Resignation Letter (Hong Kong)
[Letter Date]
[Manager Name]
[Employer Name]
RESIGNATION LETTER
Dear [Manager Name],
I am writing to formally notify you of my resignation from my position as [Employee Position] in the [Employee Department] at [Employer Name], effective after [Notice Period] notice from the date of this letter.
My last working day will therefore be [Last Working Day].
Reason for leaving: [Reason For Leaving].
[Handover Offer]
I would be grateful if you could confirm my final pay entitlements, including any outstanding salary, payment for unused annual leave (as required under the Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57)), and the transfer of my Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) accrued benefits. Please also confirm the process for return of company property.
I thank [Employer Name] for the opportunity to have worked here and wish the company continued success.
Yours sincerely,
[Employee Name]
Employee
________________
Signature
What Is a Resignation Letter (Hong Kong)?
A Resignation Letter in Hong Kong states formally the matter at hand and what the writer asks the recipient to do.
Hong Kong's employment framework under Cap. 57 balances the rights of employees and employers across a workforce that spans local residents, permanent residents, and a substantial expatriate population holding employment visas under the Immigration Ordinance (Cap. 115). Resignation — the voluntary termination of employment by the employee — differs legally from dismissal (termination by the employer) and from mutual agreement, and each mode of termination carries distinct consequences for final pay entitlements, MPF obligations, and eligibility for severance or long service payments.
The Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57) is the principal legislation governing employment termination in Hong Kong. Part III of Cap. 57 governs notice requirements, Section 32 covers the payment of wages on termination, and sections 40–43 address annual leave entitlements and their payment on cessation of employment. Part VA covers long service payment, and the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance (Cap. 485), administered by the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA), governs MPF contributions and transfers on termination.
For employees in regulated industries — financial services professionals regulated by the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) under the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571), solicitors under the Legal Practitioners Ordinance (Cap. 159), and medical practitioners under the Medical Registration Ordinance (Cap. 161) — resignation may trigger additional professional notification obligations beyond the standard employment contract requirements. Employees bound by post-employment restrictions, such as non-competition or non-solicitation clauses, must also consider their obligations under those covenants when submitting their Resignation Letter.
A formal Resignation Letter serves multiple legal functions: it creates contemporaneous written evidence of the resignation date and notice period given; it formally requests final pay entitlements; it provides MPF transfer instructions; and it establishes a professional record for future employment references. The Labour Tribunal, operating under the Labour Tribunal Ordinance (Cap. 25), handles disputes about final pay, notice pay, and other termination entitlements, and a written Resignation Letter is key evidence in any such dispute.
Hong Kong's highly mobile professional labour market — spanning financial services in Central and Admiralty, legal services in Pacific Place and Exchange Square, technology companies in Cyberport and Science Park, and multinational corporations headquartered across Hong Kong Island and Kowloon — means employees frequently move between employers and must follow resignation processes with precision. A poorly managed resignation, with inadequate notice or unclear documentation, can result in Labour Tribunal claims by the employer, damaged professional references, and complications with new employer start dates. The Employment and Retirement Schemes Legislation (Offsetting Arrangement) (Amendment) Ordinance 2022 changed the MPF offset mechanism from May 2025, making accurate documentation of resignation dates and final pay calculations even more important. Consulting a Resignation Letter template from forms-legal.com or seeking advice from the Labour Department's Interactive Employment Services confirms employees meet all statutory requirements when leaving employment in Hong Kong.
When Do You Need a Resignation Letter (Hong Kong)?
A Resignation Letter in Hong Kong should be submitted whenever an employee decides to voluntarily leave employment, regardless of their seniority, industry, or the reason for leaving.
When leaving a permanent employment position: Any employee in Hong Kong leaving a permanent role should submit a formal Resignation Letter giving the required notice under the Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57) or their employment contract. This establishes the termination date, confirms the notice period is properly documented, and protects the employee against any dispute about whether sufficient notice was given.
When resigning during a probationary period: During a probationary period, Section 6 of Cap. 57 requires only 7 days' notice unless the contract specifies otherwise. Employees on probation who wish to resign should still submit a written Resignation Letter, as the probation clause and associated notice requirement must be documented clearly.
