Resignation Letter Generator

Your resignation notice comes from your award, enterprise agreement or employment contract — not the Fair Work Act. The Act's s117 notice table (1–4 weeks, plus an extra week for over-45s) only applies when an employer terminates employment. Most modern awards require resigning employees to give the same service scale — up to 1 year of service: 1 week; 1–3 years: 2 weeks; 3–5 years: 3 weeks; over 5 years: 4 weeks — but without the extra over-45 week (for example, General Retail Industry Award 2020 clause 37.1). If your contract sets a notice period, that applies instead. Source: Fair Work Ombudsman, Resigning from work.

Yes. The Fair Work Ombudsman confirms notice of resignation can be given verbally or in writing, and written notice is best practice — an email counts. Written notice dates your resignation, which matters because the notice period starts the day after you give notice and ends on your last day of employment. Always state your last day in the email.

No. No Australian law requires you to give a reason when you resign. A resignation letter only needs to say you are resigning, the notice you are giving, and your last day of employment. This generator leaves the reason out by default. If you are resigning because you feel pushed out, do not send a standard letter — use a resignation under protest letter and check the constructive dismissal position first.

Once you resign, your employer cannot reject the resignation, but the notice period can end early in two ways: you both agree to an earlier finish, or the employer ends the employment during the notice period — and if the employer ends it, employer termination rules apply, including the employer's own notice or payment in lieu obligations. Many employers simply pay out the remaining notice or place you on gardening leave. If you were ready to work your notice and the employer cut it short, you should still be paid for it.

No. The Fair Work Ombudsman states casual employees don't have to give notice to their employer when they resign. Best practice is to give your roster contact a clear last day in writing, and to check whether you are rostered on shifts after that day. A contract or enterprise agreement can occasionally add requirements, so check yours.

Sometimes. Most awards let an employer deduct up to one week's wages from an employee's pay if the employee is 18 or over, hasn't given the notice their award requires, and the deduction isn't unreasonable. The deduction can only come from wages owed under the award — never from leave payouts or other entitlements. If you need to leave early, getting the employer's written agreement to a shorter notice avoids the issue entirely.