesting as of my last day; and
  - the company's reference policy, and whether you would be willing to act as a reference personally.
I appreciate the opportunities I have had during my time with [Company] and the support I have received from you and the team.

Sincerely,

[Your name]
[Your job title]

Want it with your details filled in, in a warmer or shorter tone, as a Word file? Back to the generator.

How to deliver a resignation letter

  1. 1

    Tell your manager live first.

    Fifteen minutes, in person or on video. Decision, date, handover, thanks. Nobody should read the letter before they have heard it from you — and nobody on your team should hear it before your manager.

  2. 2

    Email it the same day, HR copied.

    The email is your record: a timestamp and a sent copy — not proof it was read, which is why step 4 matters. Keep your own copy of the letter itself, but check your employer's information-security policy before blind-copying a personal address: many prohibit sending work email outside the company, and nothing confidential — client data, internal documents — should ever be forwarded. A photo of the printed letter, or the .docx you downloaded here, is a safe personal copy.

  3. 3

    Attach or hand over a signed copy if asked.

    Some companies want a signature on file. The PDF from the generator prints on US Letter with no logo or branding — it is your letter, not ours.

  4. 4

    Ask for written acknowledgement.

    One line back from HR confirming your last day closes the loop. If it does not arrive in a few days, ask again. The acknowledgement is what protects you if the date is later disputed.

  5. 5

    Expect the possibility of an early exit.

    Some employers end access the day notice is given, particularly for people leaving for a competitor. Have your personal files off the laptop before the conversation, and ask whether the notice period is paid if you are sent home early.

Timing the date itself — around a vest, a bonus, a clawback or a possible layoff — is covered on how to quit a job, with a calculator that finds the day that keeps the most money.

What never to write in a resignation letter

Everything below has appeared in a real resignation letter and been regretted. The common thread: each gives the employer something to use and gives you nothing.

Grievances, in a routine letter

"I'm leaving because of how the team has been managed." In an ordinary exit it will be read as the reason for any later dispute and changes nothing. The exception is a legally material reason — see the note below.

Admissions

"I know I haven't been performing well lately." You have just written the employer's side of an unemployment or reference dispute for them.

Conditions

"I'll stay if you match the offer." That is a negotiation, and it belongs in a conversation before you resign, not in the resignation itself.

Open-ended promises

"Happy to help with anything, any time, after I leave." You will be taken up on it, unpaid, at the worst moment. Handover belongs inside the employment period; anything after it is a separate written arrangement.

Where you're going

It invites a counter-offer you did not ask for, a non-compete conversation you did not want, and gossip you cannot control.

Emotion in either direction

Neither the furious letter nor the tearful one ages well in a personnel file. Neutral is the tone that lasts.

If something is genuinely wrong— harassment, unsafe work, unpaid wages, discrimination, or another reason that may matter legally — the advice above changes. A routine letter should stay concise, but you should not create a record that is inaccurate: a warm “thank you for everything” letter can be quoted back at you in an unemployment hearing or a later claim as evidence that nothing was wrong. State the reason plainly and briefly, in neutral, factual terms; keep the detailed account in a separate, dated written complaint through the channel your handbook names; and consider getting legal advice before you send anything. That record is what matters if you later need to show your state you had good cause to quit. See unemployment if you quit.

After you send it: four things to get in writing

Final paycheck date

Federal law does not require immediate final pay; state law sets the deadline, and the rule for people who resign is often different from the rule for a layoff. The calculator shows your state's rule and estimates the check.

Final paycheck calculator

PTO payout

Some states treat unused vacation as earned wages that must be paid out; the rest leave it to the employer's written policy, and some policies pay only with proper notice. Know which before your last day — if it won't be paid, use it.

PTO payout rules by state

Health coverage end date and COBRA

A voluntary quit is a COBRA qualifying event where the employer's group plan is subject to COBRA (generally 20 or more employees; smaller employers may fall under a state continuation law instead). Coverage often runs to month-end; ask which day. Where COBRA applies you have at least 60 days to elect from the later of coverage loss or the election notice, and coverage is retroactive once elected.

COBRA election deadline

Equity and retirement vesting

A written statement of what is vested, what is forfeited, and the option exercise window with its exact deadline. Your own 401(k) contributions are always yours; the employer match vests on the plan's schedule.

RSUs and options when you leave

The template with written requests asks for all four in the resignation itself.

