--- title: "Resignation Letter Format: Word, PDF & Samples | LekhaHR" description: "Free resignation letter format in Word and PDF: notice period, last working day and handover, with samples for short notice and immediate resignation." canonical: https://lekhahr.in/resources/resignation-letter-format/ last_updated: 2026-10-06 --- > Design preview · sample data. Product previews and filled examples on this page use one sample company, Paiteq Technologies, and its people. They are not a LekhaHR customer, a testimonial or usage figures. Free template · Word and PDF · updated 6 Oct 2026 # Resignation letter format, with your notice and a last day. A resignation letter written by the employee, filled in here for Sanjay Mishra, who resigned from Paiteq on Wed 26 Aug 2026, and blank below it. Two more samples cover a short-notice request and an immediate resignation. Download it in Word, print it or save it as PDF, or paste the text into an email. [Download Word (.docx)](https://lekhahr.in/downloads/resignation-letter-format.docx) ## Fill in your resignation letter here Type each detail once and it fills every place it appears in the letter. Then download it as a filled Word file, print it, save it as PDF or copy the text. **Nothing you type leaves your browser.** What you type is saved on this device only, until you press Reset. 0 of 22 filled [Your full name] [Your address] · [Phone] - **Ref**: Employee code [code] - **Date**: [Date of the letter] [Manager's or HR contact's name] [Designation] [Company name], [address] Subject: Resignation Dear [Name], Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation from my position as [designation] at [Company name]. My notice - **Designation**: [Designation], [Department] - **Date of joining**: [Date] - **Notice period**: [Days], as in my appointment letter - **Proposed last working day**: [Date] - **Handover**: [What you will hand over, and to whom] - **Leave balance**: [Days of earned leave left; to be encashed or adjusted, as the policy allows] - **Contact after I leave**: [Personal phone or email, for the F&F and letters] I will complete the handover and return company property by my last working day. Please confirm my last working day in writing, and let me know when my full and final settlement will be paid. [Optional: one line of thanks.] Yours sincerely, [Your full name] [Designation] Received by Resignation received on [date]. Last working day agreed: [date]. Signature Name and designation Date The filled sample and the blank, with a margin note on every field _Design preview · sample data_ Sanjay Mishra Bengaluru, Karnataka · +91 98••• ••204 - **Ref**: Employee code PTQ-0087 - **Date**: Wed 26 Aug 2026 Nandini Ghosh Finance Manager Paiteq Technologies, Bengaluru Subject: Resignation Dear Nandini, Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation from my position as Accounts Executive at Paiteq Technologies. My notice - **Designation**: Accounts Executive, Finance - Core factbecause the letter should name the job you are leaving, exactly as the company records it. - **Date of joining**: 6 Mar 2023 - Good practicebecause it helps HR find the right record and check the notice term that applies to you. - **Notice period**: 30 days, as in my appointment letter - Core factbecause the notice period comes from your appointment letter or the company's policy. Quote it, so nobody has to look it up. - **Proposed last working day**: Fri 25 Sep 2026 - Core factbecause it is the date everything else counts from: the relieving letter, the experience letter and the F&F. Day 1 of the notice is the day after the letter is dated. - **Handover**: The month-end ledgers and their working files, to Nandini Ghosh, before my last day - Good practicebecause a named handover is the easiest way to show the notice was served properly. - **Leave balance**: 6 days of earned leave, to be encashed with my F&F - Optionalbecause unused earned leave is usually encashed on exit, and for workers the OSH Code covers, it must be. Whether it can shorten your notice is the company's call. Ask; don't assume. - **Contact after I leave**: +91 98••• ••204 (personal) - Good practicebecause the F&F statement, Form 130 (earlier Form 16) and the letters reach you after your work email is closed. I will complete the handover and return company property by my last working day. Please confirm my last working day in writing, and let me know when my full and final settlement will be paid. Thank you for my 3 years 6 months in the Finance team. Yours sincerely, Sanjay Mishra Accounts Executive Received by Resignation received on Wed 26 Aug 2026. Last working day agreed: Fri 25 Sep 2026. Signature Name and designation Date [Your full name] [Your address] · [Phone] - **Ref**: Employee code [code] - **Date**: [Date of the letter] [Manager's or HR contact's name] [Designation] [Company name], [address] Subject: Resignation Dear [Name], Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation from my position as [designation] at [Company name]. My notice - **Designation**: [Designation], [Department] - Core factbecause the letter should name the job you are leaving, exactly as the company records it. - **Date of joining**: [Date] - Good practicebecause it helps HR find the right record and check the notice term that applies to you. - **Notice period**: [Days], as in my appointment letter - Core factbecause the notice period comes from your appointment letter or the company's policy. Quote it, so nobody has to look it up. - **Proposed last working day**: [Date] - Core factbecause it is the date everything else counts from: the relieving letter, the experience letter and the F&F. Day 1 of the notice is the day after the letter is dated. - **Handover**: [What you will hand over, and to whom] - Good practicebecause a named handover is the easiest way to show the notice was served properly. - **Leave balance**: [Days of earned leave left; to be encashed or adjusted, as