Resignation Letter Template and How to Quit Without Losing Dues

A resignation letter in Saudi Arabia is a short administrative document, not a farewell speech. It needs five things: who it is addressed to, a clear statement that you are resigning, the notice period you are serving, your proposed last working day, and an offer to hand over. Everything beyond that can only cost you.

The money is not in the letter. It is in the notice period you serve, the date you set, and the dues you collect before your access is switched off. This guide gives you the letters, the Qiwa flow, and the checklist — as part of the Saudi labor law guide.

Quick answer

• Resign in writing and submit it through the official electronic channel, not only by email to your manager.
• Do not state a reason. A resignation with a grievance attached invites a dispute you did not plan for.
• Serve the notice period in your contract. Walking out early exposes you to compensation equal to the wage for the unserved period.
• Resignation reduces end-of-service pay under Article 85 — it does not erase it once you pass two years.
• Collect your dues before your last day: leave balance, final salary, certificate of experience, and a clean release.

The standard resignation letter (copy this)

Use this when you intend to serve your full notice. Keep the employer slot generic in your own copy until you fill in real details.

To: [Line Manager’s name], [Department] — [Company] Copy: Human Resources Subject: Resignation — [Your name], [Job title], employee no. [000000]

Dear [Name],

Please accept this letter as formal notice of my resignation from the position of [Job title], effective from the date of this letter and in accordance with the notice period stated in my employment contract.

My proposed last working day is [DD/MM/YYYY].

I am ready to complete a full handover of my responsibilities and files during the notice period, and to document what is needed to make the transition smooth.

I would be grateful if the required steps to complete my end-of-service entitlements and issue a certificate of experience could be initiated before my last working day.

Sincerely, [Your name] — [Signature] — [Date]

Two lines in that letter do the work. “In accordance with the notice period stated in my employment contract” ties you to a specific agreed clause instead of an argument. The last paragraph starts the dues process on the record, weeks before anyone is under time pressure.

The resignation with a retained end date

Use this when you have already agreed a leaving date with your manager and want that date documented, so it does not drift.

Further to my discussion with [Name] on [DD/MM/YYYY], I confirm my resignation from the position of [Job title]. As agreed, my last working day will be [DD/MM/YYYY], which is the end of the notice period from the date of this letter.

The handover plan is attached: [list of files/systems/clients] and the person receiving each item. I will confirm completion in writing on my last working day.

Attaching the handover plan is not politeness. It converts “he left us in a mess” into a document with names and dates on it.

The immediate-departure letter (use with care)

The labor law lists specific situations in which a worker may leave without notice and keep full rights — for example serious non-payment of wages, a serious breach by the employer, or assault. This is Article 81 territory, and it is a legal position, not a mood.

I am ending the employment relationship with effect from [DD/MM/YYYY] without notice, on the grounds set out in Article 81 of the Labor Law, in respect of [state the specific fact and its date].

I request that my full end-of-service entitlements be settled in accordance with the law, and I reserve my right to refer the matter to the labor authorities.

Do not use this because you are frustrated. Use it only when you have evidence of a listed cause, and read Articles 77 and 80 on termination so you know which side of the line you are standing on.

How do I resign through Qiwa?

The letter is your record. Qiwa is the system of record. Do both.

1. Log in to Qiwa with Nafath and open the employee services for your active contract.
2. Submit the resignation request and enter your intended last working day.
3. Save the reference number and a screenshot of the request status.
4. Send the signed letter to your manager and HR on the same day, so the paper and the platform match.
5. Track the status. The request has a documented countdown attached to it.

Two rules from the resignation regulations that people rely on without knowing them: a resignation request is treated as accepted if the employer does not respond within 30 days, and the employer may postpone acceptance for a further limited period — commonly described as up to 60 days — only for a stated business reason given in writing. There is also a short window to withdraw a resignation before formal acceptance. These provisions are amended from time to time, so confirm the current wording on the Qiwa knowledge pages before you build a plan on the exact number of days.

More on the platform side in Qiwa for employees.

What does resigning cost me in end-of-service pay?

