Farewell Email to Colleagues: Samples for Your Last Day

A farewell email to colleagues should be short and warm: say that today is your last day, thank people for working with you, mention one or two things you enjoyed or learnt, tell them who will take over your work, and share a personal email or LinkedIn profile to stay in touch. Send it on your last working day with a simple subject such as "Thank you and goodbye", and keep it positive. Below are ready samples for teammates, your manager, a short version, a fresher leaving after an internship, and a reply to someone else's farewell mail.

What to include in a farewell email

Keep it to around 100–200 words for a team email. People read farewell mails on their phones between meetings.

Farewell email vs resignation letter

They are different documents. A resignation letter goes to your manager and HR when you decide to leave, and starts your notice period. A farewell email goes to your colleagues on your last day, after the notice period, to thank them and say goodbye. Never use the farewell email to resign, and never send it before your resignation has been accepted.

Things to sort out before you send it

• Tell your manager and team in person first. Nobody should learn you are leaving from a group email.
• Finish your handover. Make sure the person taking over your work has the files, passwords handled through proper channels, and contacts they need.
• Check who to send it to. Ask your manager whether to email only your team, your department or a wider group.
• Collect your documents. Your relieving letter, experience letter and final salary slips come from HR; keep track of them separately from the farewell email.
• Save personal contacts. Work email access usually stops when you leave.

Farewell email to colleagues (team)

Subject: Thank you and goodbye

Hi everyone,

As many of you know, today is my last day at [Company]. I wanted to say a big thank you for the last [two years].

I have learnt a lot from this team, from my first week when [name] patiently walked me through our reporting tools, to the late evenings before the [project] launch that we somehow made fun. I will miss our Friday lunches.

From Monday, [colleague's name] will take over my accounts and can be reached at [email].

I'd love to stay in touch. You can reach me at [personal email] or on LinkedIn at [profile link].

Wishing you all the very best,
[Your name]

Farewell email to your manager

Send your manager a separate, more personal note. It matters more than the group email.

Subject: Thank you

Dear [Manager's name],

As I finish my last day, I want to thank you for your guidance over the past [period]. You gave me the chance to [lead the vendor project / handle client calls], and your feedback on my presentations made a real difference to how I work.

I have shared the handover document with [colleague], and I'm happy to answer any questions over email in the next few weeks.

I hope we stay in touch. My personal email is [email].

With thanks and best wishes,
[Your name]

Short farewell email

For a large group or people you worked with only occasionally:

Subject: My last day at [Company]

Hi all,

Today is my last day at [Company]. Thank you for your help and support during my time here. It has been a pleasure working with you.

For anything related to [your work area], please contact [name] at [email].

You can find me on LinkedIn at [profile link]. All the best!

[Your name]

Farewell email after an internship

Subject: Thank you for a great internship

Hi team,

Today is the last day of my internship with [team/company]. Thank you all for making these [eight weeks] such a good learning experience.

Special thanks to [mentor's name] for reviewing my work every week and to [name] for answering my many questions. Working on [project] taught me more about [skill] than any course I've taken.

I'll be back in college for my final year, and I'd be glad to stay in touch on LinkedIn at [profile link].

Thank you once again,
[Your name]

If your internship went well, it is also a good moment to ask your mentor, politely and separately, for a LinkedIn recommendation and your internship certificate.

Farewell email when you are moving to a new company

Subject: Farewell and thanks

Dear colleagues,

After [three] wonderful years, today is my last day at [Company]. I'm joining [new company] as [role] next month, and I'm excited about the new start, but I'll genuinely miss working with all of you.

Thank you for the support, the shared deadlines and the many chai breaks. I've learnt something from almost every one of you.

[Colleague's name] will handle [your responsibilities] from tomorrow.

Let's stay connected: [personal email] / [LinkedIn].

Warm regards,
[Your name]

Only name your new employer if you are comfortable doing so and nothing in your offer or current contract asks you to keep it private.

Farewell email to a client

If you handled clients, check with your manager first whether and how to inform them. Usually the email introduces the new contact so the client feels looked after:

Subject: Change of contact for your account

Dear [Client's name],

I wanted to let you know that [date] will be my last day at [Company]. It has been a pleasure working with you on [project or account] over the past [period].

From [date], my colleague [name], copied here, will be your point of contact. [He/She/They] has been part of our recent work on your account and is fully up to date.

Thank you for your trust and cooperation. I wish you and your team continued success.

Best regards,
[Your name]

Keep it about the client's continuity, not about your next job, and don't use this email to move clients to your new employer.

Farewell message for Teams, Slack or WhatsApp

Many teams say goodbye on chat as well as email. A short message works:

"Hi everyone, today's my last day here! Thank you for all the help, the laughs and the patience with my questions. [Name] will look after [my work] from tomorrow. Let's stay in touch on LinkedIn: [link]. Take care, all!"

Post it in the team channel, not in client-facing or company-wide channels, unless your manager suggests it.

Subject line ideas

• Thank you and goodbye
• My last day at [Company]
• Farewell and thanks
• Signing off: thank you, team
• Thank you for a great internship
• Change of contact for your account (for clients)

Plain subjects work better than jokes, because the email may be read by people who don't know you well.

How to reply to a colleague's farewell email

When someone else leaves, a short personal reply is kind and helps you keep the connection:

"Hi [name], it's been great working with you, especially on [project]. Thanks for always helping when I was stuck. All the best for the new role, and let's stay in touch on LinkedIn!"

Reply to them directly, not "reply all", unless the whole team is replying together.

Mistakes to avoid in a farewell email

• Complaining. Don't mention salary, workload, a bad manager or why you really left. Emails get forwarded.
• Sending it too early. If you send it a week before, you'll spend your last days answering goodbye messages instead of finishing the handover.
• Writing a long essay. Keep group emails short; save the personal details for one-to-one notes.
• Forgetting the handover contact. People need to know who to contact next.
• Sharing confidential information. Don't attach work files or mention client details.
• Using the wrong list. Check the recipients before you hit send.

After you leave

Update your LinkedIn and your resume while your achievements are fresh in your mind. Add the projects and results from this role before you forget the numbers. You can do that quickly with the free resume builder. If you haven't resigned yet, start with our resignation letter format and the guide to notice period rules.

Sources

These are general email formats written for this guide, not company or HR rules. The names, periods and situations in the samples are examples. Follow your company's own exit process and any instructions from HR about communication when you leave.