the policy allows] - Optionalbecause unused earned leave is usually encashed on exit, and for workers the OSH Code covers, it must be. Whether it can shorten your notice is the company's call. Ask; don't assume. - **Contact after I leave**: [Personal phone or email, for the F&F and letters] - Good practicebecause the F&F statement, Form 130 (earlier Form 16) and the letters reach you after your work email is closed. I will complete the handover and return company property by my last working day. Please confirm my last working day in writing, and let me know when my full and final settlement will be paid. [Optional: one line of thanks.] Yours sincerely, [Your full name] [Designation] Received by Resignation received on [date]. Last working day agreed: [date]. Signature Name and designation Date Written by the employee; the notice period comes from the appointment letter · wages due on exit within 2 working days, Code on Wages, 2019, s.17(2), from 21 Nov 2025 · [reviewed 6 Oct 2026](https://lekhahr.in/editorial-policy/) No. 01 Three samples ## Short notice and immediate resignation: two more samples. The filled letter above is the standard one: full notice, served. Use one of these when you need to leave earlier. Both ask; neither assumes the company will agree, because the notice term is in your appointment letter and the company decides whether to waive it. ### Resignation with a request for short notice or a notice buyout Use this when you want an earlier last day than your notice allows. Offer a handover date, and say what you will do if the days can't be waived. Notice pay is recovered only as your appointment letter provides; the [full and final settlement guide](https://lekhahr.in/guides/full-and-final-settlement/) shows where it appears in the F&F. Sample letter · copy and fill the brackets ``` Subject: Resignation, with a request to shorten my notice period Dear [Name], Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation from my position as [designation]. My appointment letter sets a notice period of [days] days, which would end on [date]. I request that my last working day be [earlier date] instead, because [one line: a joining date, a move, a family reason]. I will complete the handover to [name] by then. If the remaining [number] days cannot be waived, I am willing to [have the notice pay for those days recovered from my full and final settlement / pay the amount separately], as my appointment letter provides. Please confirm the arrangement in writing. Yours sincerely, [Your full name] [Employee code] ``` ### Immediate resignation, with care Use this only when you genuinely cannot serve notice. Leaving without notice can breach the notice term in your appointment letter, and the company may ask for pay in lieu of notice as that letter provides. Say why, ask for a waiver, return company property, and leave a personal contact for the [relieving letter](https://lekhahr.in/resources/relieving-letter-format/) and the F&F. Sample letter · copy and fill the brackets ``` Subject: Resignation with effect from [date] Dear [Name], Please accept this letter as my resignation from my position as [designation], with effect from [date]. I know my appointment letter sets a notice period of [days] days. I am unable to serve it because [one line: a medical reason, a family emergency]. I request that the notice be waived. If it cannot be, please tell me in writing what the company proposes under my appointment letter. I will return [laptop, ID card and other items] by [date] and hand over [work] to [name]. I can be reached at [personal phone or email] for my full and final settlement and letters. Yours sincerely, [Your full name] [Employee code] ``` No. 02 Field by field ## What to write in each field. A resignation letter has one job: to fix the date notice started and propose the last working day. Every field supports one of those two dates, or the handover between them. - **01Designation**: Core fact because the letter should name the job you are leaving, exactly as the company records it. - **02Notice period**: Core fact because the notice period comes from your appointment letter or the company's policy. Quote it, so nobody has to look it up. - **03Proposed last working day**: Core fact because it is the date everything else counts from: the relieving letter, the experience letter and the F&F. Day 1 of the notice is the day after the letter is dated. - **04Date of joining**: Good practice because it helps HR find the right record and check the notice term that applies to you. - **05Handover**: Good practice because a named handover is the easiest way to show the notice was served properly. - **06Contact after I leave**: Good practice because the F&F statement, Form 130 (earlier Form 16) and the letters reach you after your work email is closed. - **07Leave balance**: Optional because unused earned leave is usually encashed on exit, and for workers the OSH Code covers, it must be. Whether it can shorten your notice is the company's call. Ask; don't assume. No. 03 The rule ## How much notice do you have to give when you resign? The notice period in your appointment letter or the company's policy. For most office jobs in a small company, no Labour Code fixes an employee's resignation notice; state shops and establishments rules or standing orders can add terms, so check them if your letter is silent. Day 1 of the notice is the day after your letter is dated: Sanjay's 30 days on a letter dated Wed 26 Aug 2026 end on Fri 25 Sep 2026. Wages due on exit then follow a legal clock: within 2 working days of the last day, from 21 Nov 2025. - **Notice period**: as your letter says because your appointment letter or policy sets it, often different during probation. Sanjay's letter set 30 days once confirmed. - **Shorter notice**: ask in writing because only the company can waive notice. A short-notice request with a handover date usually gets a quicker yes than a