Resignation Letter Generator: Write a Formal Resignation Letter

What is a resignation letter?

A resignation letter is your written notice to your employer that you are leaving. It is the document that starts the notice period, so its date matters. Once the letter is received, the employer accepts it, the notice period runs, and at the end you get your relieving letter, experience letter and full and final settlement. Put it in writing even if you have already told your manager verbally, because a conversation does not start the clock and neither of you will remember the date the same way three months later.

Keep it short. A resignation letter states that you are resigning, from which position, when you propose to leave, and that you will hand over. It is not the place for grievances, and it is not the place for a long thank-you either. Anything you want to say about why you are leaving belongs in the exit interview.

Notice period calculator · Exit interview, in the HR glossary

Resignation letter format

The format is fixed by convention and there is no reason to depart from it. Your name and designation at the top, the date, the addressee, a subject line, a first paragraph that resigns, a second that names the last working day, a line offering handover, a line asking for your exit documents and settlement, and a polite close. That is the whole letter.

Address it to your reporting manager and copy HR when you email it. Sign it. If you hand over a printed copy, keep an acknowledged copy for yourself. The date on the letter is the date your notice period starts, and it is the date that decides when your dues fall due.

• Your name, designation, department and employee code
• The date of the letter
• The manager's or HR contact's name, designation and the company name
• A subject line: Resignation from the position of ...
• A first paragraph stating that you are resigning, with or without a reason
• The notice period in your contract and your proposed last working day
• An offer to complete handover
• A request for the relieving letter, experience letter and full and final settlement
• A line of thanks and your signature

Do you have to give a reason for resigning?

No. A resignation letter is valid without a reason, and most HR teams prefer a letter that does not include one. If you want to give one, keep it neutral: personal reasons, a new opportunity, further studies, relocation. This generator offers those and lets you leave it out.

Avoid writing anything critical of a manager, a colleague or the company. The letter goes into your personnel file and is the first thing a background verification call about you will be checked against. A neutral letter closes the door cleanly. If you are leaving over something that should be on record, raise it through the grievance process or in the exit interview, where it is handled as a complaint rather than sitting in your file as a parting shot. The two documents serve different purposes and mixing them helps neither.

Notice period and last working day

Your notice period is in your appointment letter. Thirty days is common for most roles, and sixty or ninety days for senior positions and in IT services. Count from the date the employer receives your letter, and propose a last working day that gives the full notice. If you want to leave earlier, ask for a shorter notice in the letter and be prepared to pay salary in lieu of the shortfall, or to adjust it against earned leave if the policy allows.

Once you have resigned, the employer has to settle your dues within two working days of your last working day under the Code on Wages, 2019. That covers salary up to the last day, leave encashment, any accrued bonus, and gratuity if you have completed five years. Ask for the relieving letter and experience letter in the resignation letter itself, so the request is on record from day one.

Leave encashment calculator · Gratuity calculator · Full and final settlement, in the HR glossary

Can you withdraw a resignation?

Yes, until it is accepted. A resignation is an offer to end the employment, and it can be withdrawn before the employer accepts it. Once accepted, withdrawing it needs the employer's agreement. Most companies accept resignations within a day or two, so if you are not sure, do not send the letter. Withdraw it in writing to the same people you sent it to, and ask for written confirmation that the resignation stands cancelled, so the exit is not processed from a copy still sitting in someone's inbox.

If you are resigning under pressure, say nothing about it in the letter. Send a neutral resignation, complete your notice, and take any grievance up separately. A resignation letter that reads as forced can be used against you later, but it can also be used against the employer, and neither outcome helps you get your relieving letter on time.