Many people, when facing retirement need some assistance in preparing a retirement letter. These are a few tips on what to say and how to say it.  

A letter of retirement can be a sentimental experience in that you are leaving a place that you have called "second home" for many years. You have instilled a lot of yourself into that job and have become friends with many co-workers. All this will be missed. On the contrary it is also a happy time—more family time. A person, when composing a retirement letter, should put bad times at the company out of his mind and dwell on all the good times. Also take into consideration how much you have grown since the first day you came to the company. Express these points in your retirement letter. 

Remember that it is impolite to dwell on one person in your retirement letter content. Be mindful and respectful of other people’s feelings when you are writing your letter of retirement—no insinuations or puns toward anyone. Leaving your co-workers with a bad feeling about themselves because you have insulted them is so low-classed.

Be certain to notify your employer of your expected departure from the company at least six weeks prior to your leaving. Even if your announcement is verbal, you still need to prepare an actual retirement letter to submit. Submit your letter of retirement to your Human Resources division and make sure to speak with them about any procedures or papers that need to be filled out regarding your retirement.

When formatting your retirement letter, follow this standard procedure: Type in the date of submission. Leave four blank line spaces then enter your employer information in this particular order—Supervisor’s name, Supervisor’s title, Name of the company, Company address, and City, state, and zip code of the company. 

The next information in the letter should be your subject line. For example: RE: Retirement Letter from (Your Name, Your Title), next comes the salutation: Dear Mr. or Mrs. Supervisor. In the first paragraph of the letter, explain the purpose of the letter and what date you are departing from the company. In the next section (second paragraph) , speak kindly about have gained by working for this fantastic company. 

In the third paragraph you should offer your assistance in getting your successor ready for the position. After all, you have years of know-how concerning this position. Always sound eager and willing to help with the change about to take place because of your retiring. Depending upon your intentions upon retirement, you may want your fourth paragraph to be used for requesting work under contract outside the company. 

The final section of the body of your retirement should be brief. This is the time when you extend thanks to your managers and supervisors and also to your fellow associates. You basically should thank them for the assistance they have given you during your years at the company. You should close your letter with the appropriate closing such as:  Respectfully or sincerely yours. Leave four blank spaces between the closing and your typed name. Write your signature between the closing and your typed name. 

It is also a considered proper when submitting your retirement letter to leave your company with personal information in case they need to contact you. Leave your name, your E mail address, your phone number (if you desire), and you designation.