surprise. - **Notice not served**: as the letter provides because pay in lieu of notice is recovered only as the appointment letter provides. Whether it can be set off against wages due on exit is a legal question; get the arrangement agreed in writing before the last day. - **Wages due on exit**: within 2 working days because Code on Wages, 2019, s.17(2) requires them within 2 working days of the last day, whether the person resigned or was removed. Sanjay's were due by Tue 29 Sep 2026. No. 04 Questions answered ## What should a resignation letter include? Your name, designation and employee code, a clear first line saying you are resigning, your notice period, the last working day you propose, the handover, and a contact for after you leave. Ask for the last day to be confirmed in writing; the [relieving letter](https://lekhahr.in/resources/relieving-letter-format/) will quote it, and the [full and final settlement](https://lekhahr.in/guides/full-and-final-settlement/) counts from it. ## What happens after you submit a resignation letter? The company acknowledges it and agrees the last working day; Paiteq agreed Sanjay's the next day. The notice is served, the handover done, and on the last day the relieving letter and the [experience letter](https://lekhahr.in/resources/experience-letter-format/) are issued. Wages due on exit follow within 2 working days. [Exits in LekhaHR](https://lekhahr.in/employee-onboarding-software/) track each of those dates. ## Can you withdraw a resignation? Ask in writing, as early as you can. Once a resignation has been accepted, withdrawing it usually needs the employer's agreement, so get the decision in writing too. If the company agrees, ask it to record that the resignation was withdrawn, so no [exit clearance](https://lekhahr.in/resources/no-dues-certificate-format/) or F&F starts by mistake. No. 05 Common mistakes ## Six ways a resignation letter causes trouble. Most of them are about dates. - **01No last working day**: because the company then picks one, and it may not be the one you planned your next job around. - **02Counting notice from the wrong date**: because notice runs from the date on the letter, with day 1 the day after it, not from the day you meant to send it. Date it the day you send it. - **03Resigning on WhatsApp only**: because most HR teams won't start the notice from a chat message. Send the email the same day and treat its date as the start. - **04Assuming leave shortens the notice**: because many policies encash leave on exit instead. Ask, and get the answer in writing. - **05Only a conversation**: because a resignation agreed in a meeting and never written down leaves no date to count from. - **06No personal contact**: because your work email closes on the last day, and the F&F statement and letters still have to reach you. No. 06 Questions ## Questions about resignation letters ### How do I write a simple resignation letter? Three short paragraphs. The first line says you are resigning and from which position. The second quotes your notice period and proposes a last working day. The third names who takes the handover and asks for the last day to be confirmed in writing. Notice runs from the day after the letter: 30 days' notice given on Wed 26 Aug 2026 ends on Fri 25 Sep 2026, as in the sample. ### Can I resign by email? Most companies accept a resignation by email. Check whether your appointment letter or policy asks for a signed letter or a particular form, and if it does, attach the signed letter to the email. Keep the sent email: its date is the date your notice runs from, with day 1 the day after. ### When will I get my full and final settlement after resigning? Wages due on exit are paid within 2 working days of the last working day under the Code on Wages, 2019, s.17(2), from 21 Nov 2025. Gratuity, where due, and the PF balance run on their own timelines. Ask for the F&F statement, which shows how the amount was worked out. ### Can I take leave during my notice period, or use it to shorten the notice? Only if the company agrees. Many policies bar earned leave during notice, or extend the last day by any leave taken, and encash the balance on exit instead. Check the clause before you plan a break between jobs, and get any answer in writing before you plan around an earlier last day. ### My new employer is paying my notice buyout. What should I ask for? Ask HR for the figure in writing: the number of unserved days and the rate, on basic or on gross, as your appointment letter says. Basic is often half the gross or less, so the two bases can differ widely, and that gap is the usual F&F dispute. Pass the written figure to your new employer before they pay it. ### Can AI write my resignation letter? Yes, for a first version, but check four things it cannot know. The notice period: copy it from your appointment letter or policy, not from the AI's text, which often guesses 30 or 90 days. The last working day: count it yourself, with day 1 the day after the letter is dated, as 30 days from Wed 26 Aug 2026 ends on Fri 25 Sep 2026 in the sample. The handover: name the person and the date, which a generic letter leaves vague. And the tone: delete any grievance, comparison with the new job or complaint about a manager, because the letter goes on your file and is read again at F&F and for the relieving letter. The letter builder at the top of this page asks for exactly these fields and fills the letter as you type; nothing you enter leaves your browser. ### Is there a resignation letter format in Word or PDF? Yes. Fill it in with the letter builder at the top of this page and download it as a filled Word (.docx) file, print it or save it as PDF, or copy the text into an email; nothing you type leaves your browser. The blank Word file is there too, with no email and no sign-up. For employersLekhaHR is HR and payroll software for small Indian teams. [See exits →](https://lekhahr.in/employee-onboarding-software/)