Retirement can be an excellent time for you. Finally, you have a chance to stop working and do some of the hobbies and other activities you have always wanted. Before you are done working, though, you should consider writing a retirement letter of resignation.
This retirement resignation letter is the official notice of your plan to retire. An individual should write this to their manager or boss to let them know they plan to resign from the position by a specific date. The individual writing the letter should also use this to require any retirement benefits their company offers.
Retirement is often something the individual thinks out well ahead of time. Many people know they would like to stop working by a certain age or at the end of a specific year. This is why it is common to write a retirement letter of resignation somewhere between six to twelve months ahead of time. This practice gives the company time to find a replacement, train them, and prepare when you resign professionally from the position.
Pre-Considerations
Your retirement resignation letter is a professional way to tell your employer that you plan to stop working and enjoy your golden years. However, there are a few things to consider before you write the letter, including:
Research your company’s policies
As you write out a retirement letter, you want to make sure it is done in a way that makes sense for your company. Many companies will have their requirements regarding how the retirement resignation letter should be handed in. Look through the employee handbook or talk to someone in HR if you are uncertain about the requirements. You may also consider setting up a meeting with your manager or boss to discuss the retirement and see how you can make the process go smoothly.
Notify your employer before two weeks
You must also give enough notice to help your company prepare when it is time for you to leave. Technically, two weeks’ notice is the standard for leaving a job. However, many professionals who look to retire will give more extended notice than this, especially if they have been with the company for a long time.
If you are uncertain about the amount of notice you should give, you can talk to your manager or the HR department. This discussion can help both parties be on the same page and give the company enough time to find and train your replacement. You can then hammer out an official final date of work that will be placed on all of your official retirement paperwork
Format of the Letter
Your retirement letter of resignation is an official notice that you plan to retire. The correct format will help include all the relevant information in the letter. Some of the sections you should include in your letter are:
Header
Your letter should include a professional header. The header should not contain complex information as it should only introduce the sender and the receiver. For this purpose, you can include your name, contact details, name and contact details of the boss or the person to whom you will address the letter, and the date you send the letter.
Salutation
As you begin writing your resignation letter for retirement, you should have a small greeting that helps address the recipient. If you work with the recipient and know them well, it is acceptable to use their first name and be less formal. However, if you need to write it to the HR department or to a manager you do not know well, it is better to keep it formal and go with their title and last name.
Introduction
This letter aims to let the company know that you plan to retire. This does not have to be complicated. At the beginning of the letter, a few lines alerting the company of your plans to retire and when you plan to do it can be enough. If you have not talked to your boss about your retirement plans yet, add more details. If you have sat down with your boss or HR to discuss your retirement plans, then add some of those details into the letter to make it official.
The body
The body of the letter should be one to five paragraphs, and once the information about your retirement is out of the way, the rest of the body can include any personal details that you would like to include. Many professionals will take this time to thank the company for their experience while working with them. It would be best to write about how you will assist the company in transitioning before you leave. Some even include information on their retirement plans.
Formal sign off
Once you are done with the body of the retirement letter, you should have a formal closing. Something like “sincerely” and then your signature will be enough to help you end the letter in a respectful tone.
What to Include?
There is a lot of information you can include in the letter, but some items you need to have in the letter include:
Your intent to retire
The most important thing you should include in your retirement letter of resignation is your intent to retire. This is your official notice informing the administration that you are retiring and that a date of your choice will be the last day you report to your job.
If possible, you should discuss with your company ahead of time to make sure the date suits you and the company. There may be a little negotiation on the final date to make it work well for you. Then, put that date in the letter. This helps put everyone on the same page.
Positive stuff about yourself
You have worked hard for your company and probably done some excellent work when you have been there. This is a great time to briefly touch on some of that work and give a retrospective of your time working there. In addition, you can include information on the number of years you worked at the company and any of the significant contributions you made.
Gratitude
In addition to showing how you contributed to the business’s success over your tenure, take a moment to thank your employer for all that they have done for you. Mention some of the positives you have enjoyed working for the company and some of the professional and personal growth you felt happened. If they helped you learn specific skills or fill a role you have always wanted, then it is time to discuss that with them.
Offer assistance in the transition
Some professionals agree to help ease the transition before they officially retire. You can choose how involved you would like to be in this process. You can choose your comfort level for what you would like to offer to do. If you have a prominent position in the company, you may want to discuss the transition plans with HR or your boss before writing the retirement resignation letter. You can then outline some of the plans you made together.
