Resignation letter in Türkiye: sample text, Word template and notice period

Resignation letter sample (ready text)

Fill in the text below with your details and print two copies; give one to the employer and keep the other with the recipient’s date and signature. Replace the parts in square brackets. The same text as a fillable Word file: resignation letter template (.docx).

You do not have to state a reason for resigning. If you do, keep it short and factual; if you rely on a ground listed in art. 24, such as unpaid wages, this text is not for you — see termination for just cause below.

What a resignation letter should contain

• The parties. The employer’s registered name and the employee’s full name, ID number, position and start date. The start date proves the seniority that sets the notice period.
• A clear decision. A definite sentence such as “I terminate my employment contract”. “I am thinking of leaving” is not a notice of termination and invites disputes.
• Notice period and last day. The period by seniority (2–8 weeks) and the last working day it produces.
• Payments and documents requested. The final month’s wage, pay for unused annual leave (art. 59) and the certificate of employment (art. 28).
• Date, signature and proof of delivery. Notices that end the contract are made in writing (art. 109). Delivery is the day the period starts, so the second copy carries a “received” note and signature.

Notice period when resigning: how many weeks, from when?

A party terminating an open-ended contract must give the other party advance notice; the rule applies to employees too. The periods are 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks depending on length of service at the workplace; they are minimums and the contract may extend them (Labour Law No. 4857, art. 17). The period starts when the notice reaches the other party.

Periods are the minimums in art. 17 of Labour Law No. 4857; example dates are counted in calendar weeks. If your employment or collective agreement has a specific term on when the period ends, that term applies.

• If notice is not observed. The party that does not give notice pays compensation equal to the wage for the notice period (art. 17). If the employee leaves without serving notice, the employer may claim it.
• Leaving earlier. The period can be shortened by agreement with the employer; get the agreement in writing, for example as a note on the letter’s copy.
• Time off to look for work. During notice periods the employer must give the employee at least two hours a day within working hours to look for a new job (art. 27). The text does not separately address whether this applies to a resigning employee; practice is divided.
• During probation. Either party may terminate during the probation period without notice and without compensation (art. 15).
• Fixed-term contracts. The notice periods in art. 17 are for open-ended contracts. Ending a fixed-term contract early without just cause has different consequences; consult a lawyer.

The severance and notice pay calculator shows the notice period in weeks for your length of service.

Does an employee who resigns get severance pay?

As a rule, no: an employee who resigns of their own accord does not get severance pay. Article 14 of Law No. 1475, the only provision still in force, ties severance pay to limited cases, and some of them arise when the employee ends the contract.

In every case at least one year of service with the same employer is required (Law No. 1475, art. 14). Pension conditions other than age depend on the date of first insurance; obtain the letter confirming them from the SGK.

In these cases state the reason clearly in the letter and attach proof (military call-up document, marriage certificate, SGK letter). Once a resignation without a ground has been given in writing, relying later on a ground that triggers severance pay becomes harder.

What is paid when you resign?

• The final month’s wage and overtime, weekly rest and public holiday pay earned up to the last working day.
• Pay for unused annual leave. When the contract ends for any reason, earned but unused leave is paid at the last wage (art. 59). Resigning does not remove this right.
• Certificate of employment. A leaving employee receives a document showing the type and duration of the work (art. 28).
• No unemployment benefit. An employee who resigns of their own accord cannot get unemployment benefit; after termination for just cause under art. 24 it may be paid if the other conditions are met (Law No. 4447, art. 51).

Termination for just cause: a notice of termination, not a resignation

In the cases listed in art. 24 — wages not paid in line with the law or the contract, working conditions that endanger the employee’s health, conduct by the employer that offends the employee’s honour, or force majeure at the workplace lasting more than a week — the employee may terminate without waiting for the notice period. That document is not an ordinary resignation letter; it is a notice of termination stating the ground and the article relied on.

• Time limit. Termination based on breaches of morality and good faith must be made within six working days of learning of it and in any case within one year of the event (art. 26).
• Result. Termination for just cause gives severance pay with one year of service (Law No. 1475, art. 14); there is no notice pay, because no notice period is served.
• Evidence. Payslips, bank statements, correspondence. To avoid losing rights, consult a lawyer; the template is not designed for this case.

For the employer: what to do when a letter arrives

• Write the date of receipt on the second copy and sign it; the notice period starts that day.
• Calculate seniority from the start date and confirm the last working day with the employee in writing. If the period is shortened, put the agreement in writing.
• Close unused annual leave days and the final month’s timesheet; report wages and leave pay to payroll.
• File the employment termination notice with the SGK on time. The exit code is the one defined for termination of an open-ended contract by the employee (SGK E-Bildirge code list); a different code applies to termination for just cause.
• Recover assets and access; record the return in a handover form.

An asset handover form is ready on the templates page. In our workforce management system, entering the leaving date shows the employee’s remaining annual leave and the final month’s timesheet on one screen; the exit notice is not sent to the SGK from the system — your payroll adviser files it. Details: leave management.

This guide is for information only and is not legal or payroll advice. Your collective agreement or employment contract may contain more favourable terms.