BlackRevo blog · Employee rights
Resignation letter for Malaysia: two templates, the notice period law, and what happens to your pay and leave
Yap Pat Yih, Co-founder and General Manager · 2026-10-07 · 11 min read
The letter takes four sentences. The rules are where people lose money: notice, 24-hour exits, pay in lieu, final pay and unused leave. Two templates and the Act's own words.
A resignation letter in Malaysia needs four sentences, and I will give you two versions you can send today. The letter is not the hard part. The hard part is the month around it: how the notice period is counted, whether you can leave in 24 hours, what it costs to pay instead of serve, when your final pay has to arrive, and what happens to the annual leave you did not take. I receive these letters at BlackRevo and I run the system that works out the answers, so this is the letter, then the law in the Act's own words, then what a decent employer does with it.
TL;DR
- Four sentences: I resign, my last day is, thank you, I will hand over. Put the date on it and keep a copy.
- Notice is what your contract says in writing. If it says nothing, the Act's floor is 4 weeks under two years' service, 6 weeks from two to five, 8 weeks from five. Same period both ways.
- You can leave without serving notice by paying the wages for the unserved part, and your employer can end your contract the same way.
- "24 hours' notice" is not a right, and staying away for more than two working days in a row without leave counts as breaking your contract.
- Final pay is due no later than your last day. A tax-clearance hold only applies where your pay is not already taxed through monthly deduction.
- Unused statutory annual leave: you may take it before you go, and whatever is left when the contract ends must be paid.
The letter, in English
[Date]
To: [Manager's name], [Company name]
Dear [Name],
I am writing to resign from my position as [job title] at [Company name]. In accordance with my contract, my notice period is [four weeks], and my last working day will be [date].
Thank you for the opportunity to work here. I have learned a great deal from the team.
I will complete the handover of my work before my last day and am happy to help make the transition smooth.
Yours sincerely,
[Full name]
[Employee number, if your company uses one]
No reason is required, and giving one in writing rarely helps; say it in person if you want to. Send it by email to your manager with HR copied, and keep the sent copy. The Act says notice must be in writing, and the day it is given counts as the first day of the notice period.
Surat berhenti kerja, dalam Bahasa Malaysia
[Tarikh]
Kepada: [Nama pengurus], [Nama syarikat]
Tuan/Puan,
PERLETAKAN JAWATAN SEBAGAI [JAWATAN]
Dengan hormatnya saya merujuk kepada perkara di atas. Saya ingin meletak jawatan sebagai [jawatan] di [nama syarikat]. Selaras dengan kontrak perkhidmatan saya, tempoh notis saya ialah [empat minggu], dan hari terakhir saya bekerja ialah pada [tarikh].
Saya mengucapkan terima kasih atas peluang dan tunjuk ajar yang diberikan sepanjang saya berkhidmat di sini.
Saya akan memastikan serah tugas diselesaikan sebelum hari terakhir saya.
Sekian, terima kasih.
Yang benar,
[Nama penuh]
How much notice you owe, in the Act's words
The Employment Act 1955 applies in Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan to anyone with a contract of service (Sabah and Sarawak have their own labour ordinances). Section 12 says either side may give notice at any time, and the length is the same for both: the period your contract sets out in writing, or, if there is no written provision, not less than four weeks if you have been employed under two years on the date notice is given, six weeks from two years to under five, and eight weeks from five years. Either side may waive its right to notice. Count your service to the day you give notice, from the day you started, not from your confirmation date.
Two things follow that people miss. First, the period is symmetrical: an employer that can let you go on four weeks can be left on four weeks. Second, your contract is the first place to look, not this post. There are two readings of a contract that sets less than the Act's floor. Section 7 says a term less favourable than the Act is void and the Act's provision replaces it, and some HR writers read that as a minimum four weeks for everyone. Section 12(2) says the written contract determines the length and the floor applies in the absence of a written provision. If your contract says two weeks or one month, plan on serving that, and take the argument to a lawyer, not to your last week.
Probation. The Act does not set a different notice for probation; your contract may, and many do. Read the clause.
How it is counted. The Act says the day notice is given is included in the period. Beyond that it is silent; in practice notice runs in calendar days, and rest days and public holidays inside it do not extend it.
Can you leave in 24 hours?
You can leave, but it is not free. Section 13(1) lets either party end the contract without notice, or without waiting out notice already given, by paying the other side an indemnity equal to the wages for the notice period, or its unexpired part. So "24 hours' notice" means you pay your employer the wages for the notice you do not serve, or they set it against what they owe you. The only no-cost exit is section 13(2): either side may end the contract without notice where the other has wilfully broken a condition of it.
And do not simply stop coming in. Section 15(2) says an employee who is continuously absent for more than two consecutive working days without prior leave is deemed to have broken the contract, unless there is a reasonable excuse and the employer was told, or the employee tried to tell them, at the earliest opportunity. That is the one line in this post that costs people a reference.
