Give Two Weeks' Notice With These Sample Resignation Letters (2024)

If you have decided toresign from your job, it is customary to provide your employer withtwo weeks' notice of your intended departure.

Whatever your reason for leaving, two weeks generally gives an employer enough time to come up with plans to cover your absence. For example, an employer might need time to hire someone to fill the position or need time to reassign tasks to other employees. The notice period has become such common practice that it's typically seen as a way to help ensure you can maintain a positive relationship with former employers, especially in the event you need a recommendation or reference in the future.

Below you'll find tips for writing a standard resignation letter, as well as sample letters and emails you can use as you write your own.

When to Give Two Weeks' Notice

In some circ*mstances, you may not be able to provide two weeks' notice or even any notice at all. In others, your employer may not want you to stay for the notice period.

Most employers, however, will appreciate you staying on for a couple of weeks to help with the transition. This can be beneficial to you as well, offering you the opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism and leave the job on a positive note. As a result, you should always try to give at least two weeks of notice before leaving a job unless there are extenuating circ*mstances. It's also important to check any employment contract you might have because it could dictate how much notice you should give.

Tips for Writing a Resignation Letter With Two Weeks' Notice

• Use business letter format. Use proper business letter format so your letter looks professional. At the top of your letter, include your contact information, the date, and your employer’s contact information.
• State the date. The most important thing you need to say in your letter is when you will be resigning. You can either state the specific date you will leave or say you are leaving two weeks from the current date.
• Keep it short. You don't need to include any more information than the fact you are leaving and when your last day of work will be.
• Consider saying thank you. If you wish, you can also include a thank you for the opportunity provided and the experience you gained while working with the company.
• Be positive. As with all resignation letters, brevity is advantageous, and it's best toavoid mentioning anything negativeabout your employer or co-workers. Maintain professionalism with everyone, always. You never know whose path may cross yours in the future.
• Offer to help. Consider offering to help with the transition process. You might offer something specific—such as helping to train a new employee—or you can just offer your general help.
• Send the letter to the right people. Send this letter to both your manager and your human resources (HR) department to ensure the company retains a copy on file.
• Consider sending a resignation email. You can also send a resignation email message rather than a formal letter. In fact, many companies might prefer you send the resignation via email. The content of the email will be similar to a letter. In the subject line of the email, include your name and the word “resignation.”
• Read letter samples. To help you write your own letter, check out a few sample resignation letters and email examples. Edit the samples to fit your personal circ*mstances.

Sample Resignation Letters and Emails

Resignation Letter Template

This is a resignation letter example with two weeks' notice.Download the resignation letter template(compatible with Google Docs and Word), or see below for more examples.

Resignation Letter Samples

Resignation Email Sample

More Resignation Letter Examples

Review more examples of the best resignation letters and email messages for a variety of circ*mstances. These templates and samples will work for a variety of reasons you might decide to quit a job.