Simple Short Retirement Letter

So goes a popular saying in Dutch used to announce one’s departure without having to go into detail. There is a time of arriving and a time of leaving. When you retire, it's still common to write a polite and grateful resignation letter. A resignation letter due to retirement is commonly addressed to the direct boss and/or HR manager. In general, a resignation letter should be a short letter, formally notifying your boss that you are leaving your job and the company. However, in the case of retirement, it's also acceptable if you summarize important anecdotes or stories, that you have experienced while you were at work. Such a retirement letter can help you to even more improve the positive association you already have with your company and boss by leaving them with a solid and positive last impression, while likewise preparing for you to proceed onward: your retirement. 

When you are about to retire, it's best to make a written announcement and keep a few weeks' or months' notice. At least 2 weeks would be the absolute minimum in many countries. It’s important to formalize your departure by notifying your employer in writing with a formal retirement letter. The letter should include the details of your departure, such as the date you are resigning/retiring, which will be the last day you work. You may be able to negotiate about the exact retirement date since it might be mutually beneficial to change the date for you and your employer.

If you can help during the transition that will follow your resignation, mention this as well.

Make use of our retirement leave letter template to help to come to a perfect personalized version. The objective of writing this letter is to announce your retirement date to your boss or HR manager and to request a meeting to discuss the handover and other formalities.  

Whether the letter is formal, or not, we advise putting the reason for the leave in the first paragraph of the letter's body. In the paragraphs following, you can use examples to support your main argument. In the final paragraph, you need to summarize the purpose of your letter and suggest a suitable course of action to follow. Do not indent the paragraphs. But instead, leave an empty line between each paragraph. Close the letter without indentation, leaving three or four lines for your signature between the closing and your typed name and title.