Resignation Acceptance Letter and Email Samples

From hiring to firing, there are many aspects to managing employees. One that is often overlooked is having to deal with an employee leaving the company.

Employees leave for various reasons. They can be career-related, such as to make more money, go back to school, or simply move on to different employment opportunities. They can also be personal. An employee might quit to instead focus on traveling, raising a family, dealing with health issues, or many other reasons.

Having an established policy in place to communicate with employees who are leaving the company will help you handle an employee’s departure positively and respectfully. It will also provide documentation of the employee's resignation.

Here's information on company resignation policies, tips for accepting an employee's resignation, and examples of a resignation acceptance letter and email.

Company Resignation Policies

Depending on the size of your company, you may want to consider creating a system or process for handling resignation letters. Having a set policy for resignations will ensure resignations are handled professionally and put both the company and employees who are moving on at ease.

Note

For many companies, creating generic exit information pamphlets or packets for employees is an easy way to explain the steps of the transition.

When employees officially resign, they will look to the company to discuss the next steps required to make the transition smooth.

The company is responsible for offering professional separation services and explaining termination policies such as notice requirements, final paycheck distribution, the status of employee benefits upon termination, and establishing the last date of employment.

Tips for Writing a Letter Accepting a Resignation

One of the first steps in a good resignation policy is to acknowledge you accept an employee’s request to resign.

Typically, the employee will send you a formal letter of resignation. You should then respond with a formal letter accepting the resignation.

Here are some tips on writing a formal letter accepting an employee’s resignation:

• Use business letter format. Because this is a professional letter, you should use business letter format for your letter. In the top-left corner of the letter, include your contact information, the date, and the employee’s contact information. Conclude the letter with your handwritten signature and your name typed below.
• Accept the resignation. Your letter should inform the employee that you have received and accepted his or her resignation letter, and it should clearly state their official last day of work with the company.
• Express understanding. Your response should indicate that you regret losing the employee, but you respect, understand, and appreciate the hard decision he or she has had to make. You might also offer to provide some assistance to the employee. For example, you might offer to provide a reference letter for him or her. However, this offer is optional.
• Keep a record. Send one letter to the employee, and keep one for the employee’s file. You might keep the letter yourself or send it to your human resources office if you have one. It will allow you to maintain a clear record of when the employee left the company.

Tips for Sending an Email Resignation Acceptance

These days, many employees send their resignation letters via email. Depending on the circumstances and your company culture, this may be a totally acceptable way to resign. In that case, you may reply via email as well. To keep the interaction professional and positive, observe the following tips:

• Write a professional email. Although you may omit the address paragraphs and (obviously) the handwritten signature, the rest of your note should resemble business letter format. Don’t use casual language that’s more appropriate for personal correspondence. Skip text-speak, emoticons, and the like.
• Use the right subject line. Unless you’re replying directly to the employee’s resignation email, you should select a subject line that clearly communicates the topic of the email, e.g., “Resignation Acceptance and Congratulations.”
• Consider providing your non-work email or contact information. This is assuming, of course, that you’d be willing to provide a reference or referral in the future.
• Proofread and test your message before sending it. Accepting a resignation is an opportunity for you to grow your network, as well. Ensuring that your message is error-free and professional will enable you to strengthen your networking connection with your former employee.

Examples of Letters Accepting a Resignation

The following are examples of letters from a manager accepting an employee's resignation. Use these examples to help you write your own letter.

Resignation Acceptance Letter Sample #1

Julia Sanchez
Senior Marketing Manager
Acme Corp
12 Main Street, Ste. 3
Middleford, Ohio 44822

Miles Johnson
7 Oak Street
Middleford, Ohio 44822

Your resignation from your position has been accepted, effective on July 29, 2023, as requested.

I have no doubt you will continue to perform to your usual high standards during your remaining time with the company.

It has been a pleasure working with you, and I wish you all the best in the future. If I can provide a reference, please do not hesitate to ask.

Resignation Acceptance Letter Sample #2

George Baptiste
Director, JQB and Sons
7 Star Avenue, Second Floor
Village Creek, Calif. 94019

Sara Smith
34 Bay Street
Village Creek, Calif. 94019

It is with regret that I formally acknowledge receipt of your resignation notice on July 18th. Your resignation has been approved and, as requested, your final day of work here at JQB and Sons will be July 29, 2023.

It has been a pleasure working with you, and on behalf of the team, I would like to wish you the very best in all your future endeavors. Included with this letter, please find an information packet with detailed information on the resignation process.

If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact the office. Thank you again for your positive attitude and hard work all these years.

Signature (hard copy letter)

Resignation Acceptance Email Sample #1

Subject Line: Resignation Acceptance and Congrats

I was sorry to hear that you’ll be moving on from QRS Inc., but I’m pleased to hear you have such an exciting new opportunity in the works. I know you’ll be a tremendous success there, as you are in all your roles.

This constitutes my formal receipt of your resignation. As requested, your last day will be August 5, 2023. Please keep in touch and let me know if you ever need a letter of recommendation.

Manager, QRS, Inc.
Jburton@qrs-mail.com
555-123-4567

Key Takeaways

• It's important to formally acknowledge that the company accepts an employee’s request to resign.
• The acceptance letter should clearly state the employee's official last day of work with the company.
• Send one letter to the employee and keep one for the employee’s file so you have a record of the employee's final day of work.
  

The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. PayScale. "Top Reasons an Employee Leaves."
2. HR 360. "Termination Policies."

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