Quitting toolkit

Three pages that work as one: decide, write the letter, and know where you stand on unemployment.

How to quit a jobThe pillar: what quitting costs, when to do it, and how to resign professionally.Open What quitting costs you — calculatorSeverance, unemployment, unvested equity, bonus, clawback, PTO, and the best date to resign.Open Can you get unemployment if you quit?Good-cause rules by state, with the agency's own wording and where to file.Open

Related LayoffNext tools

What people open next after writing the letter.

What Quitting Costs YouSeverance, unemployment, equity, bonus and PTO you give up by resigning — and the best date.Open Unemployment If You QuitYour state's good-cause rule and the reasons it names, with where to file.Open Severance Pay CalculatorEstimate a fair severance range from salary and tenure.Open COBRA vs Marketplace CalculatorCompare health coverage costs after your plan ends.Open Laid Off Today ChecklistFirst 24 hours, 7 days, and 30-day recovery plan.Open Job Application TrackerTrack applications, stages, and follow-ups in one place.Open

Resignation letter FAQ

What should a resignation letter say?

Four things: that you are resigning, from which position, your last day as a date, and a line of thanks. An offer to help with the handover during your notice period is a good fifth. That is the whole letter for a routine exit. Reasons are optional and usually better left out, and admissions and open-ended promises about unpaid help after you leave should not go in, because the letter becomes part of your personnel file. If you are resigning over harassment, unsafe conditions, unpaid wages or discrimination, keep the letter accurate rather than cheerful, and consider legal advice first.

Is a two weeks notice letter legally required in the US?

No. Most US employment is at-will, and no federal law requires an employee to give notice before quitting. Two weeks is a professional convention. Your contract or employee handbook can attach consequences to it — some policies pay out unused PTO only if you give proper notice, or tie a bonus to being in good standing — so read those before you set the date.

Should I put my reason for leaving in the letter?

You do not have to, and most of the time you should not. A neutral reason — a new role, a move, family — does no harm in one line. Anything critical of a manager, a team or the company hands the employer a document to characterise your exit by, and gains you nothing. If you have a real complaint, put it in a separate written complaint through the channel your handbook names, where it will be treated as one.

Can I resign by email?

Yes, and email should always be one of the two ways you do it. Tell your manager live first, then send the email the same day to your manager with HR copied: it gives you a timestamp and a sent copy in your own mailbox. A sent email is not proof it was read, so ask for a one-line acknowledgement. If your company wants a signed letter as well, attach the PDF or hand one over afterwards.

How do I write an immediate resignation letter?

Keep it to five sentences: you are resigning effective today, you cannot work a notice period, one neutral line of reason if you choose to give one, you will return company property promptly (any help after today can be agreed separately in writing), and you would like written confirmation of your final pay date, PTO status and benefits end date. Do not over-explain. If the reason involves safety, harassment or your health, document it separately — it may matter for unemployment.

How do I write a resignation letter for a job I just started?

Own it in one sentence — the role is not the right fit and it is better to say so now — give whatever notice your offer letter specifies, and ask in the letter whether any sign-on or relocation payment is subject to repayment and when your benefits end. Apologise once for the disruption, not three times. A short, direct letter reads as mature; a long one reads as guilty.

Sources & methodology

The templates reflect common US practice for at-will employment. Whether notice is owed, what your final paycheck must include, and how PTO and benefits are handled depend on your contract, your employer's policies and your state. The generator, the .docx writer and the PDF renderer all run in your browser; no text is transmitted.

  1. Last Paycheck (topic page) — U.S. Department of LaborFederal law does not require immediate final pay; some states do. · Last verified Sep 7, 2026
  2. An Employee's Guide to Health Benefits Under COBRA — U.S. DOL, EBSAVoluntary job loss (other than for gross misconduct) is a COBRA qualifying event for plans of employers with 20 or more employees. · Last verified Sep 7, 2026
Deepak Middha, Founder of LayoffNext
Founder of LayoffNext

Founder of LayoffNext. Chartered Accountant and finance educator who builds free tools for people navigating layoffs.

Published September 6, 2026Updated September 7, 20269 min read
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Important disclaimer

These templates and this generator are educational starting points, not legal advice, and LayoffNext does not provide legal advice. If your contract has a notice clause, a repayment clause or a non-compete, or if you are resigning because of harassment, discrimination or safety, consider having an employment attorney review your situation before you send anything. See our full disclaimer.