Free Letter of Intent to Continue Working Template

A letter of intent to continue working is a short written notice from a current employee confirming they plan to stay in their role for a defined period ahead. It names the position, states the period covered, and confirms the employee’s intention to remain.

Employers ask for it when they need to plan. Schools, seasonal operations, and organizations running fixed-term contracts all have to know who is returning before they can build a roster or a budget for the coming cycle.

This is not a resignation and not a new application. You already hold the role, so the letter records a decision rather than making a request, which is why it can be brief and direct.

You will usually be asked for a letter of intent to continue working rather than deciding to send one unprompted. Common triggers include:

• An annual intent-to-return cycle, which schools and districts often run months ahead of the next academic year.
• A fixed-term or seasonal contract approaching its end date, where the employer needs to know whether to renew.
• Returning from an extended leave and confirming you intend to resume your role.
• Reaching an age or service milestone where the employer asks whether you plan to continue.
• A restructure or ownership change, where staffing plans depend on who is staying.
• A grant-funded or project-based post being renewed for another funding period.

Occasionally it is worth sending one without being asked. If your team is planning next year’s work and your continuation is being treated as an open question, putting it in writing removes the doubt.

Whatever prompts it, the deadline is the part that matters most. Missing it rarely ends anything by itself, but it can hold up planning and leave your name off a draft roster that is awkward to change later.

Keep it short. One clear page is easier for HR to file and act on than a long explanation.

Your Details and the Date

Give your full name, job title, department, and any employee or payroll reference your employer uses. Date the letter, since the timing often matters to the process.

The Recipient

Address it to whoever the employer has named — usually a manager, an HR contact, or a specific office. Sending it to the wrong desk is the most common reason these letters stall.

A Direct Statement of Intent

Write one plain sentence confirming you intend to continue in your role. Avoid hedging language, because a conditional answer often gets logged as undecided.

The Period You Are Committing To

Name the term, contract period, or academic year the letter covers, with start and end dates where they apply.

Your Current Role and Terms

Restate your position, and note whether you expect to continue on the same hours, schedule, and location.

Any Changes You Want Considered

If you hope to adjust hours, move teams, or change your working pattern, say so separately and clearly. Keep it distinct from your confirmation, so the two are not read as conditional on each other.

Signature and Contact

Sign, date, and add a phone number or email for follow-up questions.

Returning from an extended absence adds a few things worth addressing directly. A letter here does more than confirm a decision, because it also helps both sides plan the handover back.

Give your expected return date, and say whether you are returning to the same role and schedule. If your circumstances have changed and you want to discuss a different arrangement, name that as a conversation you would like to have rather than a condition of returning.

Do not include medical or personal detail. Your employer needs to know when you are coming back and in what capacity, not why you were away.

Tip: Ask HR what else the return process requires and what the deadlines are. Entitlements, notice periods, and paperwork around leave vary by employer and by where you work, so confirm the specifics with them rather than assuming.

A letter of intent to continue working takes ten minutes once you know the deadline and the format your employer wants. Document Genius walks you through each part with simple questions.

1. Check the Deadline and the Format

Find out when it is due and whether your employer wants a signed letter, a form, or an email. Missing the window causes more problems than the wording ever will.

2. Address the Right Person

Use the name and office the employer specified. If nothing was specified, ask rather than guess.

3. State Your Intent in the First Line

Open with the confirmation. Everything else in the letter supports that sentence.

4. Specify the Period and Your Role

Add the term or contract dates and your current position, so nobody has to cross-reference another system to process it.

5. Separate Any Requests

Put changes you want considered in their own short paragraph, clearly marked as a request rather than a condition.

6. Sign, Send, and Keep Proof

Sign and date it, send it by the method requested, and keep a copy along with any acknowledgment. Start yours now and have it ready to submit today.

Check your letter of intent to continue working against this short list before it goes in.

• The period covered is stated in dates, not just “next year.”
• Your job title matches how it appears in your employer’s records.
• Nothing reads as conditional unless you meant it to.
• Any requested change is clearly separated from your confirmation.
• The deadline and the delivery method match what you were told.

One thing to settle outside the letter: what your continuation means for your contract, your benefits, and any notice you would owe if your plans change later. Those terms sit in your employment agreement and your employer’s policies, and both vary by organization and by where you work. Ask HR for the specifics, and speak with an employment lawyer if a decision here carries consequences you are unsure about.