ClauseryHow to write a two weeks notice letter (free template)
A two weeks notice letter tells your employer that you are resigning and when your last day will be. Keep it short and positive: it goes in your personnel file, and the people who read it may be your references later.
Do you have to give two weeks' notice?
In the US, most jobs are at will: either side can end the job at any time, and no federal law requires an employee to give notice. Two weeks is a professional custom, and leaving without it can cost you a good reference or a chance to be rehired. Some employment contracts, union agreements and handbooks require more notice, or make it a condition of being paid out for unused vacation, so check yours first.
Elsewhere the rules are set by law and contract. In the UK, for example, the legal minimum an employee must give is one week once they have worked for a month, but most contracts require more, often a month or longer for senior roles. Give whatever your contract requires; two weeks is only the norm where nothing longer applies.
What to include
- The date of the letter, and your manager's name.
- A clear statement that you are resigning, and from which job title.
- Your last working day. State the date itself, not just "two weeks from today".
- An offer to help with the handover: finishing or passing on your work and training a replacement.
- How you will return company property, such as a laptop, phone, badge or keys.
- A short thank-you, if you want to include one.
- A personal email address for your final pay slip and tax forms, if they might otherwise go to your work account.
A reason is optional. "I have accepted a position elsewhere" is enough, and you do not have to say where.
What to leave out
Complaints about your manager, colleagues or pay, comparisons with your new job, and anything you would not want a future employer to read. If you want to give feedback, use an exit interview, and keep it constructive there too.
How to count the two weeks
Count from the day your manager receives the letter. If you hand it in on Friday 2 October, two weeks takes you to Friday 16 October. If you work shifts or part-time, make the last day the last day you are scheduled to work. The deadline calculator gives the date for any number of days or weeks.
How to hand it in
Tell your manager first, in person or on a call, then give them the letter or email it straight afterwards so there is a written record with a date. Send a copy to HR if your company has a process for resignations, and keep a copy yourself.
What happens next
- Your employer may end the job sooner. In an at-will job they can usually accept your resignation straight away instead of having you work the notice period, and are not always required to pay for the two weeks unless a contract or policy says so.
- Final pay. Deadlines are set by state law. In California, for example, an employee who gives at least 72 hours' notice must be paid in full on their last day.
- Unused vacation. Some states, including California, require earned vacation to be paid out when you leave; in many others it depends on the company's policy.
- Health insurance often ends on your last day or at the end of that month. Employers with 20 or more employees must usually offer COBRA, which lets you keep the same coverage for a time if you pay the premiums.
- Retirement plans and stock may have vesting dates; check whether waiting a little before your last day would make a difference.
Free templates
The free two weeks notice letter asks for each detail above and builds the letter in your browser, with nothing uploaded. If your contract requires longer notice, use the general resignation letter, which lets you set any notice period. Managers can use the reference letter and the employment verification letter for staff who have left, and there are more on the HR templates page.
General information, not legal advice. Employment law differs between countries and states and changes over time; check the rules that apply to your job.
More on hiring and HR letters
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- What to include in a severance agreement
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