How to write a retirement letter
When you’re ready to say goodbye to your nine-to-five, a retirement letter can serve as a way to officially inform your employer, give them a timeline to prepare for the transition and express gratitude for your years at the company.
We’ll cover how to write a retirement letter, including a step-by-step guide, a sample letter and frequently asked questions.
What is a retirement letter?
A retirement letter is your formal resignation from a company once you’re ready for retirement financially and otherwise. The letter lets your employer know in writing when you plan to leave and your availability for helping with the transition.
Depending on the relationship, you can also use this letter as a means to share how much you’ve enjoyed your work and if you’d like to be considered for any future part-time or consulting work with the company.
“Retirement letters should provide clarity and gratitude to your employer,” says
Jordan Naffa, director of financial planning at Arista Wealth Management. “Whether the employer expects a notice, you should be clear in retirement desires and timeframes.”
How to write a retirement letter step-by-step
While retirement letters will vary depending on your departure plan, the company,supervisor and your relationship, here are seven general steps you can follow when writing a retirement letter.
1. Address the letter
Although your letter will go to human resources too for recordkeeping and offboarding, address your letter to your supervisor. Ideally, you’ve already had a conversation with your supervisor about retiring prior to submitting the letter.
2. Provide your retirement date
Tell your employer the exact day you plan to retire, so that they can plan for your offboarding and the transition of your job responsibilities.
A three- to six-month notice is considered standard when retiring, though you may give a longer or shorter notice depending on the situation. Some employers require a certain amount of notice before a retirement, so be sure to check company policy or your employment contract.
3. Say thank you
Once you’ve gotten the business out of the way, take a moment to say thank you.
“Express gratitude for the opportunities and experiences you have gained during your tenure,” Naffa says.
This is a nice way to show respect and avoid burning any bridges.
4. Outline how you can help with the transition
Offer your assistance during the transition to ensure a smooth handover of responsibilities, Naffa says. Perhaps this means helping to train your replacement during your last few weeks or months or helping your team hire someone who will be a good fit. Depending on the role, you may want to outline what projects you’ll help finish before your last day or offer to create a transition plan.
If you’d like, you can also offer to be available post-retirement to answer questions that come up for a certain amount of time.
5. Specify any interest in additional work
Not everyone who retires wants to never look back. If you’re hoping to continue working on a part-time or consulting basis with your company, nod to that in your retirement letter.
6. Reference anything else your employer needs to know
When you leave a job, there are a lot of loose ends to tie up. You’ll likely need to set up a call with human resources to discuss benefits like your retirement plan, 401(k) or pension, and what happens to those accounts upon your departure. If you have company property like a laptop, you’ll also need to talk through how you’ll return that (especially if you don’t go to an office every day). Briefly acknowledge those aspects in your letter or suggest setting up a call to talk through the details.
7. Conclude the letter
Naffa says to provide your contact information for any follow-up queries or assistance. Then, close the letter with a remark like “sincerely” followed by your name.
“Remember to proofread to correct errors,” he adds.
Do you need to write a retirement letter?
A retirement letter is important as it serves multiple purposes. Most importantly, it lets your employer know in writing that you’re planning to retire. They can then plan for your departure and you can ensure you receive your last paycheck and transition to any benefits, such as your retirement savings plan and health insurance.
A retirement letter can also allow you to express how much you’ve liked being part of the company — if that’s the case — and ask them to keep you in mind for future work, if that’s something you’re interested in.
In short, a retirement letter puts the wheels in motion for your transition out of an organization and can help you leave the company on a positive note.
“Consider delivering a physical copy to your manager with a wet signature for a more personalized touch,” Naffa says.
Retirement letter sample
When you sit down to write your retirement letter, this general template can get you started.
[Your name]
[Your address]
[Your phone number]
[Your email address][Today’s date]
[Supervisor’s name]
[Supervisor’s title]
[Company name]
[Company address]Dear [supervisor’s first name],
I am writing to formally notify you that I plan to retire, with my last day at [company] being [date].
I want to express my gratitude for the [number of years at company] years I have spent with [company]. I learned a lot from you and the team, and am grateful for the opportunity to meet and work with you all and the support you’ve provided me. I will miss working on projects like [project name], meeting with clients like [clients’ names] and enhancing my [skills name] skills every day.
I hope that providing [number of weeks/months before retirement date] of notice will give you and [company] ample time to prepare for the transition. Please let me know how I can assist, such as [what you can do to assist, such as training other team members]. I’m committed to making my departure as smooth as possible for you and the team.
I will be setting up a call with human resources to discuss the offboarding process. Please let me know if there is anything else I need to take care of before I depart.
Thank you again for all the opportunities I’ve had at [company]. If anyone at [company] has questions for me after my retirement, you can reach me at [personal email address or phone number]. I hope to stay in touch and look forward to seeing you, the team and [company] thrive. I wish you all the best.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Retirement letter FAQs
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Keep it short and sweet. Your retirement letter shouldn’t be longer than a page. You can likely get all the information you need to convey formally in a three-to five-paragraph letter, and have an informal conversation with your boss if there’s more you’d like to say.
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You’ll probably want to give your supervisor a heads up before you submit your letter, either in person or over a video meeting, depending on your work situation. Then, you can submit the formal letter in person or more likely via email, but check with your company to see if they have a preference.
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A retirement letter is not only a common procedure for company recordkeeping, but it can also be a respectful way to say goodbye to your employer. You can express your gratitude for the job and outline how you can help with the transition.
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A resignation letter officially informs your employer that you plan to leave your job for any reason, including retirement. While the reasons behind a resignation letter differ, a retirement letter is used to notify an employer of your resignation due to retirement specifically.
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A retirement letter is crucial for you and your organization to make sure your departure has been documented, but you can also discuss with your supervisor how to tell your team separately. Perhaps you or your boss send out an email or it’s announced during a company-wide meeting.
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While two weeks’ notice is standard for resignations, giving your employer more time to prepare for your retirement will likely be appreciated. Traditionally, three to six months of notice has been customary for retirement notice, though not required. Make sure to check your company policy to see if there are any internal policies.
