A resignation letter in South Africa only has to do a few things: give the date, say clearly that you're resigning, name your last working day and carry your signature. Section 37 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) says notice must be in writing. Unless your contract asks for more, the minimum is one week if you've worked six months or less, two weeks if you've worked more than six months but not more than a year, and four weeks once you've worked a year or more. Copy the template below, fill in the brackets and hand it in.
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We checked every BCEA section on this page on 8 November 2026. It's general guidance, not legal advice: take a dispute to the CCMA or the Department of Employment and Labour.
Resignation letter template you can copy
Template:
[Your full name]
[Your phone number and email address]
[Date]
[Manager's name]
[Manager's job title]
[Company name]
Dear [Manager's name]
Resignation: [your full name], [your job title]
Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation from my position as [job title] at [company name].
In line with my contract, I am giving [notice period, for example one month's] notice. My last working day will be [day and date].
During my notice period I will finish my current work and help hand over to whoever takes it on. Please let me know what you need from me.
Thank you for the opportunity to work here.
Kind regards
[Signature]
[Your full name]
[Employee number, if you have one]
Hand it to your manager or email it, whichever your contract or HR policy asks for, and keep a dated copy. If it goes over on paper, ask your manager to sign and date your copy as proof of when your notice started.
What to put in your resignation letter
- The date, which is your record of when you gave notice.
- One plain sentence saying you're resigning. "Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation" leaves no room for doubt.
- Your last working day, worked out from your notice period.
- An offer to hand over your work.
- A line of thanks, if you mean it. Your manager may be the person a future employer phones for a reference.
- Your signature and full name.
Leave out complaints, your new salary and the new employer's name; a real problem at work belongs in a separate written grievance. If the employer made the job unbearable and that's why you're going, get advice from your union, the CCMA or a labour lawyer before you resign: that can be a constructive dismissal case, which is treated differently from an ordinary resignation.
How much notice you must give in South Africa
Section 37(1) of the BCEA sets the minimum notice either side must give to end an employment contract:
| How long you've worked there | Minimum notice |
|---|---|
| Six months or less | One week |
| More than six months, but not more than a year | Two weeks |
| A year or more | Four weeks |
| Farm worker or domestic worker employed for more than six months | Four weeks |
Those are floors. If your contract asks for more, say one calendar month, that's the notice you give. The Act limits this in two ways: section 37(3) says no agreement can make you give longer notice than your employer has to give you, and section 37(2) lets a collective agreement shorten the four-week period to no less than two weeks.
Section 37(4) requires notice in writing. The only exception is notice given by an employee who can't read or write. So telling your manager in person doesn't count as notice on its own.
Still on probation? The same written-notice rule applies, and our guide to your rights during probation covers how probation and your contract fit together.
Resignation letter examples
Standard resignation (one month's notice)
Dear [Manager's name]
Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation as [job title] at [company name]. My contract requires one calendar month's notice, so my last working day will be [date].
Before I leave I will finish my open work, write handover notes and spend time with whoever takes over my role. Please tell me which tasks you would like finished first, and who should receive my files and client contacts.
Thank you for my [number] years here.
Kind regards
[Your full name]
Short letter for retail, call-centre or shift work
Store and contact-centre managers mostly need the date for the roster. Moving to another store? Check the retail jobs in Cape Town first.
Dear [Manager's name]
I am resigning from my position as [cashier, sales assistant or agent] at [store or site name]. I have worked here for [number] months, so I am giving [one week's, two weeks', or four weeks'] notice. My last shift will be on [date].
I will work all my rostered shifts until then. Please tell me when to return my uniform and access card.
Thank you.
[Your full name]
[Employee number]
Resigning during probation
Dear [Manager's name]
Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation as [job title]. I started on [start date] and I am still within my probation period. My contract asks for [notice period] notice, so my last working day will be [date].
I have decided the role isn't the right fit for me, and I would rather tell you now. I will hand over my work properly before I go.
Thank you for the chance you gave me.
Kind regards
[Your full name]
Resigning to start a new job sooner
Dear [Manager's name]
Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation as [job title]. My contract notice period ends on [date].
My new role starts on [date]. Would you agree to release me early, with my last working day on [earlier date]? I understand I would be paid up to that day, and my handover will be complete by then.
If that doesn't work for the team, I will serve my full notice.
Kind regards
[Your full name]
The pay line matters. Section 38(2) of the BCEA says that when an employer waives all or part of your notice, it pays you for the waived period unless the two of you agree otherwise. Since the request comes from you, put what you agree in writing.
Resigning with immediate effect
You can write "with immediate effect", but it doesn't cancel the notice your contract and the BCEA require. In Monareng v Dr JS Moroka Municipality (2022), the Labour Court held that a resignation takes effect once it's communicated, needs no acceptance from the employer, and can't be withdrawn unless the employer agrees, according to a September 2022 summary by Werksmans Attorneys. The employee in that case had resigned with immediate effect, yet the court still measured his attempt to withdraw against his notice period.
Labour lawyer Aslam Moolla, writing in Business Report in February 2026, calls walking out with immediate effect a breach of contract: the employer doesn't have to pay for notice you didn't work and may, in some cases, claim damages. Even so, the employer can't simply take that money out of pay you've already earned: section 34 of the BCEA allows deductions from your pay only if you've agreed in writing to a specific debt, or a law, collective agreement, court order or arbitration award permits it.
Section 37(6) keeps either side's right to end a contract without notice for a reason the law recognises. Whether your situation qualifies is a legal question for the CCMA or a labour lawyer. The safer route is to ask in writing for a shorter notice period, as in the last example, and get the yes in writing too.
What you're owed when you leave
Check your last payslip for:
- Normal pay for every day you work, including the notice period you serve.
- Annual leave you've earned but not taken, which section 40 says your employer must pay out when your employment ends. After more than four months' service, leave from the unfinished current cycle is paid too, at one day's pay for every 17 days worked or on a basis at least as good for you.
- A certificate of service, which section 42 entitles you to. It gives your name, the employer's name and address, your start and end dates, your job title or duties, and your pay when you left. It states why you left only if you ask.
- Bonuses, depending on your contract. Moolla's article notes that a 13th cheque can be lost if you leave before the payout date unless your contract guarantees a pro rata share, so read that clause before you choose your last day.
UIF catches people out. The Western Cape Government's guidance on claiming unemployment insurance says you can't claim unemployment benefits if you resigned voluntarily. The Department of Employment and Labour's UIF rights booklet makes one exception: a resignation where constructive dismissal is proven. If your job ended through dismissal or retrenchment instead, our guide on how to claim UIF online covers the forms. Either way, ask for your UI-19 and certificate of service on your last day, while HR still answers your emails.
How to tell your manager (script)
Wait for a written offer and check the new start date against your notice period first. Then ask for ten minutes in private and tell your manager before the news reaches HR or the team WhatsApp group.
Script: "I wanted you to hear it from me first: I've accepted another position and I'm resigning. Here's my letter. My notice period is [period], so my last day will be [date]. Tell me what you need finished and who I should hand over to."
You don't have to say where you're going or what you'll earn. "I'd rather keep that to myself for now" is a complete answer. If they make a counter-offer, ask for it in writing and sleep on it.
Before you resign: line up the next job
Don't resign on a verbal offer. Get the salary, start date and probation terms in an offer letter first. Still applying? Update your CV for South African screening systems before you send it out, and practise the interview questions and answers that come up most.
Check what the next role should pay in our Cape Town salary guides. If the offer falls short, it's easier to negotiate your new salary before you accept than after you've resigned.
Keep your dated copy of the letter, serve your notice and leave with your certificate of service.