Can the employer refuse your resignation? No. Section 12 lets either party give notice at any time, and the employer does not have to accept it for it to take effect; the letter does the work, which is why you keep the copy. Can you take it back? Not without the employer's consent, once it is given. The High Court said so in Chong Kok Kean v Citibank Berhad, following an earlier Industrial Court award, as HHQ explains. Decide first, then write.
Paying in lieu, both ways. If your employer ends your contract immediately by paying the notice period's wages, section 21(1) says your wages to the day before and the indemnity are due no later than the day the contract ends. If you are the one who pays and leaves early, section 21(2) says your wages to the day before are due no later than the third day after you go.
Your pay, your leave, and the tax office
Final pay. Section 20 says wages earned but not yet paid when the contract ends under notice must be paid no later than the day the contract ends. Not the next payday, and not "after clearance" unless the tax office is involved (below).
Annual leave you have not taken. Section 60E(2A) says that when your contract is ending, you may take, before it ends, the leave due for the year plus the leave accrued for the months you have completed this year. And section 60E(3A) says that where the contract ends before you have taken the statutory annual leave you are entitled to, the employer pays your ordinary rate for every day of it (the one exception is dismissal for misconduct under section 14(1)(a)). So ask to take it inside your notice, which the employer may refuse if the handover needs you, and whatever statutory leave is left is paid. Your handbook decides anything above the Act's minimum. Ours pays out unused earned annual leave with the final wages, and unpaid leave is not taken during a notice period, so the last month is worked and paid in full. What the statutory minimum is for your years of service is in our annual leave guide.
Tax clearance. Most salaried people in Malaysia have tax taken monthly (MTD, or PCB). LHDN says an employer does not file Form CP22A, and does not hold your money, when your income is subject to monthly tax deduction or is below the level where it starts. Where neither applies, the employer files CP22A at least 30 days before you leave and must hold money due to you until LHDN allows it, up to 90 days after LHDN receives the form. Ask HR on the day you resign whether a CP22A applies to you, so a held amount is not a surprise.
EPF, SOCSO, EIS. Contributions are made on your wages up to your last day. The EIS job search allowance is for loss of employment; PERKESO's list covers retrenchment, closures and constructive dismissal, and resignation only where it follows sexual harassment or threats at work, or an order to do dangerous work outside your job scope. An ordinary resignation is not on it.
Bonus. A declared bonus is paid to people still employed on the day it is paid, including while serving notice; someone who has already left does not receive it. Most companies work the same way, and the timing of a resignation around bonus month is a legitimate thing to plan.
What a decent employer does with the letter
At BlackRevo you do not have to give a reason, and the notice period is the same for you and for us. Final wages, including payment for unused earned annual leave, are paid no later than the day employment ends, or, where the law requires money to be withheld for tax clearance, once that clearance is received. You return what you were given, Lumen, our HR system, records what that is, and you get a signed copy of the clearance form. Confidentiality survives: client names, pricing and anything not public stay private after you leave, as your contract says. And people who resigned in good standing, with documented performance above average, may be rehired once, after six months, considered alongside everyone else.
Why people leave first jobs is in our job hopping post; none of it changes what a good leaving looks like, which is a dated letter, a full handover, and a door that stays open. Our post on answering "tell me about yourself" covers explaining the move. The open roles are at jobs.blackrevo.com.my.
FAQ
How do I write a resignation letter in Malaysia?
Four sentences: that you are resigning from your position, your notice period and last working day, thanks, and that you will hand over. Date it, send it by email to your manager with HR copied, and keep the copy. No reason is required. Templates in English and Bahasa Malaysia are above.
What is the notice period for resignation in Malaysia?
The period written in your contract. If there is no written provision, the Employment Act's floor is four weeks for under two years' service, six weeks for two to five years, and eight weeks for five years or more, the same for employer and employee.
Can I resign with 24 hours' notice in Malaysia?
You can end the contract without serving notice by paying your employer an indemnity equal to the wages for the unserved notice. Leaving without paying, or being absent more than two consecutive working days without leave or a reasonable excuse, is treated as breaking the contract.
When must my final salary be paid?
Wages earned but unpaid when a contract ends under notice are due no later than the day the contract ends. If your income is not subject to monthly tax deduction, your employer may have to file Form CP22A and hold money due to you until LHDN clears it.
What happens to my unused annual leave when I resign?
You may take, before your last day, the leave due for the year plus the leave accrued for completed months, and any statutory annual leave still untaken when the contract ends must be paid at your ordinary rate. Leave above the Act's minimum follows your handbook. BlackRevo pays out unused earned leave with the final wages.
Can my employer reject my resignation letter?
No. Notice is given, not requested, and takes effect without the employer's acceptance. The reverse is also true: once given, a resignation cannot be withdrawn without the employer's consent.
Yap Pat Yih: Yap Pat Yih is Co-founder and General Manager of BlackRevo and looks after the team, the hiring and the HR system they run on.