Leaving

Resignation acknowledgement letter

Accepts a resignation, confirms the last day, and sets out notice, holiday, handover, property and final pay.

An employee has resigned in writing (or verbally, and you want it in writing). Confirm you have received it, agree the last day, and deal with the practicalities. If the resignation was in the heat of the moment, allow a short cooling-off before treating it as final.

Before it goes

  • You have the resignation in writing, or have written down the verbal one and asked them to confirm.
  • You have checked the notice they owe (contractual, or the statutory one week after a month's service) and calculated holiday to the last day.

The letter

[COMPANY NAME] [COMPANY ADDRESS] [DATE] [EMPLOYEE NAME] [EMPLOYEE ADDRESS] Dear [EMPLOYEE FIRST NAME], Your resignation Thank you for your letter of [RESIGNATION DATE] resigning from your position as [JOB TITLE]. I accept your resignation, and I am sorry to see you go. Your contractual notice period is [NOTICE], so your last day of employment will be [LAST DAY]. [You have asked to leave earlier, on [DATE]; I am happy to agree to that, and your last day will be [DATE]. / You will be required to work your full notice period. / We have agreed that you will not be required to work from [DATE], and you will be paid for the balance of your notice.] Holiday: as at your last day you will have accrued [NUMBER] days' holiday for the current leave year, of which you have taken [NUMBER]. [You have agreed to take the remaining [NUMBER] days during your notice period on [DATES]. / The remaining [NUMBER] days will be paid in your final salary. / You have taken [NUMBER] days more than accrued, and in accordance with your written statement the overpayment of [£ AMOUNT] will be deducted from your final pay.] Final pay: your final salary, including [holiday pay / any outstanding expenses], will be paid on [DATE] and your P45 will be sent to your home address shortly afterwards. [Details of your pension options will be sent by [PROVIDER / NAME].] Handover and property: please work with [NAME] to hand over [MATTERS] before you leave, and return [COMPANY PROPERTY: keys, fob, phone, laptop, tools, PPE, vehicle] to [NAME] by your last day. Your access to company systems will end at close of business on your last day. Your obligations of confidentiality [and the post-termination restrictions in clause [NUMBER] of your written statement] continue after you leave. I would like to hold an exit conversation with you before you go, if you are willing; [NAME] will arrange a time. Thank you for your [NUMBER] years with the company, and good luck in your new role. Yours sincerely, [MANAGER NAME] [JOB TITLE] [COMPANY NAME]

Filling it in

Last day
Resignation date plus notice, unless you agree otherwise. Write the date, not the formula.
Holiday
Accrued to the last day, minus taken. Overtaken holiday can only be deducted if the written statement says so.

What the law says

  • Employment Rights Act 1996 s.86(2): an employee with one month's service must give at least one week's notice; the contract may require more.
  • Working Time Regulations 1998 reg.14: accrued untaken statutory holiday is paid on termination; the contract may allow you to require holiday to be taken during notice.
  • Case law on heat-of-the-moment resignations: where words were spoken in anger, a reasonable employer allows a short period for the employee to retract before relying on them.
Guidance, not legal advice. Employment law moves; check the current position before relying on any of it, and take advice on anything that could end someone's employment.

What turns this letter into a claim

  • Do not accept a resignation shouted across a yard and treat it as binding the next morning. Let them come back to it.
  • Do not withhold final pay or the P45 pending return of property. Deduct only what the contract allows; chase the rest separately.

Questions people ask

Can I refuse to accept a resignation?

No. A resignation is a unilateral act; it does not need acceptance. You can ask them to reconsider, and you can agree a different leaving date, but you cannot hold someone to a job.

Can I make them leave immediately instead of working notice?

Only if the contract has a pay in lieu of notice clause, or you pay them for the full notice period anyway. Sending them home unpaid for the notice period is a breach of contract.

What if they refuse to work their notice?

You cannot force them, and you do not pay for the days not worked. In theory you could claim losses caused by the breach; in practice it is rarely worth it. Make sure the reference is accurate about dates.

The letter, with the names already in

Employ AI drafts letters like this one from the employee's record, so the dates, service and pay are already right, and the disciplinary module writes the invitation and outcome letters from the case itself. All 44 letter families, 49 UK policies, GPS clock-in, rotas, leave and timesheets: £2.50 a month plus £1 per employee. 14 days free, no card.

Start free trial