For most non-executive roles, the common range is one to two weeks of pay per year of service, with a floor of two to four weeks and, at many employers, a cap somewhere between 12 and 26 weeks. Director level and above is more often expressed in months. Executive severance is usually contractual, commonly six to twenty-four months of salary plus bonus and equity terms.
These are descriptions of common practice, not entitlements. In most private-sector cases there is no legal minimum at all.
Start with what you are actually owed
Before asking what is typical, work out whether anything is promised. The answer changes the entire conversation, and a surprising number of people never check.
- Your offer letter and any employment agreement. Severance terms are often buried in a document signed years earlier and long forgotten.
- The employee handbook or a written severance plan. If a formal plan exists and you meet its terms, its formula is a legitimate reference point, and larger employers’ plans are sometimes governed by ERISA, which brings its own disclosure and claims procedures.
- Any equity grant agreements and the plan document. These govern what happens to unvested shares and how long you have to exercise options. The severance letter usually does not.
- A collective bargaining agreement, if you are covered by one.
- WARN notice. For qualifying mass layoffs and plant closings at employers with 100 or more employees, federal law can require 60 days of notice or pay in lieu of it. Some states go further. Notice pay is a separate obligation, so read carefully if an offer appears to be counting it as severance.
What is typical by years of service
The table below applies the common one-to-two-weeks-per-year structure. It is a description of widespread employer practice, not a benchmark drawn from a dataset of reported offers, and we would rather say so than dress it up.
| Years of service | Common range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1 year | 0 to 4 weeks | Often the policy minimum, or nothing at all |
| 1 to 2 years | 2 to 4 weeks | The floor usually governs rather than the formula |
| 3 to 5 years | 4 to 10 weeks | The formula starts to drive the number |
| 6 to 9 years | 6 to 18 weeks | Where flat-rate layoff offers begin to look thin |
| 10 to 14 years | 10 to 26 weeks | Employer caps often start to bite here |
| 15 to 19 years | 15 to 26+ weeks | Frequently capped below the formula result |
| 20 years or more | 20 to 52 weeks | Almost always capped; the cap itself is the thing to question |
The cap deserves particular attention at long tenure. An employer with a stated policy of two weeks per year and a 26-week maximum is offering a twenty-five-year employee roughly half a week per year in practice. That is not necessarily unreasonable, but it is a deliberate policy choice, and it is a legitimate thing to raise.
Where does your offer actually land?
The free assessment takes your tenure, level, pay, the reason the job ended, your performance record, and the terms of the agreement, and tells you whether the offer looks weak, fair, or strong, with the reasoning laid out.
What is typical by job level
Level changes not just the amount but the unit. Below a certain seniority, severance is counted in weeks and set by a formula. Above it, severance is counted in months and set by a person or a contract.
| Level | Typical structure | What usually matters most |
|---|---|---|
| Individual contributor | 1 to 2 weeks per year, 2 to 4 week floor | Cash, COBRA, PTO payout |
| Manager | 1 to 2 weeks per year, sometimes a higher floor | Cash, COBRA, prorated bonus |
| Director | 2 to 6 months, or an enhanced weeks formula | Bonus treatment, equity vesting, COBRA |
| Vice president | 3 to 9 months, often contractual | Equity acceleration, bonus, noncompete scope |
| SVP and C-suite | 6 to 24 months by contract | Equity, change-in-control terms, deferred compensation |
For anyone at director level and above, the cash figure is often the least consequential part of the negotiation. A single extra vesting tranche or an exercise window extended from 90 days to several years can be worth more than the entire salary continuation.
Cash is not the package
Whatever the headline number, the total is what matters. These components routinely add thousands of dollars and are frequently negotiable even when the cash is not.
- Employer-paid COBRA. Continuation coverage generally runs up to 18 months and is charged at the full plan cost plus an administrative fee, so the real monthly figure is far above your old payroll deduction. Three to six months of employer contribution is a common and reasonable ask.
- Accrued PTO. Whether unused vacation must be paid out on separation depends on state law and company policy, and the states differ sharply. A large balance can exceed several weeks of severance on its own.
- Prorated bonus. If you worked most of the performance year, this is a reasonable request. Agreements often say nothing about it, and silence is not denial.
- Equity. Forfeiture, acceleration, continued vesting, and the post-termination exercise window are governed by your grant documents. Read them before you respond to anything.
- Outplacement, and keeping the laptop or phone. Small, but almost always granted when asked.
Use the severance calculator to total these and see what the package is genuinely worth.
Why we are not quoting a median
You will find sites confidently stating a national median severance figure. Most of those numbers have no traceable source, or are drawn from a survey of a few hundred HR departments that looks nothing like your industry, level, or employer size.
Severance.help is building an anonymized dataset of real offers and real negotiation outcomes from the assessments people complete. When that dataset can support genuine benchmarks by tenure, level, industry, and employer size, with sample sizes large enough to publish honestly, this page will carry them and will say what they are based on. Until then, the ranges above are described as what they are: common employer practice, not measured data.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a legal minimum severance amount?
In most private-sector employment in the United States, no. Federal law does not require severance pay. It becomes an obligation through a contract, a written severance plan, or a collective bargaining agreement. Separately, the federal WARN Act can require 60 days of notice or pay in lieu of notice for qualifying mass layoffs and plant closings, and some states have stricter rules.
How much severance for 10 years of service?
Applying the common one-to-two-weeks-per-year structure, roughly 10 to 20 weeks, though employer caps frequently bring the top of that down. At ten years you are usually past the point where a flat layoff-wide number is reasonable, so if you were offered the same figure as a two-year colleague, that is worth raising.
How much severance should an executive get?
Executive severance is contractual rather than formulaic, commonly six to twenty-four months of base salary with a prorated or full target bonus, continued health coverage for the severance period, and specified equity treatment. Change-in-control provisions often increase these substantially. The equity and bonus terms are usually worth more than the salary continuation.
Does severance affect unemployment benefits?
It can, and the rules are set by each state rather than federally. Some states reduce or delay benefits while severance is being paid, particularly where it is paid as salary continuation rather than a lump sum; others disregard it entirely. Because the structure of the payment can matter as much as the amount, check your own state workforce agency before agreeing to a particular payment schedule.
This is general information, not legal advice. Severance.help is not a law firm and no attorney-client relationship is created by reading this page. State law varies considerably on PTO payout, noncompete enforceability, and the interaction between severance and unemployment benefits. For a situation involving possible discrimination or retaliation, unpaid wages, or a significant amount of money, consult an employment attorney licensed in your state.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: severance pay is not required by the Fair Labor Standards Act and is a matter of agreement between employer and employee.
- U.S. Department of Labor: Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice requirements for qualifying plant closings and mass layoffs.
- U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration: COBRA continuation coverage, including the general 18-month period and permitted premium charges.
- U.S. Department of Labor: severance plans may constitute employee welfare benefit plans subject to ERISA.