Resignation letter for Ireland (free template)

How much notice do you have to give in Ireland?

If you have worked for your employer for 13 weeks or more, you must give at least 1 week’s notice Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act 1973, s.6. This minimum does not grow with your length of service. The longer minimums in the Act are for notice your employer gives you.

Your contract can ask for more, for example one month. Give what your contract asks, if it is longer.

Under 13 weeks, the Act sets no minimum. Your contract may still ask for notice, so check it.

For the notice your employer must give you, see notice period in Ireland.

Does a resignation have to be in writing?

The Act does not require any particular form. Your contract may ask for notice in writing. A letter is safer in any case: it shows the date, the notice you gave and your last day.

When does your notice start?

Your notice runs from the day your employer receives your letter. To be safe, our letter counts from the day after.

How you deliver it changes your last day:

• By hand: ask your manager to sign and date a copy. The date of receipt is then certain.
• By Registered Post: keep the receipt and check the delivery date on An Post’s tracking. Our letter assumes delivery 5 days after posting, moved to the next working day. An email copy is useful, but our letter does not count it, to be safe.

Examples

Someone started on 1 October 2023. They have 1,129 days of service on 2 November 2026, well over 13 weeks.

Situation	Notice	Earliest last day
Letter handed over on Monday 2 November 2026	1 week (the Act)	Monday 9 November 2026
Letter posted by Registered Post on Monday 2 November 2026 (assumed delivery Monday 9 November)	1 week (the Act)	Monday 16 November 2026
Letter handed over on Friday 15 January 2027, contract asks for 1 month	1 month (the contract)	Monday 15 February 2027

You can always choose a later last day. A shorter one would not give the notice required.

Sample resignation letter (Ireland)

This sample uses fictional names and the first example above. Your own letter is built from your answers.

Ciara Byrne
12 Main Street, Athlone, Co. Westmeath

2 November 2026

Example Retail Limited
For the attention of Mark Daly, Store Manager
Unit 4, Example Business Park, Athlone, Co. Westmeath

By hand

Re: Resignation – Ciara Byrne

Dear Mark Daly,

I am writing to give you notice of my resignation from my position as Sales Assistant.

I am giving 1 week of notice. My last day of employment will be 9 November 2026.

Please pay me, with my final wages, any pay due for annual leave I have not taken, and send me my final payslip.

Please confirm that you have received this letter.

Yours sincerely,

Ciara Byrne

Optional lines you can add:

• “If you are willing to agree to a shorter notice period, I would be glad to leave on [date]. Please let me know in writing if you agree.”
• “I would also be grateful for a written reference.”
• “Thank you for the opportunity to work with you.”

What should a resignation letter include?

• your name and address, and the date;
• your employer’s full name and address, and the person you are writing to;
• a clear statement that you are resigning, and your job title;
• the notice you are giving and your last day;
• a request for your final pay, including annual leave not taken, and your final payslip;
• a request to confirm receipt.

Keep it short and factual. You do not have to give a reason.

Can you leave earlier than your notice?

Only if your employer agrees. Either side can give up the right to notice, or accept a payment instead s.7(1). Your letter can ask to leave earlier, but your employer does not have to agree. Until it agrees in writing, plan on your full notice.

What are you paid when you resign?

When you leave, you should receive OWTA 1997, s.23:

• your wages up to your last day;
• pay for annual leave you earned and did not take (see annual leave and holiday pay when you leave a job);
• one extra day’s pay if you leave in the week ending the day before a public holiday, and you worked the 4 weeks before.

There is usually no notice pay line when you resign, since you are the one giving notice. Your employer must give you a written statement of your gross pay and deductions with your final payment Payment of Wages Act 1991, s.4. See your P45 and final pay: what you should get.

When is a resignation letter not the right document?

• You have received notice of redundancy. To leave before your redundancy date, the law provides a written notice to your employer: the WRC’s form RP6. If you leave without your employer’s agreement, you can lose your statutory lump sum. A resignation letter is not this form. See statutory redundancy in Ireland.
• You want to leave because of how your employer treated you. This can raise a constructive dismissal question, with different rules. Our letter is not offered in this situation. Read constructive dismissal in Ireland and get advice before you send anything.

Leaving a job can also affect Jobseeker’s Benefit. Citizens Information says you may be disqualified for 9 weeks if you left work voluntarily and without a reasonable cause.

Your next steps

1. Prepare your letter, free. The resignation letter works out your earliest last day and asks for your final pay. It is never part of a paid offer.
2. Check your final pay. After you leave, use the free final pay check to compare your final payslip with what is due.
3. If something is missing. You can prepare a final pay claim letter yourself (€9, or €19 with a dated follow-up letter and reminders). A WRC complaint is the next step the law provides, and a free preparation sheet lists what the online form asks for. See making a WRC complaint online.

Free help is also available from Citizens Information, the WRC’s information service or a trade union.