This is the number that surprises people. Under Article 85, resignation applies a fraction to the award calculated under Article 84.

Continuous service at resignation	Share of the end-of-service award
Under 2 years	None
2 to under 5 years	One third
5 to under 10 years	Two thirds
10 years or more	Full award

Worked example. An employee with a total monthly wage of SAR 12,000 — basic plus fixed allowances — resigns at 4 years and 8 months. Article 84 gives half a month per year for the first five years, so the base award is about 2.33 months of wage, roughly SAR 28,000. At the one-third resignation rate, that pays out at about SAR 9,300. Four months later, at exactly five years, the base is 2.5 months (SAR 30,000) and the two-thirds band applies — about SAR 20,000. Four months of work, a difference of roughly SAR 10,700.

That gap is the single strongest argument for choosing your resignation date deliberately. Run your own case in the end-of-service calculation guide before you pick a date.

The dues checklist before your last day

Access gets revoked on the last day, and chasing an employer afterwards is slower than doing it now.

• Unused annual leave balance — cashed at your current wage. Get the balance in writing before it is “recalculated”.
• Final salary and any accrued fixed allowances for the days worked in your final month.
• End-of-service award at the Article 85 fraction, calculated on your last wage including fixed allowances.
• Certificate of experience stating job title, start and end dates, and last wage — a right on request, and it must not contain anything that harms your future employment.
• Copies of your own documents — contract, amendments, payslips, appraisals, the GOSI record printout.
• A clean exit status on the platform, so a future employer’s contract or transfer is not blocked by an open case.

Timing: as a general matter, dues are settled within about a week when the employer ends the contract and about two weeks when you resign. Confirm the current wording of Article 88, and file on Qiwa if the period passes.

What do I tell my next employer about leaving?

You will be asked. The answer should be forward-looking, short, and identical to what your reference will say.

“There were problems with management and no growth for two years.”

“I finished the project I was hired to run, and the next step I want — leading a team on regional accounts — is not opening there in the near term.”

Prepare the full version with how to answer why you left your job, and if you have not started applying yet, run the search properly before you hand the letter in rather than after.

Once you have a leaving date, your CV needs to say what you actually built there. TrueSira keeps one Master Profile with your real experience, and turns it into a tailored, ATS-ready CV against any job description you paste in — you approve every line. Get started free.

FAQ

How do I write a resignation letter in Saudi Arabia?

Keep it to five lines: addressee, a clear statement that you are resigning, the notice period you are serving, your proposed last working day, and an offer to hand over. No reasons, no complaints, no gratitude essay. Then submit it through the official channel, not only by email — the letter is your record, and the platform is the employer’s.

Can my employer refuse my resignation?

Your employer cannot force you to stay, but acceptance is a documented step. Under the resignation rules a request is treated as accepted if the employer does not respond within 30 days, and the employer may postpone acceptance for a limited further period with a written, justified business reason. Confirm the current wording on Qiwa before relying on a specific number of days.

How much notice must I give before resigning?

Article 75 requires written notice with the period stated in the contract — not less than 60 days where the wage is paid monthly, and not less than 30 days otherwise. In practice the resigning employee on a monthly wage commonly serves 30 days, while the employer serves 60. Read your contract clause first, because a longer agreed period binds you.

Do I lose end-of-service pay if I resign?

Not entirely, but resignation reduces it. Under Article 85 there is no award below two years of service, one third from two to five years, two thirds from five to ten, and the full award at ten years or more. Termination by the employer pays the full award from year one, which is why the reason for leaving is recorded so carefully.

How do I resign through Qiwa?

Log in with Nafath, open the employee services for your contract, submit the resignation request with your intended last working day, and keep the reference number and a screenshot. The request goes to the employer with a status and a countdown attached, which is what makes it evidence rather than a conversation you remember differently.

Can I withdraw my resignation after submitting it?

The rules allow a short withdrawal window — commonly described as seven days from submission — provided the employer has not already issued formal acceptance. After acceptance, staying is a new agreement between you and the employer, not a right you can exercise. Verify the current window on Qiwa before you count on it.