When requesting payment in lieu of notice: Where the employee wishes to leave before the end of the full notice period and the contract permits payment in lieu, a Resignation Letter stating the request for PILON and the agreed last working day provides a clear written record for payroll and Labour Department purposes.
When resigning from a senior or regulated role: Senior employees in financial services, law, accounting, or other regulated professions in Hong Kong may need to notify their employer in a specific format, and simultaneously notify the relevant regulator — the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), or the Law Society of Hong Kong — of their change of employment. A formal Resignation Letter initiates this process.
When resigning due to constructive dismissal: An employee who resigns because the employer has fundamentally breached the employment contract — for example, unilaterally reducing salary, demoting without cause, or creating a hostile work environment — may be resigning under circumstances that constitute constructive dismissal under Hong Kong law. In this situation, the Resignation Letter should state clearly that the resignation is in response to the employer's breach, without which the employee may be treated as having voluntarily resigned and lose their right to claim statutory entitlements.
When resigning after maternity or paternity leave: Employees returning from statutory maternity leave (14 weeks under Cap. 57 as amended) or paternity leave (5 days under Cap. 57) who subsequently resign should submit a formal letter to confirm that their entitlements during the leave period are correctly accounted for in the final pay calculation.
When a new employer requires a resignation confirmation: Many Hong Kong employers require job offer acceptance to be conditional on the candidate serving notice properly and providing a copy of their resignation letter to confirm the start date commitment.
What to Include in Your Resignation Letter (Hong Kong)
A legally effective Resignation Letter in Hong Kong must include the following key elements to protect the employee's position and confirm compliance with the Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57).
Employee Details: Full name, job title, and employee number (if applicable). Department and reporting line. These details tie the letter to the correct employment relationship in the employer's records and are important for payroll, Labour Department conciliation, and Labour Tribunal proceedings if any dispute arises.
Employer Details: Full company name (as registered with the Companies Registry) and address of the principal place of business or the office where the employee works. For group companies with multiple Hong Kong entities, the correct employing entity should be named, as this determines the applicable MPF scheme and the entity responsible for final pay under Cap. 57.
Date of Letter: The date the letter is written and submitted, in DD/MM/YYYY format. This is the date from which the notice period is typically calculated under section 6 of Cap. 57, unless the employment contract specifies that notice commences on the next business day or next pay period.
Unambiguous Statement of Resignation: A clear, unconditional statement of the employee's intention to resign from their position with effect from the last working day. Ambiguous language is not sufficient — the resignation must be clear and unequivocal so the employer can act on it immediately.
Notice Period and Last Working Day: Statement of the notice period being served (e.g. 'one calendar month's notice as required under my employment contract dated [date]') and the specific date of the last working day in DD/MM/YYYY format. If the employee is requesting payment in lieu of notice (PILON) or a shortened notice period by mutual agreement, this should be stated with a request for the employer's written confirmation.
Final Pay Entitlements Request: A formal request for written confirmation of all final pay entitlements under Cap. 57, including: pro-rated salary for the notice period; payment for accrued but untaken annual leave under section 44 of Cap. 57 at the daily wage rate; any contractual end-of-year payment or bonus pro-rated to the termination date; and any other contractual payments due. Requesting written confirmation creates a clear record for use in Labour Department conciliation or Labour Tribunal proceedings if there is a dispute.
MPF Transfer Instructions: The employee's MPF trustee name and account number (or instruction to transfer to a new scheme) for the transfer of accrued MPF benefits, as required by the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance (Cap. 485). The MPFA requires employers to complete MPF transfer arrangements within the statutory period after the termination date.
Handover Arrangements: An offer to complete a structured handover of responsibilities, files, and client relationships before the last working day. In Hong Kong's professional services and financial sectors, a well-managed handover protects the employee's professional reputation and reduces the risk of the employer withholding final pay or pursuing damages claims.
Confidentiality and Post-Employment Restrictions Acknowledgment: Brief acknowledgment of the employee's continuing confidentiality obligations and, where applicable, non-competition or non-solicitation covenants that survive termination. This acknowledgment should be carefully worded to avoid inadvertently admitting a breach of any restrictive covenant. Employees in regulated industries should also note any notification obligations to their relevant regulator — for example, SFC-licensed representatives must notify the Securities and Futures Commission of their cessation of regulated activity under the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571). Forms-legal.com provides a structured Resignation Letter template covering all these elements, suitable for employees across all industries and seniority levels in Hong Kong.
