While you don't owe your employer a long explanation, a clear resignation letter gives both of you a written record of your decision and your last day. It also goes in your personnel file, where it may be read years later if you ask for a reference or apply to come back.

Most people tell their manager in person first, but some start out with the letter when their manager works remotely or in another city. Two weeks' notice is common in the US. Check your employment contract or employee handbook before you choose a date, since some jobs ask for more.

What to Include

  • A first sentence that says you are resigning and names your job title.
  • Your last working day, given as a date.
  • A short thank-you, with one thing you valued if you mean it.
  • Your handover plan: what you will finish, write down or pass on before you go.
  • An offer to help train your replacement, if you are willing.
  • A personal email address for your final paycheck and tax forms.

Resignation Letter Example

Sample letter. Names, organizations and details are fictional.

October 5, 2026
Karen Walsh, Payroll Manager
Glenrock Packaging
Omaha, NE 68137

Dear Karen,

Please accept this letter as notice that I am resigning from my position as Payroll Specialist. My last day will be Friday, October 16, 2026.

Thank you for the five years I have spent on your team. You trusted me with our move to the new payroll system in 2023, and I learned more from that project than from anything else in my career so far.

Before I leave, I will finish the third-quarter tax filings and update the step-by-step guide for each pay run so the team has everything in one place. I'm also happy to spend my last week training Ben on the union pay rules, and I can answer questions by email for a few weeks after I go.

My personal email is andre.williams@example.com if you need to reach me about my final paycheck or tax forms. I wish you and the team all the best.

Sincerely,
Andre Williams

How much notice to give

Two weeks is the usual courtesy in the US, counted from the day your manager gets the letter. Your employment contract, offer letter or handbook may ask for more, especially in senior, teaching or healthcare jobs, so check it before you set your last day.

Some employers accept a resignation and end the job that same day. Plan for that. If you can't afford a gap in pay, wait to resign until your next job's start date is confirmed in writing.

Plan your handover

It is a good idea to name a handover plan in the letter, since it makes the next two weeks easier for everyone. List the tasks only you know how to do, the deadlines that fall after your last day and the accounts someone else will need access to, then give each one a plan.

  • Finish the work you can complete before your last day.
  • Write a short guide for any task that repeats, such as a monthly report.
  • Hand over open projects with a status note and the names of the people involved.
  • Spend an hour or two with whoever will take over your main duties.

Short resignation letter

Use this version when you have already talked it through with your manager and the letter is a formality.

Dear Karen,

I am resigning from my position as Payroll Specialist, and my last day will be Friday, October 16, 2026. Thank you for the chance to work on your team. I will make sure my work is finished or handed over before I go.

Sincerely,

Andre Williams

Tips

  • Tell your manager in person or on a video call before the letter arrives. Hearing it first by email is the version people remember.
  • Date the letter and keep a copy, along with any reply that confirms your last day.
  • Stay away from complaints and criticism, even fair ones. If you want to give feedback, an exit interview is the place for it.
  • You don't have to say where you are going next or what it pays.
  • Ask HR how your final paycheck, unused vacation and benefits will be handled, since the rules vary by state and by employer.
  • If your employer makes a counteroffer, decide before the meeting what, if anything, would make you stay.
  • Keep working normally through your last day. Those final two weeks are what people remember when someone calls them for a reference.