HR Templates Resignation Letter Format
Resignation Letter Format Sri Lanka: Free Templates
Download resignation letter formats used in Sri Lankan workplaces — a standard notice-period resignation and a shorter-notice request — in Word and PDF, with the settlement and notice rules employers and employees should know.
No Sri Lankan statute prescribes the form of a resignation or a notice period. Notice is governed by the letter of appointment: one month is typical for staff, two to three months for managers. A validly tendered resignation takes effect without the employer’s acceptance, and it is the employee’s “prior consent in writing” that takes the exit outside the Termination of Employment of Workmen Act, so employers should keep the signed original on the personal file.
On resignation the employee remains entitled to salary to the last working day, the accrued annual leave dealt with in section 6(6) of the Shop and Office Employees Act (taken during notice or paid if notice is too short), EPF and ETF settled to date with the relevant forms, gratuity where five years’ service and a 15-employee employer apply, and a certificate of service on request. A resignation obtained by pressure, or forced by a pay cut or demotion, can be challenged as constructive termination.
Two formats are provided: a standard resignation that serves the contractual notice, and a resignation that asks for a shorter notice period and acknowledges the set-off clause most appointment letters carry.
Resignation letter — standard notice
States the post, cites the notice clause, fixes the last working day, commits to handover and return of property, and requests the final settlement and certificate of service.
[Employee Full Name]
[Designation], [Department]
[Employee Address]
Date: [DD Month YYYY]
[Name of Manager / HR Manager]
[Company Name]
[Company Address]
Subject: Resignation from the post of [Designation]
Dear [Mr/Ms Last Name],
I write to give notice of my resignation from my position as [Designation] at [Company Name], in accordance with clause [x] of my letter of appointment dated [date], which requires [one month’s] notice.
My last working day will therefore be [Last Working Day]. I will complete the handover of my duties and files to [name or “the person you nominate”] before that date and will return all company property, including [laptop / ID card / keys / documents], on or before my last day.
I would be grateful if my final settlement, including salary to my last working day, payment for accrued annual leave under section 6(6) of the Shop and Office Employees Act, and the EPF and ETF remittances to date, could be processed with my final salary, together with a certificate of service.
Thank you for the opportunity to work with the company. I have valued the experience and the support of my colleagues.
Yours sincerely,
.................................................
[Employee Full Name]
NIC No. [xxxxxxxxxV / xxxxxxxxxxxx]
EPF No. [xxxx]
Acknowledged and accepted on behalf of [Company Name]: ......................................... [Name], [Designation], Date: [DD Month YYYY]
Resignation letter — shorter notice requested
Asks for a reduced notice period, acknowledges any set-off of unserved notice, and offers a handover plan.
[Employee Full Name]
[Designation], [Department]
Date: [DD Month YYYY]
[Name of Manager / HR Manager]
[Company Name]
Subject: Resignation with a request for a shorter notice period
Dear [Mr/Ms Last Name],
I hereby resign from my position as [Designation] at [Company Name]. My letter of appointment requires [one month’s] notice; I respectfully request that the notice period be reduced so that my last working day is [Requested Last Working Day], because [brief reason: new role start date / relocation / study].
I understand that, if the company does not agree, it may set off the unserved notice against my final settlement as provided in clause [x] of my letter of appointment, and I am willing to discuss a handover plan that reduces the disruption to the team.
I will hand over my responsibilities to [name] and return all company property before my last day. Please process my final settlement, accrued annual leave and EPF and ETF remittances to date, and issue a certificate of service.
Thank you for your consideration and for the opportunity to have worked here.
Yours sincerely,
.................................................
[Employee Full Name]
NIC No. [xxxxxxxxxV]
What a resignation letter should include
- The post held and the date of the letter of appointment whose notice clause is being followed
- The notice period and the resulting last working day
- A handover commitment and the return of company property
- A request for the final settlement: salary, accrued annual leave, EPF and ETF to date, gratuity where due, and a certificate of service
- Signature, NIC and EPF number; an acknowledgement line for the employer
Common mistakes
- Giving less notice than the contract requires without agreement. The employer may set off the unserved period against the final settlement if the appointment letter allows it.
- Resigning verbally. A written, dated, signed letter protects both sides; employers should not accept “verbal resignations” as consent under the Act.
- Employers treating a coerced resignation as voluntary. Tribunals look through pressure, pay cuts or demotions and may treat it as termination.
- Forgetting the leave settlement. Section 6(6) requires accrued annual leave to be given during notice or paid.
Related templates
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