The Severance Playbook

What they handed you, what it actually says, and what to ask for before you sign.

Someone gave you a document in a meeting that lasted fifteen minutes. There was a deadline on it. You were probably told it was standard.

It's an offer. Offers get negotiated. This guide shows you how.

A 30-page playbook with scripts, worksheets, and a printable one-page card. Instant PDF download.

What most people don't know

• Negotiating doesn't cost you time. If you're 40 or older and your employer makes material changes to the offer, your 21-day consideration period starts over. The clock works for you, not against you.
• The deadline on the page is usually theirs, not the law's. Employment attorneys request extensions routinely and rarely get refused. There's a template inside.
• How your severance is paid can change when unemployment starts. Lump sum versus salary continuation is a negotiable term, and in many states it's worth more than anything you'll win on the dollar amount.
• There is no federal ban on non-competes. The FTC rule was vacated in court and formally withdrawn. Most advice written in 2024 gets this wrong.

What's inside

• The First 48 Hours — Your real deadline, how to ask for more time, and what to gather before your accounts get shut off.
• Reading the Agreement — Clause by clause. Release scope, non-disparagement, confidentiality, non-compete, cooperation clauses, and what to push back on.
• What You're Actually Giving Up — Rights that survive no matter what you sign, and the ones you're selling.
• The Unemployment Trap — The three ways states treat severance, the lump-sum question, and the three questions to ask your state agency before you sign.
• Building the Ask — Nine things on the table, not one. Cash, COBRA, equity, references, end date, non-compete carve-outs.
• The Negotiation — Who to contact, how to frame it, the counter-offer script, and what to say when they tell you it's non-negotiable.
• When to Stop Reading and Call a Lawyer — An honest checklist, with real cost figures, including when hiring one isn't worth it.

Templates and worksheets

• Deadline calculator
• What you're owed vs. what's offered
• Clause decoder — fifteen clauses with the ask for each
• Unemployment call log
• Five letter templates: extension request, counter-offer, narrowing after a refusal, reference language, revocation notice
• One-page printable card

Who this is for

Anyone who's been handed a severance agreement and hasn't signed it yet. Laid off, restructured, or offered a package on the way out. Useful whether you're 25 or 55, with the rules that apply at each age clearly marked.

Who this is not for

Anyone who's already signed and passed their revocation window. Anyone who believes they were fired for discriminatory reasons — the guide will tell you to call a lawyer, and it's right.

Why it's researched, not generic

Every legal claim in this guide is sourced. The federal requirements come from EEOC guidance and the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act. The non-compete section reflects the actual current state of the law after the FTC rule was vacated. The section on gag clauses reflects NLRB decisions through 2026, including which workers those protections don't cover.

Where sources conflict — and on state unemployment treatment, they do — the guide says so and tells you how to get the real answer for your state instead of printing a table that might be wrong.

Details

• Format: PDF (instant digital download)
• Length: 30 pages
• Delivery: Available immediately after purchase, plus a download link by email
• License: Single-user, personal use
• Works on phone, tablet, desktop, or printed

This guide is educational material, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. It includes a directory of free and low-cost help: your state bar referral service, the EEOC, legal aid, and your state department of labor. Laws change and vary by state. Verify current rules where you live before acting.

Backed by Fresh Start Library. Practical guides for the moments that come with paperwork and a deadline.