Sources & Citations
Statutory citations link to official government sources.
- Immigration Ordinance (Cap. 115)HK official
- The Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57)HK official
- Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance (Cap. 485)HK official
- Futures Commission (SFC) under the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571)HK official
- Legal Practitioners Ordinance (Cap. 159)HK official
- Medical Registration Ordinance (Cap. 161)HK official
- The Labour Tribunal, operating under the Labour Tribunal Ordinance (Cap. 25)HK official
- Resignation Letter giving the required notice under the Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57)HK official
- Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57)HK official
- MPF benefits, as required by the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance (Cap. 485)HK official
- Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571)HK official
Cite this page
Reference this free template in an article, syllabus, or research note:
Forms Legal. (2026). Resignation Letter (Hong Kong) (Hong Kong) [Legal document template]. Forms Legal. https://forms-legal.com/hong-kong/employment/letters/resignation-letter-hong-kong
"Resignation Letter (Hong Kong) (Hong Kong)." Forms Legal, 2026, https://forms-legal.com/hong-kong/employment/letters/resignation-letter-hong-kong.
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author = {{Forms Legal}},
title = {Resignation Letter (Hong Kong) (Hong Kong)},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://forms-legal.com/hong-kong/employment/letters/resignation-letter-hong-kong}},
note = {Free legal document template. Based on Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57)}
}
Frequently Asked Questions
Notice period requirements for resignation in Hong Kong are governed by the Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57) and the individual employment contract. Under section 6 of Cap. 57, where no notice period is specified in the employment contract, the statutory minimum notice period is 7 days during the first month of employment and 1 calendar month thereafter. The employment contract may specify a longer period — common in professional and senior roles in Hong Kong are 1-month, 2-month, and 3-month notice periods.
An employee wishing to resign without serving the full notice period may offer payment in lieu of notice (PILON) where the employment contract expressly permits this, or where the employer agrees. The PILON amount must equal the wages the employee would have earned during the notice period, calculated at the employee's current monthly wage rate. The employer may also accept a negotiated shorter notice period, particularly where the employee has a new employer waiting.
Resigning without notice and without paying PILON — known as walking off the job — may expose the employee to a civil claim by the employer for breach of contract. In practice, Hong Kong employers rarely pursue such claims for junior employees, but senior employees with access to confidential information or client relationships may face legal action. The Labour Tribunal, established under the Labour Tribunal Ordinance (Cap. 25), has jurisdiction over such disputes up to HK$500,000, with the District Court and Court of First Instance handling larger claims.
Resigning employees in Hong Kong are entitled to receive final pay comprising several components under the Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57), and a well-drafted Resignation Letter should request confirmation of each.
Wages: All wages earned up to and including the last day of employment (or the last day of the notice period if serving notice) must be paid within 7 days of the termination date under section 23 of Cap. 57. For monthly-paid employees, this includes the pro-rated salary for any partial month worked.
Annual leave: Under section 44 of Cap. 57, accrued but untaken annual leave must be paid out at the employee's daily wage rate, calculated by dividing monthly salary by the number of days in the month. An employee who has taken more annual leave than accrued by the termination date may be required to refund the over-taken leave pay.
End-of-year payment / contractual bonus: If the employment contract includes a contractual end-of-year payment or guaranteed bonus, the employee may be entitled to a pro-rated payment for the relevant period. However, discretionary bonuses are generally not payable on resignation unless the contract provides otherwise.
Long service payment: Under Part VA of Cap. 57, long service payment is generally payable only on dismissal or death, not on resignation. An employee who resigns is not entitled to long service payment unless they resign due to ill health under section 31U of Cap. 57.
MPF: The employer must arrange MPF transfers within the statutory period after the termination date.
An employer in Hong Kong cannot refuse to accept a valid resignation — resignation is a unilateral act by the employee that does not require the employer's consent to take legal effect. Once a valid resignation letter has been served (or handed in) with the required notice, the employment contract will terminate at the end of the notice period as a matter of law under the Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57).
