To write a 2 week notice, address it to your manager, say plainly that you are resigning and give your exact last day, about two weeks from the day you hand it in. Add one line of thanks and an offer to help with the handover, then sign it. Keep it under a page and leave out complaints.
The steps below go in the order you will do them, from choosing the date to your final afternoon. Most people finish the letter itself in ten minutes; the conversation and the handover take longer, so they get their own steps.
1. Pick your last day
Count two weeks from the day you will tell your manager, not from the day you start writing. If you plan to speak to them on a Tuesday, your last day is usually the Tuesday two weeks later. Then check the date against your calendar:
Weekends. If the date lands on a Saturday or Sunday and you work weekdays, use the Friday before.
Holidays. A last day on a federal holiday your workplace closes for is a day you will not work, so move it.
Your contract. Some contracts, union agreements and roles ask for more than two weeks. Read yours before you commit to a date.
Here is how the counting works in practice. If you tell your manager on Monday, October 12, 2026, two weeks later is Monday, October 26, 2026. If you would rather finish at the end of a working week, Friday, October 23 gives a little less than two weeks and Friday, October 30 a little more. Either is fine; just say which one you mean.
Write the date out in full in the letter, with the weekday and the year. Nobody should have to count to know when you are leaving.
2. Tell your manager first
Your manager should hear the news from you, in person or on a call, before the letter arrives and before colleagues find out. Ask for a few minutes in private, early in the day if you can. Keep it to four lines:
I have decided to resign. My last day will be [date]. Thank you for [one thing you value]. I will help with the handover before I go.
Then stop and listen. Your manager may ask why, or ask you to wait before telling the team. Answer briefly and kindly, and say you will send the letter today so it is in writing.
If you work remotely, use a video or phone call rather than a chat message, and send the letter straight after. If your manager is away for more than a day or two, ask HR or your manager's own manager who should receive it, so your notice is on record now rather than when they get back.
3. Write the letter
A notice has seven parts, and each one is a sentence or two. Write them in this order:
What goes in each part
Part
What to write
Date
The day you hand it over, at the top.
Greeting
"Dear" and your manager's name.
Resignation and last day
That you are resigning, and your exact last day.
Reason (optional)
One neutral line, or nothing at all.
Thanks
One or two sentences about something real.
Handover offer
What you will do before you go, kept to what you can do.
Sign-off
"Best regards" or "Sincerely", then your name.
If you would rather start from finished wording, pick one of the 2 week notice letter examples and change the blanks.
4. Send it and keep a copy
Send the letter the same day you tell your manager. Print and sign it if your workplace keeps paper records, or send it as an email if that is how your company works. A two weeks notice email needs a plain subject line, such as "Two weeks' notice of resignation", and the same parts as the letter.
Send it to your manager first. Copy HR if your company asks you to, or forward it to HR once your manager knows, so payroll and benefits are updated. Keep your own dated copy: the email in your sent folder, or a photo of the signed letter.
Some companies collect resignations in an HR system as well. If yours does, submit it there too, then save or screenshot the confirmation page, since it shows the date your notice was received.
5. Plan the handover
A good handover is what people remember after you leave. Write a short note, one page if you can, that covers:
Open work: each task or project, where it stands, and the next step.
Contacts: the people inside and outside the company who will need someone new.
Where things live: files, folders, logins to request and recurring deadlines.
A simple table works well: one row per task, with columns for where it stands, the next step and who should pick it up. Share it with your manager in the first week, so there is time to ask you questions while you are still there.
If nobody has been named to take over yet, write the note for a stranger: spell out abbreviations, link to the files instead of describing them, and say who to ask about each task. Whoever reads it may be covering your job for weeks before a replacement starts.
6. If you get a counteroffer
Decide before the meeting whether more money or a new title would change your mind. If nothing would, you can keep your answer short and warm:
Thank you, I appreciate the offer. My decision is final, and my last day is still [date].
If an offer might change your mind, ask for it in writing and take a day to think. Weigh it against the reasons you started looking, since those reasons are usually still there next month.
Timeline from notice to last day
When
What to do
Day 0
Tell your manager, then send the letter or email the same day.
Days 1 to 3
Share a handover plan and ask HR about final pay, benefits and returning equipment.
Week 2
Train your replacement or a colleague, finish what you can and return company property.
Last day
Say goodbye, save personal files, and confirm the date your final pay arrives.
If your notice runs longer than two weeks, keep Day 0 and the last day where they are and spread the handover across the extra time. If it is shorter, do the first two rows on the same day and keep the handover note to a single page.
An example
A neutral notice for someone who has accepted a better offer. The words in brackets are the blanks you fill in.
It does the work in the first paragraph: the resignation comes in the first sentence, the exact last day in the second, and one neutral line explains why. The thanks and the handover offer take a sentence each, and the offer promises only what you can do in two weeks. Nothing in it would be awkward to read aloud in a reference call.
A 2 week notice for a better offer
Use it when you have accepted an offer that suits you better and want to say so in one neutral line.
[Date]
Dear [Manager's name],
I am writing to give my two weeks' notice. I am resigning from my position as [Job title] at [Company], and my last day will be [Last day]. I have received an offer that suits my plans better at this point.
I am grateful for the time I have spent here and for the people I have worked with.
I will do what I can to make the transition easy before my last day.
[Date]
Dear [Manager's name],
I am writing to give my two weeks' notice. I am resigning from my position as [Job title] at [Company], and my last day will be [Last day]. I have received an offer that suits my plans better at this point.
I am grateful for the time I have spent here and for the people I have worked with.
I will do what I can to make the transition easy before my last day.
I wish you and everyone here all the best.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Not legal advice. Check your contract and local law for notice rules.
Questions
When is the best time to give a 2 week notice?
Give it once your next step is certain, for example after you have signed a new offer. Early in the week and early in the day are good times, because your manager can start planning straight away. Count at least two weeks back from the last day you want, and check your contract in case it asks for more.
What do I say when I tell my boss I am leaving?
Keep it short, warm and final. Say that you have decided to resign, give your last day, thank them for one specific thing, and offer to help with the handover. For example: I have decided to resign, and my last day will be the 30th. Thank you for your support here. I will make sure my work is handed over.
What should I do if my boss makes a counteroffer?
Decide before the meeting whether any offer would change your mind. If it would not, thank them, say plainly that you are still leaving, and restate your last day. If it might, ask for the offer in writing and take a day to think it over, keeping in mind why you started looking in the first place.
Who else should get a copy of my notice?
Your manager gets it first. Send a copy to HR if your company asks for one, or once your manager knows, so payroll and benefits can be updated. Keep your own dated copy too, either the email in your sent folder or a printed letter, in case there is a question about your last day later.
How long should a 2 week notice be?
Three or four short paragraphs, under one page. It needs your resignation, your exact last day, a line of thanks and an offer to help, and nothing more. If you want something even shorter, a short resignation letter can say all of it in three to five sentences.
Should I tell my coworkers before I tell my manager?
No. Your manager should hear the news from you first, before anyone else on the team. News travels fast at work, and hearing it secondhand can make the conversation harder for both of you. Once your manager knows, agree together when and how the team finds out, and let your manager lead if they would rather announce it.