Retirement card messages

A retirement card doesn't need to sum up anyone's career. The best messages thank the person for one real thing and wish them well for what they're going to do next. If you know their plans, such as fishing, grandkids, a road trip or finally repainting the house, mention them. It shows you listened.

What to write in a retirement card

Most good retirement messages have three simple parts. Congratulate them. Thank them for something specific, like training you, keeping the team calm during a busy season or always knowing where the spare keys were. Then wish them well, ideally with a detail about their plans.

Keep it short in a group card, so there's room for everyone. If you worked closely with them for years, you can write a longer note on a separate sheet and tuck it inside.

Stay away from jokes about age, health or slowing down. Most people retiring would rather hear about the work they did than about how old they are. And don't mention why they're leaving unless it's happy news they've shared themselves.

For a coworker

• Congratulations, Loretta! Twenty-six years in the front office and you still remember every patient's name. We'll miss you so much. Enjoy all that time with the grandkids in Albuquerque.
• Ray, thank you for teaching me how to run the press when I started, and for never once losing your patience with me. Enjoy the lake house.
• Happy retirement, Pam. The break room won't be the same without your Friday banana bread. I hope the garden gets all the attention it deserves now.
• Congratulations on thirty-one years with the county, Hector. You've made this a better place to work for everyone. Best wishes from all of us in permits.
• Gail, it's been a real pleasure sharing a cubicle wall with you for nine years. Thank you for all the laughs and the good advice. Have a wonderful retirement.
• Wishing you a very happy retirement, Tom. Thank you for always being the first to help, whether it was a jammed printer or a tough customer.

For a boss

• Linda, thank you for giving me my first real job and for trusting me with the Denver account before I thought I was ready. I've learned so much from you. Congratulations.
• Congratulations on your retirement, Mr. Okafor. Thank you for always making time for questions, even on the busiest days. It's been a privilege to work for you.
• Thank you for being the kind of manager who noticed when people were having a hard week. The whole team will miss you, Steve. Enjoy every minute of retirement.
• Happy retirement, Janet. You've run this department with fairness and good humor for fifteen years, and we're all better at our jobs because of you.
• Congratulations, Dr. Patel. Thank you for your support during my first year here, and for the best holiday parties this lab has ever had. Enjoy Portugal.

Funny retirement card messages

Keep the joke about their habits, hobbies or the office, and make sure it's one they'd laugh at if it were read out loud.

• Congratulations, Frank! Who's going to reply-all to every company email now? We'll miss you, and we'll miss your golf updates a little less. Enjoy retirement.
• Happy retirement, Bev. Your plants have asked to go with you, and honestly, we understand. Thank you for everything.
• Carl, you've officially used up all your vacation days. Congratulations on thirty years, and enjoy never setting an alarm again.
• Congratulations, Sheila! The rest of us will now have to figure out the conference room booking system on our own. Wish us luck, and have the best time.
• Happy retirement, Gary. The Monday meeting will be ten minutes shorter without your fantasy football report, and a lot less fun. Enjoy the cabin.

For a friend

• Congratulations, Rosa! No more early starts at the hospital. I can't wait for all those weekday lunches we've been promising each other for years.
• Happy retirement, Mike. You've earned every quiet morning on that boat. Save me a seat for the first trip out on Lake Michigan.
• Here's to you, Donna. After thirty-four years of teaching third grade, I hope the only schedule you keep now is your own. So proud of you.
• Congratulations on retiring, Earl. Let me know when you're ready for that trip to the Grand Canyon. I'll bring the snacks and the bad jokes.

For your mom or dad

• Mom, you've worked hard for as long as I can remember, and you always found time for us too. Happy retirement. I love you, and I'm so proud of you.
• Dad, congratulations on forty years at the plant. Thank you for every early shift that kept us going. Now go enjoy that woodshop in the garage. Love, Jess.
• Happy retirement, Mom. Thirty years of looking after other people's kids at the school, and now it's your turn to be looked after. Love you lots.
• Dad, you taught me what a good day's work looks like. I hope retirement is full of Cardinals games and time with the grandkids. Love, Ben.
• Congratulations, Mom and Dad, on retiring in the same year. Oregon to Maine in the RV sounds perfect. Please send pictures. All my love.

Retirement speeches and other cards

If you're organizing the party, our retirement speech guide covers what to say, how long to speak for and how to hand over the gift, with full examples. For other occasions, see wedding card messages or the main card messages page, which has a free tool for any kind of card.