However, the employer may respond to a resignation in several ways. The employer may request a shorter notice period (mutual release), releasing the employee earlier than the full notice period. Alternatively, the employer may insist on the full notice period being served, particularly where the employee holds a senior role or has access to sensitive information. Some employers place a resigning employee on 'garden leave' — keeping them on payroll during the notice period but requiring them to stay away from the workplace — which is a contractual right that must be expressly permitted in the employment contract.
Garden leave provisions have become more common in Hong Kong employment contracts for senior employees, particularly in the financial services and legal sectors. During garden leave under the Employment Ordinance, the employer must continue to pay full salary and benefits.
If an employee refuses to serve the notice period and simply ceases to attend work, the employer's remedy is a civil claim for breach of contract in the Labour Tribunal or District Court, not a right to prevent the resignation from taking effect.
The Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) regime in Hong Kong is governed by the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance (Cap. 485), administered by the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA). MPF obligations on resignation involve specific timelines and procedures that both employee and employer must follow.
On resignation, the employer must notify the MPF trustee within the prescribed period of the employee's termination date. The employer's mandatory contributions (5% of relevant income, capped at HK$1,500 per month) that have been made during the employment period are fully vested in the employee from day one and cannot be forfeited. The employee's own mandatory contributions are also fully vested.
For employees who joined employers on or after 1 November 2012, the 'offsetting mechanism' previously allowed employers to use their mandatory contributions to offset severance and long service payments. Under the Employment and Retirement Schemes Legislation (Offsetting Arrangement) (Amendment) Ordinance 2022, this offsetting mechanism will be abolished on 1 May 2025. For resignations before that date, offsetting remained possible against applicable payments, but as of May 2025, employer mandatory MPF contributions can no longer be used to offset severance or long service payments.
Upon resignation, the employee's MPF accrued benefits are transferred to a preserved account with the existing trustee or to a new MPF scheme chosen by the employee.
Post-employment restrictions in Hong Kong employment contracts — commonly called restrictive covenants — may limit a resigning employee's activities after the termination date. These restrictions are governed by Hong Kong common law, and their enforceability is assessed by the Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeal on the basis of whether they go no further than is reasonably necessary to protect a legitimate business interest.
The most common post-employment restrictions in Hong Kong include: non-competition clauses (prohibiting the employee from working for a competitor for a specified period, typically 6–12 months); non-solicitation of clients (prohibiting the employee from approaching former clients for a specified period); non-solicitation of employees (prohibiting the employee from recruiting former colleagues); and confidentiality obligations (which may continue indefinitely for genuinely confidential information).
Hong Kong courts apply a reasonableness test derived from English common law. Restrictions that are too wide in geographic scope, duration, or activity covered may be struck down entirely (the courts in Hong Kong do not 'read down' unreasonably wide restrictions — a principle confirmed in Tillman v Egon Zehnder Ltd considerations applied by Hong Kong courts). A 6-month non-competition restriction limited to the employer's specific market segment is more likely to be enforced than an 18-month global restriction.
Written resignation is strongly recommended in Hong Kong, even though the Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57) does not expressly require resignation to be in writing. The practical and legal reasons for written resignation are compelling.
Proof of notice: A written Resignation Letter with a clearly stated resignation date creates unambiguous evidence of when notice was given. This is critical for calculating the last day of employment and ensuring the employee is paid correctly for the notice period. Disputes about when notice was given — particularly where an employee claims they verbally resigned earlier — are difficult to resolve without written evidence.
MPF and final pay: A written resignation letter allows the employee to formally request confirmation of all final pay entitlements under the Employment Ordinance (Cap. 57) — wages, annual leave, any applicable payments — and to provide MPF transfer instructions. Without a formal written request, employers may be slower to process these entitlements.
Labour Department records: If an employment dispute arises after resignation — such as a dispute about final pay or the return of a security deposit lodged with the employer — the Labour Department's conciliation process and the Labour Tribunal both rely on written evidence. A resignation letter on record strengthens the employee's position.
Professionalism: In Hong Kong's competitive professional employment market, maintaining positive relationships with former employers is important for references and future opportunities.
This template is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change over time. Consult a qualified attorney for advice specific to your situation.Full disclaimer
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