What to consider before resigning
Resignation is the process of an employee ending their employment contract. You might also call it 'quitting', 'leaving your job' or 'handing in your notice'.
If you're considering resigning because of a problem at work, you might be able to resolve it and avoid leaving your job.
You should also consider the effect on your income if you resign.
Dealing with problems at work
If you have a problem at work, you can raise it with your employer. It's usually best to raise the problem informally first.
If you cannot address it informally, you can raise a grievance. This is where you make a formal complaint to your employer.
Find out how to raise a problem at work
Effect on your income
Your income will be affected by resigning.
You should check your employment contract to understand any changes that could also apply to your final pay.
Your final pay might be different to your usual weekly or monthly pay because of things like:
- leaving part-way through a weekly or monthly pay period
- how much holiday you've taken
- money deducted for training courses
If you resign without having another job to go to, it could affect your entitlement to benefits or other financial support.
You can find out more about:
- final pay when someone leaves a job
- calculators to help work out benefits you're entitled to on GOV.UK
Resigning during absence
Your notice pay might be affected if you resign while you are:
- off sick
- on holiday
- on maternity, paternity or adoption leave or shared parental leave
Find out more about pay during the notice period
Resigning during redundancy, lay-off or a TUPE transfer
Your pay and other rights could be affected if you resign during any of the following circumstances:
- you've been told your job is at risk of redundancy or that it will become redundant
- you've been laid off (sent home temporarily) or placed on short-time working (had your working hours reduced because not enough work is available)
- a TUPE transfer is taking place
Redundancy
If you resign when you've been told your job is at risk of redundancy or that it will become redundant, you might lose your entitlement to redundancy pay.
You should speak to your employer to try to come to an agreement.
Find out more about when you're given notice of redundancy
Lay-offs and short-time working
You can apply for redundancy and claim redundancy pay if you've been laid off or put on short-time working and receive less than half a week's pay for:
- 4 or more weeks in a row
- 6 or more weeks in a 13-week period
Find out more about applying for redundancy during a lay-off or short-time working on GOV.UK
TUPE transfer
If you do not want to transfer, you must tell your employer in writing. They will treat it as you resigning.
Find out more about transferring to a new employer
Get more advice and support
Contact the Acas helpline if you need more advice on resignation.
You can also speak to your trade union representative, if you're a member.