Letter of Resignation Template

This page covers the following topics:

  • How to write a letter of resignation:
  • Employee rights when resigning and notice period:
  • Legal notice period UK.
  • Letter of resignation templates.
  • The perils of writing a simple resignation letter.
  • Letter of resignation to repudiate your employment i.e., if you intend to claim ‘constructive unfair dismissal’ in the employment tribunal.

Are you looking to write a letter of resignation with immediate effect or looking to see how to write a resignation letter with notice? This page contains resignation letter templates, which you can use to submit your letter of resignation.

My wife Amy & I have created some new webpages for 2026 for you to look at:

Below, we have outlined some reasons why you should be very careful when writing a letter of resignation to your employer, including some matters, which you may want to give careful consideration before writing your letter of resignation to your employer, or handing in your notice, or quitting without notice.

Take a few minutes to read through this page to understand your legal rights in resigning. Each country has different laws. However, whether you are from the UK or USA (or any other country) the principals of how to write a letter of resignation are the same.

The perils of writing a simple resignation letter:

It is a mistake not to outline within your letter of resignation the specific grounds and reasons for resigning.

Your letter of resignation should include the ‘reason(s) why’ you are resigning whether it be for work-related stress, new opportunities, lack of opportunities, flexible working being declined, ill-health, bullying and harassment, discrimination etc,.

In the event you intend to lodge a claim for ‘constructive unfair dismissal’ in the employment tribunal, your letter of resignation will become very important. We can assist you in drafting your letter of resignation to your employer, boss, or supervisor.

In the authority Kaur v Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the Court of Appeal outlined each of the steps, which the employment tribunal needs to undertake when considering a claim for ‘constructive unfair dismissal’:

(1) What was the most recent act (or omission) on the part of the employer which the employee says caused, or triggered, his or her resignation?

 (2) Has he or she affirmed the contract since that act?

 (3) If not, was that act (or omission) by itself a repudiatory breach of contract?

(4) If not, was it nevertheless a part of a course of conduct comprising several acts and omissions which, viewed cumulatively, amounted to a repudiatory breach of the Malik term?

(5) Did the employee resign in response (or partly in response) to that breach?

Thus, you only get one chance to get your letter of resignation right, especially if you anticipate suing your employer for unfair dismissal or constructive unfair dismissal in the employment tribunal.

If you are confused, then reach out to us during working hours (9-5 UK time) on 07775943414 or email us at myrightsuk@protonmail.com so that we can arrange a date and time to have a telephone consultation. We charge £35 for an initial consultation up to one hour. During the telephone consultation we can run through your particular circumstances, and discuss next steps before submitting your letter of resignation.

Employment Contract:

The first thing to do before writing a letter of resignation to your employer is to look at your employment contract. The same applies if you are intending to submit your letter of resignation to your employer or resignation letter to your manager. Your contract of employment will include the notice period, which you [must] give in order to avoid breaching the contract of employment.

If you submit your letter of resignation or resign without giving the notice period within your contract of employment, or quitting / resigning without notice, you will likely be in breach of your contract of employment. An employment contract is a legally binding agreement on both parties. Your employer could potentially sue you for breach of contract. Therefore, contact us if you are thinking of submitting a letter of resignation to resign, quitting, or not handing in your notice to mitigate the risk of being sued by your employer. If you resign early or resign without giving the proper notice, your employer could seek costs against you for an agency worker, overtime costs, interim hire, or to clear up the mess caused by your resignation.

Example: Let’s say you are in the process of closing on a contract, or if you are about to close a deal, and you resign without giving the notice period within your contract of employment, your employer could sue you for the losses it incurs in the event those deals fall through as a result of your resignation. Forewarned is forearmed. Don’t put yourself at risk of being sued by your employer if you quit or don’t hand in your notice, or give the incorrect notice period. Leaving your employer short-staffed by resigning or quitting without notice or without working your notice period could also put you at risk of litigation. Financial compensation may not be the only thing your employer might want. Potentially, your employer could seek an injunction to prevent you gaining employment elsewhere and/or in the event you have gained a competitive advantage (non-compete clause) or taken information from your old employer to your new employer i.e., poaching your existing employer’s clients or client database.

Legal Notice Period UK:

The majority of employment contracts, which we see, stipulate a three-month notice period. Here in the UK, the legal notice period is outlined in Section 86 of The Employment Rights Act 1996 (UK).

The Employment Rights Act 1996 says that the notice period required to be given by an employer to an employee, who has been continuously employed for one month or more to terminate his contract of employment, is not less than one week, or:

  • is not less than one week’s notice if his period of continuous employment is less than two years:
  • is not less than one week’s notice for each year of continuous employment if his period of continuous employment is two years or more but less than twelve years, and
  • is not less than twelve weeks’ notice if his period of continuous employment is twelve years or more.

The period of notice, which you must give to your employer when resigning, will be stipulated within your contract of employment.

Confused?

