Letter Informing of Your Retirement

Most employees who have made plans to retire imminently will have already notified their boss or immediate superior verbally of their intentions to do so a fair few weeks or even months ahead of time. Not only is this courteous but it also allows the employer the chance to plan their recruitment for any successor to your position well in advance of your departure and sometimes, to plan any ‘surprise’ they might have in store for you.

However, it is always courteous and proper to send a letter to announce your retirement formally nearer the date of your departure, and in accordance with the terms and conditions of your employment contract, which re-iterates what you might have expressed verbally earlier and enables the payroll department to tie up any loose ends in terms if what the company owes you and any additional entitlements you are due, such as holiday pay, bonuses etc.

How to Write the Letter

Your letter can be formal or quite informal depending upon your relationship with the boss of your company (or your immediate supervisor) and it should begin by stating that you intend to retire and on what date your retirement becomes effective from. If you wish, you can thank your employer and your colleagues for contributing to the happy years you’ve worked there, if appropriate, although you do not have to go into any specific reasons for your decision to retire if you don’t want to.

If a successor is already in place, you can offer them your best wishes and perhaps a few words of encouragement but if they have yet to be appointed but their arrival is imminent, it is courteous to offer your employer your assistance in helping your successor to make the transition smoother.

Your final paragraph should offer the company and your colleagues your best wishes for the future and, if you want to stay in touch, you should include contact details for yourself in case any of your colleagues would like to stay in contact with you.