Templates

Leaving the Company? 8 Permanent Out-of-Office Messages

Use eight permanent out-of-office templates for leaving a company, including professional external replies and gentle internal humour with a clear handover contact.

November 3, 2026 · 6 min read · Updated November 4, 2026

Leaving the Company? 8 Permanent Out-of-Office Messages

Quick answer

The practical version

A permanent departure auto-reply should say you no longer work at the company, make clear whether the mailbox is monitored, and direct the sender to an approved colleague or team address. Use a neutral external version. A gentle joke can work for internal colleagues, provided the handover information stays clear. Agree the wording and mailbox arrangements with the person responsible before your last day.

Short professional departure replies

Thank you for your message. I am no longer with [Company] as of [date]. Please contact [team or colleague] at [approved email] for assistance. This mailbox is not monitored.
I have left [Company] and will not be able to reply. For [area of work], please email [team address]. Thank you for your understanding.

A warm reply for clients and partners

Thank you for getting in touch. My time at [Company] ended on [date]. It has been a pleasure working with you. [Name/team] is now your contact for [service or account] and can be reached at [approved email]. This mailbox is not monitored.
Thank you for your email. I no longer work at [Company]. To make sure your request reaches the right person, please contact [team] at [email] and include [non-sensitive reference, if appropriate]. They will be able to direct your enquiry.

When the team will monitor the mailbox

Thank you for your message. [Name] has left [Company]. This mailbox is monitored by [team] for [purpose]. For new requests, please contact [team email].

When no individual replacement has been appointed

I am no longer with [Company] as of [date]. Please direct enquiries about [area] to [shared team address]. The team will route your message to the appropriate person. I will not be replying from this address.

Gentle humour for an internal-only reply

My calendar and I have officially parted ways: I have left [Company]. Thank you for the projects, coffee breaks and helpful reminders. For anything work-related, [team] at [email] is your next stop. I will not be reading this inbox.
I have handed over my projects and my honorary role as meeting-note volunteer. My last day at [Company] was [date]. For help with [area], please contact [Name/team] at [email]. Thanks for being such good colleagues.

A farewell email and an automatic reply have different jobs

Your farewell email thanks people you choose to contact before you leave. A departure auto-reply helps people who email the old address afterwards. Keep the auto-reply useful to a sender who never met you: state the departure, give the next contact and explain what happens to this inbox. Save your memories, long thank-yous and personal contact invitation for your goodbye email.

Confirm the handover before choosing a template

Ask the responsible manager or IT contact which mailbox arrangement will actually be used. An unmonitored inbox, a team-monitored inbox and a forwarded address need different wording. Only claim messages are monitored or forwarded when that arrangement has been confirmed. Check the destination address and make sure the receiving colleague or team has agreed to handle the enquiries. Replace every bracketed placeholder before activation.

Make a separate decision about internal and external replies

Write the neutral external version first. A customer or supplier needs a useful next step more than a joke about your old calendar. Where your email system supports separate audiences, reserve the light-hearted version for internal colleagues who know your tone. Outlook provides separate internal and external reply settings; use the official setup instructions and your organisation’s mailbox process rather than assuming the same settings exist in every email client.

Keep humour away from the reason for leaving

Make the joke about a shared routine, then return to the handover. Avoid complaints, jokes about redundancy or dismissal, customer names and comments about the new employer. Do not put a personal phone number or private forwarding address into a reply that may reach unknown senders. Share a personal way to stay in touch separately with the colleagues you choose.

Check the reply before your access ends

Agree who will activate, maintain and eventually remove the message. Check the spelling of the departure date and handover address, and have an authorised colleague test the intended internal and external versions. A permanent departure does not mean the auto-reply must remain active forever; the responsible mailbox owner should decide its duration. If the account will close immediately, ask what approved contact route senders will receive instead.

Keep these principles in mind

Use “no longer with the company” rather than a return date
State mailbox monitoring only when confirmed
Use an approved handover address
Keep external replies neutral
Keep personal contact details out of broad auto-replies
Agree ownership of the message before access ends

Frequently asked questions

What should an out-of-office message say when I have left the company?

State that you have left, give the approved contact for future enquiries and explain whether the mailbox is monitored. Do not promise a reply or return date if neither applies.

Can a permanent out-of-office reply be funny?

A gentle internal joke can work when it suits the team. Keep the departure and next contact easy to find. A neutral version is more useful for clients, suppliers and unfamiliar senders.

Should I say why I left the company?

You do not need to give a reason in the automatic reply. The sender mainly needs to know who can help now.

Should I include my personal email address?

Keep a broad automatic reply focused on the approved business handover. Share personal contact details directly with people you choose instead.

Can I promise that my emails will be forwarded?

Only if the responsible mailbox owner has confirmed forwarding. Otherwise use an approved contact address and accurately describe whether the old inbox is monitored.

Write your separate goodbye email

The auto-reply handles future enquiries. Use the farewell-email generator for the thank-you message you send to colleagues before leaving.

Draft a farewell email →