It can feel confusing when you have to tell your manager you’re quitting for personal reasons.
But life happens, and sometimes it’s necessary to leave work.
So, how do you write a resignation letter for personal reasons that you might not want to share with your employer? Use these tips and examples to help ease your exit.
What to say when you resign for personal reasons
Here’s what to write and what not to write in your resignation letter when you’re quitting due to personal reasons.
When you resign for personal reasons, focus on the necessary info
Remember what you need to tell your manager in a resignation letter: the fact that you’re leaving, and the date when you plan to leave. That’s it. They don’t need to know any more than the necessary information in order for them to plan what to do without you. The details of your day-to-day can be shared at another time.
As for when to leave, if you can stay for at least two weeks, which is the traditional transitional time period to give, then that’s great. That’ll give your manager time to plan how to cover your role. If you’re open to more time, talk about it with your manager.
If you need to leave sooner, even immediately, be honest about it—just know that some companies have guidelines about not paying out vacation time or have similar limits if you don’t give notice. Do what’s best for you.
Don’t lie when you resign
There’s no need to give a phony reason if you don’t feel like sharing the real one. Just don’t give one at all. If you get asked, say, “It’s personal.” Most people will know to leave you alone and not ask more questions.
While it might be tempting to give any reason instead of being cryptic, it’s not worth your time or energy to keep track of a lie. And if you get “caught” in the lie, people might talk and it could hurt your chances of getting hired elsewhere (or rehired at the same company, if that’s something you’d be interested in later). So, avoid that problem altogether.
Keep your tone polite and professional
Not everyone leaves on good terms. Even if you aren’t, stay professional. It’s one less thing to worry about during a stressful time. And it’ll help when you’re job searching again to know you handled your exit gracefully.
Offer help during the transition period (if you will be staying for two weeks+)
If you can stay for around two weeks or so, great, and offer to help with the transition plan or anything else you are willing to assist with. Chances are, you’ll have a lot of information your manager can use to plan the best way to carry on without you.
Resignation letter examples when you’re leaving for personal reasons
Use these templates when you need to go and aren’t sure what to say.
Resignation letter for a personal reason, example #1
This resignation letter leaves out the reason, focuses on the facts, and offers a realistic amount of help:
Note how it includes the fact that you’re resigning, the role you’re resigning from, the date you’re leaving, an offer to help complete any outstanding work, and a simple “thank you.”
Resignation letter for a personal reason, example #2
This resignation letter example can be used when you want to acknowledge your time spent at the company. It still leaves out the reason, assuming it’s personal. It also includes a little more emphasis on helping with the transition period:
Obviously, you can customize the “thank you” portion based on your experience.
Resignation letter for a personal reason, example #3
Use this resignation letter template when you have a personal reason that requires you to quit immediately:
You might have this conversation in person first, but you’ll also want to send a written letter of resignation and share it with HR so there’s a record. Feel free to mention in this email that you’re following up after an in-person conversation, so that HR knows exactly what happened.
More tips on writing a resignation letter
For more expert information on how to resign for any reason, check out these resignation email examples. For more on how to handle the “transition period” after you give notice, check out this guide to leaving your job gracefully.