If you are confused, then reach out to us during working hours (9-5 UK time) on 07775943414 or email us at myrightsuk@protonmail.com My wife Amy & I are employment consultants, and can assist you in obviating common mistakes, which we often see employees make when resigning.

Repudiation of Contract of Employment:

Either the employer or employee can repudiate the contract of employment at any time if there has been a fundamental breach of the implied term of mutual trust and confidence. This means that you can resign your employment with immediate effect without giving the notice period stated within your contract of employment.

In plain English, if your boss, supervisor, HR Department, or employer have acted in a manner, which is calculated to fundamentally destroy your trust and confidence in them, you can resign your employment with immediate effect and without notice. Whether or not you then want to claim constructive unfair dismissal is up to you. In the first instance, it would be best for us to have a telephone consultation with you to run through the particulars of your circumstances. My wife Amy & I have assisted our clients in resigning with immediate effect and without working their notice period, whereas the employer has behaved so badly, that our clients had no choice but to repudiate the contract of employment without working their notice period or giving notice. See our testimonials page.

You can reach Amy & I during working hours 9-5 UK time on 07775943414 or by emailing us at myrightsuk@protonmail.com

We charge £35 for an initial telephone consultation up to one hour, and the £50 an hour thereafter (or any part hour thereof).

Quitting because of Work-Related Stress:

It may be that you are looking to submit a letter of resignation to resign to bring a deteriorating employment relationship to an end. You may be within your legal rights to resign without notice. As held by the Court of Appeal in the authority of Kaur v Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust [2018] EWCA Civ 978 (01 May 2018):

“Many of the constructive dismissal cases which arise from the undermining of trust and confidence will involve the employee leaving in response to a course of conduct carried on over a period of time. The particular incident which causes the employee to leave may in itself be insufficient to justify his taking that action, but when viewed against a background of such incidents it may be considered sufficient by the courts to warrant their treating the resignation as a constructive dismissal. It may be the “last straw” which causes the employee to terminate a deteriorating relationship.”

Thus, if you are suffering from work-related stress and want to resign due to work-related stressors (or for any other reason), we can assist you in drafting a resignation complaint letter to your employer to obviate the further stress and anxiety, which your continued employment may cause your physical or psychological health and wellbeing, viz: by working your notice period. Again, see our testimonials page. You can reach Amy & I during working hours 9-5 UK time on 07775943414 or by emailing us at myrightsuk@protonmail.com

Should I resign from my job?

 Amy & I would always recommend against resigning from your job. As an employee, you have employment rights. When you resign or hand in your notice, those employment rights pretty much cease to exist from the effective date of termination. There are exceptions under the auspices of The Equality Act 2010 and Employment Rights Act 1996, but once you have resigned and the effective date of termination applies, your employer no longer has a ‘statutory duty of care’ for your health, safety, and welfare at work, especially if you are signed off from work with work-related stress or some other physical or mental impairment, or disability.

As such, you are in a much stronger position to negotiate a settlement agreement if you are still employed with your employer. For the avoidance of doubt, from the effective date of termination, your employment legal rights to a large degree, cease to exist.

For example, in 2022, we had a client who faced with a disciplinary process, and with the threat of dismissal for gross misconduct hanging over him, our client was looking to resign before he was dismissed. However, after an initial telephone consultation with us, we realised that the client had not considered the strengths of his position, and was in fact, in a very strong position to reach a settlement to bring his employment to an end by ‘mutual agreement’. This meant that not only did our client leave his employment with financial compensation, our client was able to resign on terms which were amenable to both parties. The outcome was a win win situation for our client. He left on mutual terms with his reputation intact and with an agreed reference as part of his settlement agreement with his employer.

Therefore, if you are considering resigning your employment, or want to bring your employment to an end and submit a letter of resignation, Amy and I would recommend you book a telephone consultation with us before you resign. We charge £35 for an initial telephone consultation (up to one hour), and £50 an hour (or part hour) thereafter. During the telephone consultation, we can discuss your options, and explore alternatives to resignation. If you still want to hand in your notice and need us to help draft your letter of resignation to give notice, then we can assist you with writing a letter of resignation to your employer to mitigate your risk of being sued. You can reach Amy & I during working hours 9-5 UK time on 07775943414 or by emailing us at myrightsuk@protonmail.com

We work 7 days a week because we know that your employment issues don’t just end on a Friday afternoon!

Resignation Last Resort:

We strongly recommend that resigning is a last resort. Far better to go off sick than resign. That gives you some breathing room and will allow us time to assist you in putting your letter of resignation together.

In certain circumstances, Amy & I recommend raising a letter of grievance prior to resigning to facilitate and ease the resignation through, whereas it might be possible for you to bring your employment to an end without having to work your notice period. We can assist you in raising a grievance complaint letter to resign and explore the possibility of not working your notice period or going off sick during your notice period. Amy and I have over twenty-six years combined experience in HR, and previously sued our own employers in the employment tribunal for sex and disability discrimination, harassment, and victimization.

