A resignation letter is short and factual. It says you are resigning from your role, gives the date your notice starts and your last working day, thanks your employer briefly, and offers to help with the handover. That is all it needs. It is a record, not the place to explain your reasons or air complaints, and most good ones are under 150 words.
Before you write it, check your contract or employee handbook for your notice period and how your employer wants resignation given, for example by letter, email, or to a particular person. The rules differ by country, by contract and by role, so this guide does not tell you what your notice should be. It gives you a structure, short examples for a standard resignation, short notice and leaving on good terms, and how to use AI to write one quickly that still sounds like you.
Tell your manager first
Where you can, tell your manager in person or on a call before the letter arrives. Finding out by email feels abrupt, even when the email is polite. Keep that conversation simple: you have decided to leave, when your last day will be, and that you want to hand over well. Then send the letter the same day, so there is a written record.
The structure of a resignation letter
- The resignation. One sentence: you are resigning from your role, with your job title.
- The dates. When your notice starts and what you understand your last working day to be. Base this on your contract.
- A short thank you. One or two sentences. Specific if you can, but keep it true.
- The handover. Offer to help: documenting your work, training someone, finishing a named piece.
- Close. A plain sign-off, your name, and the date if it is a letter.
A reason is optional. "I've accepted a role elsewhere" or "for personal reasons" is enough if you want to give one. You do not have to.
What to leave out
- Complaints. If there are problems you want your employer to know about, raise them separately, for example in an exit interview or with HR. The letter goes on your file.
- Long explanations. They invite a debate you do not need to have.
- Anything you are not sure of. Do not state a notice period or a last day you have not checked against your contract.
- Promises you cannot keep. Offer the handover you can actually do in the time.
Examples
These are shapes to follow. Replace the names, dates and role with your own, and check the dates against your contract.
A standard resignation email
Subject: Resignation – Priya Shah
Dear Mark,
Please accept this as formal notice that I am resigning from my position as Marketing Coordinator. Based on my contract, my last working day will be Friday 30 October.
Thank you for the chance to work on the spring campaign and for everything I've learned in this team. I'll make sure my projects are documented and handed over properly, and I'm happy to help train whoever takes on my work.
Kind regards, Priya Shah
Asking to leave on shorter notice
If you need to leave sooner than your contract says, ask rather than announce. Your employer may agree, or may not, so make it a request and check your contract first.
Dear Joanne,
I'm writing to resign from my role as Warehouse Supervisor. My notice starts today. Because of a family situation, I'd like to ask whether it would be possible to finish earlier than my contracted notice period, ideally on 16 October. I understand if that isn't possible, and either way I'll do everything I can to hand over my shifts and paperwork properly before I go.
Thank you for your understanding, and for your support over the past two years.
Best wishes, Daniel Reed
Leaving on good terms, with a warmer tone
When you have enjoyed the job and want to keep the relationship, a little more warmth is fine. Keep it to one extra line, not a speech.
Dear Aisha,
I wanted to let you know formally that I'm resigning from my role as Junior Developer. Based on my contract, my last day will be 13 November.
This was a hard decision. You gave me my first job in tech and more trust than I expected, and I've learned more here than anywhere. I'd really like to stay in touch.
Before I go, I'll write up the billing service notes and pair with whoever picks up my tickets.
With thanks, Leo Martin
Letter or email
Many workplaces accept email, and it gives you a dated record. Some contracts ask for a signed letter, or ask you to send it to a particular person or to HR. Check which applies. If you send an email, a clear subject line like "Resignation – your name" makes sure it is not missed. Keep a copy of whatever you send.
If you have questions about your rights, your notice, pay, holiday or anything else in your contract, ask HR or get proper advice. A letter template, and an AI, cannot tell you what applies to you.
Using AI to write a resignation letter
This is one of the easiest letters to get help with, because it is mostly facts. The risk is that the AI adds things you did not give it, like an assumed notice period, gushing thanks or a reason, and that it sounds like a template.
- Give it the facts yourself. Your name, job title, manager's name, and the last day you have worked out from your contract.
- Tell it not to mention any notice period or legal terms you have not given it.
- Say how you feel about leaving. Warm, neutral, or strictly formal. It should not guess.
- Say what you can offer for the handover.
- Ask for short. Under 150 words.
- Check every date and name before you send.
A prompt you can adapt:
"Help me write a resignation email. My name: [name]. My role: [job title]. My manager: [name]. My last working day, from my contract: [date]. Tone: [warm / neutral / formal]. One thing I'm grateful for: [true detail, or leave out]. Handover I can offer: [what]. Don't mention any notice period, law or reason I haven't given you. Under 150 words. Only give me the email."
Doing it with Hemmingway
Hemmingway is built for everyday writing to people, and a resignation email is exactly that: short, clear, and personal enough to leave on good terms. Its model, Hemmingway-1, gives you the email itself, one version, with no note about the tone at the end, and it keeps to the facts you give it. You can save the finished letter as a PDF if your workplace wants a signed copy.
In our own tests of everyday writing, texting and emails, CommunicationBench, it came first of the models we compared. That is our own benchmark, not a public one. What Hemmingway is.
Open the web app, give it your dates and how you want to sound, and read what comes back.
Try HemmingwayDownload the app
Hemmingway is not for legal advice, and like any model it can be wrong and sound sure. Check your contract for the notice and dates, and change anything that does not sound like you.
Common questions
What should a resignation letter say?
That you are resigning from your role, when your notice starts and your last working day, a brief thank you, and an offer to help with the handover. A reason is optional. Keep it short, polite and factual.
How much notice do I need to give when I resign?
It depends on your contract, your role and where you work. Check your contract or employee handbook, and ask HR if it is unclear. Base the last day in your letter on what your contract says.
Can I resign by email?
Many employers accept email, and it gives you a dated record. Some contracts ask for a signed letter or for it to go to a particular person. Check your contract, and where you can, tell your manager in person or on a call first.
Do I have to give a reason for resigning?
No. You can give a short reason, such as a new role or personal reasons, or none at all. If you have concerns you want your employer to hear, raise them separately rather than in the letter.
Can I use AI to write my resignation letter?
Yes, it is a good use for it, because the letter is mostly facts. Give it your real dates and names, tell it not to add notice periods or legal terms, and check everything before you send.