Employment · Free tool
Severance Pay Calculator for Ontario and Canada
Find the minimum termination pay your employer must give you when you are dismissed without cause, plus statutory severance pay in Ontario and federally regulated workplaces. Choose where you work, enter your service and weekly pay, and the result updates as you type.
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Severance and termination pay calculator
Work out the statutory minimum notice or pay in lieu, plus severance pay where the law requires it.
General information, not legal advice. This shows the employment standards minimum only. Your contract or common-law reasonable notice may entitle you to much more. Speak to an employment lawyer before you sign a release.
Choose Federal if you work for a bank, airline, telecom, railway or other federally regulated employer.
Before deductions, for a regular work week. Annual salary ÷ 52 (≈ $78,000 a year).
Statutory minimum in Ontario
$7,500
- Notice or termination pay5 weeks × $1,500
- $7,500
- ESA severance payNot eligible: the employer must have a global payroll of $2.5 million or more, or have cut 50+ jobs within 6 months because all or part of the business permanently closed.
- $0
- Total statutory minimum
- $7,500
Your employer can give working notice instead of pay, or a mix of both. Severance pay, where owed, is always paid in money.
Common-law reasonable notice is often much higher
Unless your contract has a clear, enforceable termination clause limiting you to these minimums, courts usually award common-law reasonable notice based on your role, age, length of service and the job market. It has no formula, is often several months or more, and generally tops out around 24 months. This calculator does not estimate it.
Termination pay also attracts vacation pay, and your employer must continue benefit and pension contributions during the notice period.
If 50 or more employees are terminated at one establishment within four weeks, mass-termination notice of 8, 12 or 16 weeks applies instead.
No termination or severance pay is owed for wilful misconduct, disobedience or wilful neglect of duty that is not trivial and was not condoned.
Based on the Employment Standards Act, 2000. Sources: Ontario: Your guide to the ESA, Termination of employment; Ontario: Your guide to the ESA, Severance pay. Excludes vacation pay, benefits continuation, group termination rules and any exemptions that may apply to your job.
Find a lawyer
Talk to an employment lawyer in Ontario
A lawyer can check your termination clause and tell you whether you are owed common-law notice on top of the statutory minimum.
Minimum notice by province, territory and federal workplaces
Every jurisdiction requires a minimum amount of written notice, pay in lieu, or a mix of both, once you pass a short qualifying period. The table shows the statutory notice for an employee who has just passed 1, 5 and 10 years of service. It does not include Ontario or federal severance pay, group termination rules or common-law notice.
| Jurisdiction | Qualifies after | 1 year | 5 years | 10 years | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 3 months | 2 wk | 5 wk | 8 wk | 8 weeks |
| Federal (Canada Labour Code) | 3 consecutive months | 2 wk | 5 wk | 8 wk | 8 weeks |
| British Columbia | 3 consecutive months | 2 wk | 5 wk | 8 wk | 8 weeks |
| Alberta | more than 90 days | 1 wk | 4 wk | 8 wk | 8 weeks |
| Saskatchewan | more than 13 consecutive weeks | 2 wk | 6 wk | 8 wk | 8 weeks |
| Manitoba | 30 days | 2 wk | 6 wk | 8 wk | 8 weeks |
| Quebec | 3 months | 2 wk | 4 wk | 8 wk | 8 weeks |
| New Brunswick | 6 months | 2 wk | 4 wk | 4 wk | 4 weeks |
| Nova Scotia | 3 months | 1 wk | 4 wk | 8 wk | 8 weeks |
| Prince Edward Island | 90 days | 2 wk | 4 wk | 6 wk | 8 weeks |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 3 months | 1 wk | 3 wk | 4 wk | 6 weeks |
| Yukon | 6 consecutive months | 2 wk | 5 wk | 8 wk | 8 weeks |
| Northwest Territories | 90 days | 2 wk | 5 wk | 8 wk | 8 weeks |
| Nunavut | 90 days | 2 wk | 5 wk | 8 wk | 8 weeks |
From each jurisdiction's employment standards law as of November 2026. Ontario and the Canada Labour Code add separate severance pay for eligible employees.
Frequently asked questions
How much severance pay am I entitled to in Ontario?
Under the Employment Standards Act, you get termination notice or pay of 1 week per year of service, up to 8 weeks. If you qualify, ESA severance pay adds 1 week per year of service, including partial years, up to 26 weeks. For example, 10 years at $1,500 a week with an eligible employer gives 8 weeks plus 10 weeks, or $27,000, before any common-law notice.
Who qualifies for Ontario severance pay?
You need at least 5 years of service, and your employer must either have a global payroll of $2.5 million or more, or have cut 50 or more jobs within six months because all or part of the business permanently closed. Severance pay is not owed for wilful misconduct, if you refused reasonable alternative work, or in some construction and retirement situations.
What is the difference between termination pay and severance pay?
Termination pay is the minimum notice, or pay instead of notice, that every province and the federal government require when you are dismissed without cause. Severance pay is a separate, additional payment for long-serving employees. Only Ontario's Employment Standards Act and the Canada Labour Code require statutory severance pay; elsewhere, larger packages come from common-law notice.
Why might I be owed more than this calculator shows?
The calculator shows the employment standards minimum. Unless your contract has a clear, enforceable termination clause limiting you to that minimum, courts usually award common-law reasonable notice based on your role, age, length of service and the job market. It is often several months or more and can reach about 24 months. In Quebec, the Civil Code gives a similar right.
How does severance work for federally regulated employees?
Under the Canada Labour Code, employees get 2 weeks' notice or pay after 3 months, rising by a week a year from 3 years to 8 weeks at 8 years. After 12 months, severance pay is also owed: the greater of 2 days' wages per full year of service or 5 days' wages. The calculator treats a day's wage as one-fifth of your weekly pay.
Read the full guides
This calculator is general information, not legal advice. It estimates statutory minimums only and does not account for your contract, bonuses, benefits, exemptions or common-law notice. Spotted something out of date? Email hello@lawyerslist.ca.