Find out whatyou're actuallyowed.

See how LayoffMath scores your severance.

From your salary to your state — here's how your score is calculated, step by step.

1. 1
   Enter your salary and years of service

   These two numbers drive most of your score. The longer you stayed and the more you earned, the higher your expected severance range.

   
2. 2
   Tell us about your role and situation

   Your industry, role level, state or province, and reason for separation all affect your benchmark. A VP in tech in California gets a very different range than a retail associate in Texas.

   
3. 3
   Get your score — instantly

   We compare your profile against market data for your exact situation. Your score (0–100) tells you where you stand. If you enter their offer, we calculate exactly how much you may be leaving on the table.

   
4. 4
   Know your rights before you sign

   Your full result includes your WARN Act or ESA rights, ADEA 21-day review period if you're over 40, and the exact dollar gap between their offer and the market rate.

   

What severance pay is — and what it isn’t

Severance pay is money an employer offers when it ends your employment — usually as a lump sum or salary continuation, almost always in exchange for you signing a release that gives up your right to sue. It is not the same as your final paycheck, your accrued but unused vacation, or any unemployment benefits you may separately qualify for. And in most of the United States it is not a legal entitlement at all: outside of a written contract, a union agreement, or a company policy that promises it, a private employer generally has no obligation to pay severance. That is the single most important thing to understand, because it cuts both ways. The number is discretionary — which is exactly why it is negotiable.

Severance also isn’t a fixed figure a calculator can read off a chart. It’s a range, shaped by how long you worked there, how senior your role was, the industry you worked in, the jurisdiction you worked in, and the specific circumstances of your departure. Two people with the same salary can be offered very different packages. The point of a tool like this is to give you a defensible, market-grounded range so you walk into the conversation knowing whether the number in front of you is low, fair, or already generous.

How severance pay is calculated in the US and Canada

The common rule of thumb is roughly one to two weeks of pay per year of service, but that’s a floor for rank-and-file roles, not a law. Seniority bends the number upward fast: managers, directors, and executives routinely negotiate three to seven weeks per year, both because their roles are harder to replace and because their separation agreements carry more risk for the employer. Industry matters too — technology, finance, and consulting tend to pay above the median, while retail and hospitality tend to sit below it. The table below shows the base typical-week range we use by role level before layering in industry and jurisdiction.

US vs. Canada: two very different systems

In the United States, employment is generally at-will and severance is contractual. No federal statute requires it for an ordinary layoff. The main federal backstop is the WARN Act, which requires 60 days’ advance notice (or pay in lieu) for mass layoffs and plant closings at employers with 100 or more workers — and a number of states layer their own “mini-WARN” laws on top, with lower headcount thresholds and longer notice periods. If you are 40 or older, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act give you at least 21 days to review a separation agreement (45 days for a group layoff) and 7 days to revoke after signing. Those windows exist to protect you — an employer that pressures you to sign on the spot is skipping a step.

Canada works almost the opposite way. Every province has an Employment Standards Act that sets a statutory minimum — often around one week per year of service, frequently capped near eight weeks. But that minimum is a floor, not the real number. Canadian common law entitles many non-unionized employees to “reasonable notice,” which courts regularly set far above the statutory minimum — commonly three to four weeks per year of service for longer-tenured staff, sometimes up to a rough ceiling of 24 months. Most negotiated Canadian settlements land somewhere between the bare ESA minimum and the full common-law figure, which is precisely why knowing both numbers before you respond is worth real money.

What actually moves your number

A calculator sees salary, tenure, role, and location. The bigger swings usually come from things only you know. Specialized skills or institutional knowledge that are expensive to replace give you leverage. Strong recent performance reviews undercut any “performance” narrative. Unvested equity, RSUs, or a deferred bonus can be worth more than the cash severance itself and are often negotiable as part of the exit. Being part of a group layoff can trigger WARN obligations and longer ADEA review windows. On the other side, a termination genuinely for cause, a release you’ve already signed, a voluntary resignation, or very short tenure all pull the realistic number down. The honest version of the calculation weighs both directions.

Negotiation basics: why the first offer is rarely the last

Employers expect the first severance number to be a starting point, and they build room into it precisely because most people accept it without a word. You don’t need to be combative to negotiate — you need to be specific. Respond in writing, in good faith, with one clear, reasonable request anchored to market context for your role and tenure. Ask about the parts that aren’t just cash: extended health coverage, accelerated equity vesting, a neutral reference, outplacement support, or a longer salary-continuation period. Never sign before the review window you’re entitled to has run, and if anything about the circumstances feels wrong — a sudden “for cause” label, a layoff that seemed to target older workers — get an employment lawyer’s eyes on it before you waive anything. The goal isn’t to win a fight; it’s to make sure the number reflects what your departure is actually worth.

LayoffMath provides educational estimates only. This is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice specific to your situation, consult a licensed employment attorney.

Frequently asked questions about severance pay