HR glossary · Ending employment and discipline

Resignation

A resignation is an employee's own clear decision to end their job. Some provinces require written notice from the employee; final pay still applies.

Also called: quitting, voluntary resignation, notice of resignation

What resignation means

A resignation is when the employee, not the employer, ends the employment. To count, it has to be clear and voluntary: the employee must actually intend to quit, and say or do something that shows it. A resignation generally means you do not owe termination notice or termination pay.

Resignations cause trouble when they are not really resignations. Words said in anger, a resignation pushed by the employer, or quitting in response to a big unilateral change can all be challenged later. If a court or employment standards officer decides the employee did not truly resign, or was constructively dismissed, you may owe notice after all.

How it works

Get it in writing. Ask for a short signed note or email with the last day. If someone quits verbally in a heated moment, give them a chance to cool off and confirm before you act on it.

Check whether your province requires the employee to give notice. Some do, scaled to length of service. Even where notice is required, an employer usually cannot force someone to keep working, but the rule tells both sides what is expected.

You can accept the resignation and let the person go earlier than the date they gave. Be careful: ending the job before the resignation date can be treated as you ending it, and you may owe pay for the gap or statutory notice. Many employers simply pay out the remaining notice period.

Final pay rules still apply. Pay wages and vacation pay owed by your province's deadline, and issue a Record of Employment with code E (quit). Do not hold back pay because the employee did not give notice unless your province's law allows a specific remedy.

Resignation by province

Whether an employee has to give notice of resignation, and how much, depends on the province. These are the rules we confirmed.

Where the work is done	The rule
British Columbia	Employees are not required to give notice when they quit. Final wages are due within 6 calendar days after the last working day or the date the employee quit, whichever is later.
Alberta	No notice required for 90 days or less of employment. More than 90 days but less than 2 years: 1 week's written notice. 2 years or more: 2 weeks.
Manitoba	No notice needed under 30 days. 30 days to under 1 year: 1 week. 1 year or more: 2 weeks. An agreement for less than the minimum is not valid.
Ontario	Notice is required in specific cases, for example at least 4 weeks' written notice to resign during or at the end of pregnancy or parental leave, and 1 or 2 weeks' written notice to leave early after a mass termination notice.
Nova Scotia	3 months to under 2 years: 1 week's written notice. 2 years or more: 2 weeks. An employee can quit without notice if the employer breaches their terms and conditions of employment.

For other provinces and territories, check with the employment standards office whether employee notice is required.

Example: Two weeks' notice at an Edmonton salon

Bea runs a 6-chair salon in Edmonton. A stylist who has worked there for 3 years hands her a signed letter on a Monday saying her last day will be two Fridays later. In Alberta, 2 years or more of employment means the employee gives 2 weeks' written notice, so this meets the rule.

Bea thanks her, books her final clients, pays her final wages and vacation pay within Alberta's deadline, and issues her ROE with code E.

Hollis handles the exit checklist

When someone resigns, Hollis gives you the exit checklist for your province: final pay timing, vacation pay owed and the Record of Employment deadline.

Try Hollis live

Free tools and guides for this

Questions about resignation

Does an employee have to give two weeks' notice in Canada?

It depends on the province. Alberta and Nova Scotia require 2 weeks' written notice after 2 years, Manitoba after 1 year, while British Columbia does not require employees to give notice.

Can I make an employee leave before their resignation date?

You can, but cutting the notice period short can be treated as ending the employment yourself. Many employers pay out the remaining days to avoid that.

What ROE code do I use when someone quits?

Code E, quit. Service Canada says to use it when the employee starts the separation, including leaving to return to school.

Official sources

General information for Canadian employers, not legal advice. Rules differ by province and territory and change over time, so check with your provincial employment standards office (or the federal Labour Program if you are federally regulated) before you rely on it. See employment standards by province.

Checked against official sources on 4 November 2026.