Retirement Letter of Resignation
Here is a retirement resignation letter sample you can use as a guide when you write your own:
Sample
Caleb Darrington
9919 Cherry lane
Lala Land, ND 0000
111-222-3232
[email protected]
June 1, 20xx
John Smith
Director of HR
ABC Contracting
8838 Blueberry lane
Lala Land, ND 0000
Dear Mr. Smith
This is my official notice of retirement from my position as a lead contractor at ABC Contracting, effective on October 31, 20xx. This decision is not easy, but I am ready to move on and spend more time with my family and enjoy more traveling and relaxation.
When I first started at ABC Contracting as part-time help 15 years ago, I never thought that I would be able to learn so many skills and gain the experience that you have helped me to earn. I never thought I would get to become a lead contractor and have a chance to work on some of the best projects in town, making the downtown area more beautiful and helping people enhance their homes.
My time at ABC Contracting has been delightful, and I have enjoyed being able to work on my professional skills while meeting many coworkers and professionals along the way. While I look forward to spending more time with my wife and grand kids and seeing more of the world, I will genuinely miss being able to work for your company.
Thank you for all of the great professional opportunities that ABC Contracting has helped me reach. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity. I look forward to finishing out the season with this great crew. During that time, I am happy to assist in training my replacement and making the transition as smooth as possible.
Sincerely
Caleb Darrington
Download Templates
We have collection of free retirement letter of resignation templates you can easily and download and use:
Do’s and Don’ts
You should include several things in your retirement letter of resignation and things that you need to keep out of it to make sure you get to the point. Let’s look at each one to see what you should do and avoid.
Do’s
They include:
Strike the right tone
The right tone will help make the resignation letter of retirement more official. With a commanding and firm voice that respects the person who will receive the letter, you will make the most impressive impact along the way. A firm tone will help you convey that you plan to retire and will be done working for the company by a specific date, but you do not need to be harsh or rude. Have someone read through the information to see whether you strike the right balance.
Choose the proper delivery method
If you enjoyed your time at the job and have a good boss, then take the time to hand-deliver the retirement resignation letter in person to them. While handing in your resignation letter is the most professional option, consider emailing copies. This includes emailing a copy to your boss and any relevant HR professionals. This will ensure everyone has an extra copy they can look back on if needed. This should all be done at least two weeks in advance.
Proofread
Proper grammar and spellings are essential when writing the retirement letter of resignation. You do not want to end up with awkward errors that look bad in your letter. You can use different tools to help with this, including Grammarly, or re-reading it yourself.
Don’ts
They include:
Using fluff language
Don’t go overboard in any section that you write in your letter. Your goal is not to write a memoir here; it is just to alert the employer that you plan to retire and no longer work for them. You can go into further details with your boss or other employees if you wish later, but your letter is not the place to do that. So, avoid the fluff and get right to the point in your letter.
Posing negativity
Some jobs you love, and some leave a bad taste in your mouth. Even if the latter is true of this job, the retirement letter of resignation is not a good place to start bringing up old wounds or problems you have had with the job. This letter is a professional courtesy to let the employer know you plan to stop working for them, not a vendetta to show how angry you are at a manager or an employee. So keep the letter just to the facts, telling the employer that you plan to retire, what date you will retire, and how you plan to aid them during the transition period. Leave everything else out.
Questioning about retirement packages
Your retirement letter of resignation is not the time for you to ask about your retirement package. That letter is just an alert that you will be retiring. It would be best to look into your retirement benefits ahead of time. A quick discussion with your HR department will help clear up any confusion and help you understand which benefits and how much you will be able to get.
Making unrealistic promises
Be careful about the promises you make to your employer in the letter. While it is a good idea to offer help for any transition period, don’t make big promises that will eat up your time in retirement or make you never retire. For example, do not promise to stay around for “as long as needed”. It is nice to help, but you still want to enjoy your years in retirement.
Conclusion
Many professionals look forward to retirement to spend more time with loved ones and enjoy activities outside of work. For this purpose, your retirement letter of resignation helps your employer know that you plan to retire and gives them a chance to find a replacement and work on preparing for when you leave. It is possible that you are leaving a good job, one that you enjoyed quite a bit and are sorry to leave. You can offer assistance and more time to help your employer prepare before you officially retire when this is true.
If you do not have this kind of relationship, you can write a retirement resignation letter and list what you are willing to do to make the transition smooth and when you plan to be done. This professional letter helps to put everything in writing and allows you to resign and go into your retirement. In addition, your retirement letter of resignation can help keep things organized and starts the process for you to get to your retirement.