The fact is, we know all too well from our own personal experiences, the stress and anxiety caused by having to work for an employer, where the employment relationship is toxic.

If you intend to leave your job and already have another job to go to, we have below outlined some resignation letter examples and resignation letter samples, which you can use to resign. We suggest the resignation letter templates and resignation samples below are only used in circumstances where you do not intend to claim constructive unfair dismissal and are not worried about being sued by not working your notice period. Please read the disclaimer below.

Letter of resignation by email or letter?

Amy & I would strongly recommend that your letter or resignation is sent by email. This way you can prove the date and time the letter of resignation was submitted, and furthermore, the name of the person who you submitted the letter of resignation to.

We would also recommend that you either take a screen shot or photograph on your mobile device once you have submitted your letter of resignation. This way, you can prove the date, time, and name of the person, who you submitted your letter of resignation to.

Resignation Letter Templates:

 

New Job:

Use this resignation letter template if you have found another job:

[Date]

Dear Sirs,

I am writing to inform you that I have found another job, which allows me to continue to flourish in my chosen career path. I want to thank my employer for the opportunity in gaining the experiences, which I have during the course of my employment. To this end, I wish to inform my employer that I am resigning with notice. I intend to work my notice period. It would be helpful to arrange a meeting with HR to discuss my resignation, notice period, and next steps. I appreciate your time and consideration in this matter. Please confirm receipt of this email.

Yours faithfully,

Letter of Resignation Work Related Stress:

[Date]

Dear Sirs,

I am writing to inform you that due to suffering from work-related stress, I can no longer reasonably be expected to continue to ignore the palpable risk of harm, or the gravity of that harm caused by work-related stressors to my physical and psychological health and well-being. To this end, I wish to inform my employer that I am resigning with notice. I intend to work my notice period / stay off sick during my notice period (delete as appropriate). It would be helpful to arrange a meeting with HR to discuss my resignation, notice period, and next steps. It is my position that my employer has omitted to take reasonable steps to ameliorate the stress and anxiety, which I have suffered caused by work-related stressors. I point out the fact that no stress tests or stress audits have been undertaken during the course of my employment to monitor work-related stress. But for this omission, on the balance of probabilities, I would not now be diagnosed with work-related stress and/or signed off from work as unfit to work by my doctor. I appreciate your time and consideration in this matter. Please confirm receipt of this email.

Yours faithfully,

Letter of Resignation Personal Reasons:

[Date]

Dear Sirs,

I am writing to inform my employer that for personal reasons, I have taken the decision to tender my resignation. I want to thank my employer for the opportunity in gaining the experiences, which I have gained during the course of my employment. To this end, I wish to inform my employer that I am resigning with notice. I intend to work my notice period. It would be helpful to arrange a meeting with HR to discuss my resignation, notice period, and next steps. I appreciate your time and consideration in this matter. Please confirm receipt of this email.

Yours faithfully,

Letter of Resignation No Flexible Working:

 [Date]

Dear Sirs,

I am writing to inform you that due to a lack of flexible-working, I have decided to resign my position. I am resigning with notice. I intend to work my notice period. It would be helpful to arrange a meeting with HR to discuss my resignation, notice period, and next steps. But for the decision not to grant flexi-working, on the balance of probabilities, I would not have to submit my letter of resignation. It was my hope that my career could continue to flourish and that my need for flexible working would be considered and granted. However, the decision not to grant flexible working has left me with no choice but to submit this letter of resignation. Please confirm receipt of this email.

Yours faithfully,

 Letter of Resignation Constructive Unfair Dismissal:

If you are considering submitting a letter of resignation and not working your notice period and/or are thinking about claiming constructive unfair dismissal, we would strongly recommend that you reach out to us during working hours (9-5 UK time) on 07775943414 or email us at myrightsuk@protonmail.com

You don’t have to go through this process alone! We are here to help you. Amy & I can assist you in avoiding the pitfalls and common mistakes which we see employees make. You only get one chance to get this right, so make sure you do just that!

My wife Amy and I have over the past 15 years helped thousands of clients address their grievances with their employers. Please read our testimonials page.

Amy & I can assist you in writing a grievance letter for any of the following work-related matters:

Go on, pick up the phone and call us to arrange a telephone consultation on 07775943414.

We work 7 days a week (9-5 UK time) because we know that your employment problems don’t just end on a Friday afternoon!

We only charge £35 up to one hour for the initial consultation and £50 an hour thereafter. 

Disclaimer:

The authors of this web site and sub-domains accept no liability arising from the use of, or the use of any part of, or reliance on the information contained within this website, and its respective pages or downloads, opinions expressed in writing, verbally (via telephone) or otherwise.

The content of this website is not intended to be legal advice. You should not rely upon the content of this website in any respect to any specific situation you may be facing. Therefore, the content of this web site will serve as a good springboard to get professional legal advice from a solicitor.