What to Write for Retirement Thank You Messages

So, you’re retiring (Congratulations!), but before you begin doing WHATEVER YOU WANT for the rest of your life, you’ll want to write some retirement thank-you notes to the people who made the workplace better for you, or who helped you celebrate this huge occasion with a gift or party.

We know it can be tricky to come up with retirement thank-you notes wording, but we’ve got some ideas to help you out. It really comes down to just saying how you feel about the people you’ve worked with for so long.

How to Say Thank You for the Retirement Gift or Retirement Party

You’re pretty awesome, so chances are, you received a handful of retirement gifts, and maybe somebody even threw you a retirement party. Read on for some ideas on how to thank these thoughtful people! (Please note that we strongly encourage you to replace “gift” with whatever the actual gift was, to make the note feel warmer and more personal.)

Thank you for adding to the joy of my retirement with your well wishes and amazing gift.
I’ll always remember your kindness!
Thank you so much for the gift! I’ve already used it — guess you know me pretty well!
You made me feel important and appreciated. Thanks so much for throwing me such a memorable retirement party.
I love my gift, and I love that I’ll think of you whenever I see/use it!
That was one heck of a party, and I can’t believe it was all for me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you for the gift! You’re pretty dang awesome.
I sincerely thank you for your generosity.
You clearly put a lot of time and effort into making sure my party was a hit — and it was! Thank you so, so much.
I’m beyond lucky to have you and your kindness in my life!

How to Say Thank You to a Co-worker When You're Retiring

Retiring is one of life’s greatest joys, but it can be difficult to leave the colleagues who made work more enjoyable, or who helped us advance in our careers. It’s a good idea to thank these people before you go, and tell them how much they mean to you. Here are some sample retirement thank-you notes for co-workers or former colleagues:

You really did make work a happier place to be.
I’ve truly enjoyed working with you, and I’ll remember (insert specific work project here) fondly.
Thank you for believing in me and helping me succeed in my role as (insert job title here).
Thanks for being so great to work with and for seeing me through the challenging times.
Years from now, when I think back on the highlights of my career, I’ll definitely remember you.
Nice people like you almost make me sad to be retiring. ALMOST.
Loved working with you! Good luck finding somebody as weird as me to take my place!
Thanks for the memories.
You’re not just a co-worker — you’re a friend — so we’ll definitely keep in touch!
It’s been an absolute pleasure working with/for you.

There you go! Now, you’re all set to write some amazing retirement thank-you notes. Happy writing, and enjoy your retirement!