Voluntary Termination
Last updated: February 24, 2026
A voluntary termination occurs when an employee gives notice of resignation. The information below provides the resignation letter requirement, end employment checklists, and other useful information for processing a voluntary termination.
Resignation Letter Requirement
All University of Washington staff and student employees are required to submit a written letter of resignation when voluntarily separating from University employment.
Resignation letters are a formal starting point for completing offboarding steps, including exit checklists, final pay/leave issues, and returning University property.
Employees in fixed term or project-based positions whose established end date remains unchanged do not need to submit a resignation letter. However, employees who intend to vacate their position prior to the agreed-upon end date must submit a written resignation.
Contents of the Resignation Letter
The resignation letter should include the following information:
- Statement of intent to resign from the University of Washington.
- Employee name, position title, and unit/department.
- Effective date of resignation, including the last day worked.
- Reason for leaving (e.g., retirement, accepting another position). Include enough detail to support UW’s verification of information provided to the Employment Security Department, which helps to expedite any unemployment claims that may file be filed.
- Name of the new employer if moving to another state agency, providing this information supports transfer of months of service toward a higher vacation accrual rate and time off, if eligible.
How to Submit the Resignation Letter
The letter may be submitted to your manager with a copy to the unit administrator (HR/Academic Partner) as a separate document or in an email.
Campus employees who hold the HR/Academic Partner role are responsible for initiating the Workday termination business process and uploading the resignation letter into Workday once written notice is received. The Maintain Worker Document step fires to the HR and Academic Partner on the Termination business process.
When to Submit the Resignation Letter
- Professional staff, contract covered staff, classified staff and student employees: At least two weeks’ notice is strongly encouraged. Some UW labor contracts may also include specific resignation provisions such as ability to withdraw a resignation within 24 hours.
- Faculty and academic personnel: Should follow the information outlined on the Office of Academic Personnel and Faculty’s Separations webpage.
Employees are encouraged to provide notice as early as possible to support effective workforce planning and a smooth transition.
Ending employment checklists
The checklists below list the responsibilities of the departing employee and of the employee’s supervisor (or department), when an employee resigns.
Select and complete the appropriate checklist to ensure that all required end of employment actions are completed:
- Ending Employment Checklist (campus) (PDF)
- Transferring Employee Checklists (campus) (PDF)
- Employee Separation Checklist (HMC only) (PDF)
- Employee Separation Checklist (UWMC and Shared Services) (PDF)
Retention Counter Offer
If a professional staff employee has received a competitive job offer from outside UW and you would like to make a counter offer, your HR consultant can help you work with the Compensation office to respond with a retention strategy. Review the Position and Salary Review page under the In-Grade section for additional information on the process.
Giving an employment reference
Review information about providing employment references for a current or former employee.
Requests to rescind a resignation
Occasionally an employee will request to rescind a resignation. Some labor contracts provide for a period during which an employee who has resigned may rescind the resignation. A professional staff employee rescinding a resignation requires approval of the employing official.