Resigning in the United States: at a glance
- Notice
- No law sets it: most US jobs are at-will. Two weeks is the custom; your offer letter or handbook may ask for more.
- In writing?
- Not required by law. Tell your manager first, then send the letter by email the same day.
- Final paycheck
- Your state sets the deadline: some states pay on your last day, others by the next regular payday.
- Unused PTO
- Paid out only where your state's law or your employer's policy says so.
- Health coverage
- Ends on a date your plan sets; if your employer has 20 or more employees, COBRA may let you keep it for a time at your own cost.
- Documents
- Your final pay stub, a COBRA notice, and your W-2 by 31 January of the next year.
- The law
- At-will employment; final-pay rules are state law; COBRA is federal law.
Two weeks' notice in the US is a custom, not a law
Most US jobs are at-will, so no law sets how much notice you give. Two weeks is what employers expect, and some offer letters or handbooks ask for more, especially for senior roles. Check yours before you date the letter.
Two weeks notice letter, short and sweet
A 2 weeks notice letter should be short: three or four sentences are enough. A simple 2 weeks notice letter names the job you are leaving, gives your last day, offers help with the handover and thanks your manager in one line; it does not need a reason, a complaint or a list of what you achieved. If you want a template to copy, use this:
Dear Ms. Alvarez, please accept this letter as notice of my resignation from my position as Store Supervisor. My last day will be Friday, October 23, two weeks from today. I will finish the open inventory count and write handover notes for the schedule and the vendor orders before I go. Thank you for the chance to work with the team; it has been a good three years.
Sincerely, Jamie Rowan
Send the same text by email after you have told your manager in person. Date it and keep a copy. To reuse it, change the job title, the last day and the handover tasks.
Your final paycheck, PTO and benefits in the US
When your final paycheck arrives and whether unused PTO is paid out depend on your state and your employer's policy. Health coverage ends on a date your plan sets; if your employer has 20 or more employees, COBRA may let you keep it for a while at your own cost. The letter asks HR to tell you what to expect.
How to send it
Tell your manager in person or on a call first, then send the letter by email the same day and copy HR if your company expects it. For other situations, such as retiring, relocating or leaving a teaching job at the end of the year, see the resignation letter examples for US jobs.
If they make a counter-offer
Decide before the conversation whether anything would make you stay. If not, thank them and keep your last day as written; the letter already states it, so there is nothing to renegotiate on paper.
States with their own rules
Final-pay deadlines and PTO payout differ by state; California, for example, treats earned vacation as wages that must be paid when you leave. Montana is the one state where employment is not fully at-will after a probation period. Check your state labor department's page before your last day.
Sources for the United States
Checked on 28 September 2026. Laws change, and your contract, award or company policy can give you more than the minimum, so check it too. This page is general information, not legal advice.