Severence Offer Analyzer
Is Your Severance Offer Actually Fair?
Many employees accept a termination package without knowing whether it reflects only Employment Standards Act (ESA) minimums or the broader entitlements they may have under common law. Upload your offer or answer a few quick questions, and our severance analyzer will review your situation and give you an estimated severance range, plus a plain-language breakdown of what your package may be missing. It’s free, confidential, and built to give you a clearer starting point before you sign anything.
Important
This tool uses artificial intelligence to generate a general estimate based on Ontario common law and the details you provide. It can make mistakes, is not legal advice, and does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Your information is kept confidential, and our AI provider processes it under a zero data retention arrangement: it does not store or train on your documents or answers after your estimate is generated. Your estimate is sent by email, and a member of our team may contact you, with no obligation. See our Privacy Policy for details.
FAQs
The analyzer compares the details you provide (age, length of service, role, compensation, and your current offer) against Ontario’s statutory minimums and the factors courts consider when assessing reasonable notice. It then produces an estimated range and highlights where your offer may fall short. It is a starting point for your decision, not a substitute for legal review.
It depends on which entitlement you’re asking about. Under the Employment Standards Act, termination pay and severance pay are separate statutory concepts, and statutory severance pay applies only if specific eligibility requirements are met. Common law severance, often called reasonable notice damages, is different and may be significantly higher. It is usually assessed based on factors such as age, length of service, role, compensation, and the availability of comparable employment.
There’s no fixed formula, and there’s no rule of “one month per year.” ESA entitlements are capped, but common law entitlements can be considerably higher depending on your circumstances. Your employment contract also matters: a valid termination clause may limit what you’re owed, while a defective one may not. The analyzer gives you an estimated range, and a lawyer can assess how your contract affects it.
Courts look at your age, length of service, the nature and seniority of your role, your total compensation, and how easily you can find comparable work. Other facts can also matter, such as whether you were recruited away from a secure job, and the wording of your employment contract.
ESA entitlements are the legal minimum every eligible employee must receive. Common law severance is based on what a court would consider reasonable notice for someone in your position, and it is often much more generous. Unless your contract validly limits you to ESA minimums, you may be entitled to the greater amount, which is why an offer that “meets the ESA” can still leave money on the table.
Yes. Initial offers are often a starting point, and employers frequently have room to improve them, whether through additional pay, extended benefits, or better terms around references and non-disparagement. Knowing your likely entitlement before you respond puts you in a stronger position.
Generally, no. Employers often set short deadlines to encourage a quick signature, but a deadline in an offer letter doesn’t remove your legal rights. Signing usually means releasing your claims, so it’s worth understanding your entitlements before you do. Deadlines can often be extended on request.
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