Data report
Severance and Termination Pay by Province, 2026
The legal minimum an employer owes when ending a job differs by province, and it is usually far below what a court awards. This report sets the statutory minimums side by side for Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and federally regulated employers, then shows an illustrative common-law range.
Updated 2026-10-26. Statutory rules verified October 26, 2026. General information, not legal advice.
By usecos.app Research & Engineering, an organizational byline. The common-law figures are a model, not case law; see the methodology.
Direct answer
With 5 years of service on $78,000 a year, the statutory minimum is 10 weeks in Ontario at an employer with a $2.5 million payroll (5 weeks otherwise), 5 in British Columbia, 4 in Alberta, 4 in Quebec and 4 for a federally regulated employer. A court-style common-law estimate for the same worker can be about 6.5 months, so the statute is a floor, not an expected payout.
- Scope
- 5 jurisdictions x 5 lengths of service
- Ontario, BC, Alberta, Quebec and federal employers at 1, 3, 5, 10 and 20 completed years. Other provinces and territories are not covered.
- Next action
- Run your own numbers or download the CSV
- The severance calculator adds your age, role and job market to the common-law estimate.
- Not a substitute for
- An employment lawyer or your provincial standards office
- Contracts, just cause, benefits, bonuses and court decisions can change what you are owed.
Key findings
Short facts for referencing this report; link to the canonical URL and CSV for the full tables.
- 5 years, statutory weeks
- ON 10 / BC 5 / AB 4 / QC 4 / Federal 4
- Ontario's figure includes statutory severance, which applies only at employers with a payroll of $2.5 million or more.
- Ontario severance cap
- 26 weeks
- Statutory severance requires 5 or more years of service.
- Quebec
- Notice or indemnity only
- No separate statutory severance component; the Civil Code reasonable-notice rule can add more.
- Canonical URL
- https://usecos.app/reports/severance-pay-by-province-2026
- CSV download uses the same engine as this page.
Statutory minimums only. Not legal advice.
Statutory minimums by jurisdiction
Total statutory weeks of pay, with the dollar value at $78,000 a year ($1,500 a week). Ontario shows two values because statutory severance applies only when the employer's global payroll is $2.5 million or more (or in certain mass terminations).
| Jurisdiction | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs | 20 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 2 wks$3,000 | 3 wks$4,500 | 10 wks$15,0005 wks if payroll under $2.5M | 18 wks$27,0008 wks if payroll under $2.5M | 28 wks$42,0008 wks if payroll under $2.5M |
| British Columbia | 2 wks$3,000 | 3 wks$4,500 | 5 wks$7,500 | 8 wks$12,000 | 8 wks$12,000 |
| Alberta | 1 wks$1,500 | 2 wks$3,000 | 4 wks$6,000 | 8 wks$12,000 | 8 wks$12,000 |
| Quebec | 2 wks$3,000 | 2 wks$3,000 | 4 wks$6,000 | 8 wks$12,000 | 8 wks$12,000 |
| Federal (Canada Labour Code) | 3 wks$4,500 | 3.2 wks$4,800 | 4 wks$6,000 | 6 wks$9,000 | 10 wks$15,000 |
Common-law notice: an illustrative range
Outside Quebec, most non-union employees without an enforceable termination clause can claim reasonable notice at common law, which courts set from age, length of service, role and job availability (the Bardal factors). The ranges below come from the usecos calculator model, not from decided cases, and apply to the same salary ($78,000).
| Scenario | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs | 20 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Age 45, professional role, moderate job market | 3 mo2.5–3.5 mo$19,500 | 4.5 mo3.7–5.3 mo$29,250 | 6.5 mo5.3–7.7 mo$42,250 | 11.5 mo9.4–13.6 mo$74,750 | 21.5 mo17.6–24 mo$139,750 |
| B. Age 55, manager role, difficult job market | 6 mo4.9–7.1 mo$39,000 | 7.5 mo6.1–8.8 mo$48,750 | 9.5 mo7.8–11.2 mo$61,750 | 14.5 mo11.9–17.1 mo$94,250 | 24 mo19.7–24 mo$156,000 |
What to do if you are given a termination offer
- Do not sign a release straight away. Ask for time and for the offer in writing.
- Compare the offer with the statutory minimum for your jurisdiction in the first table; an offer below it is unlawful.
- Compare it with the common-law range, then check your contract for a termination clause. Clauses that try to cap you at the statutory minimum are often unenforceable, but that is a legal question.
- Add up everything owed: earned wages, vacation pay, bonus entitlements and benefits during the notice period.
- Speak to an employment lawyer or your provincial standards office before signing.
Methodology and limitations
Statutory weeks come from the same engine as the usecos severance calculator, checked against the government sources below on October 26, 2026. Lengths of service are completed years. Dollar values use a single illustrative salary of $78,000 and ignore bonuses, commissions and benefits, which can be part of what is owed.
- Ontario: notice is 1 week under 1 year, 2 weeks from 1 to under 3 years, then one more week per year to a maximum of 8. Severance requires 5 or more years and an employer payroll of $2.5 million or more (or a qualifying mass termination); it is one week per year, prorated by month, to a 26-week maximum.
- British Columbia: 1 week after 3 months, 2 weeks after 1 year, 3 weeks after 3 years plus 1 week per additional year, to a maximum of 8.
- Alberta: 1 week from over 90 days, 2 weeks from 2 years, 4 weeks from 4 years, 5 weeks from 6 years, 6 weeks from 8 years and 8 weeks from 10 years.
- Quebec: 1 week from 3 months, 2 weeks from 1 year, 4 weeks from 5 years and 8 weeks from 10 years, as notice or an indemnity in lieu. Collective dismissals have separate rules.
- Federal: 2 weeks of notice after 3 consecutive months, plus severance for 12 or more months of the greater of 2 days of wages per completed year or 5 days.
- Common law: the ranges are a heuristic built from age, tenure, role and job-market adjustments with a 2-month floor and 24-month ceiling. They are not predictions of any case, and a signed, enforceable contract can change them.
Not covered: Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and the territories; unionized employees; just-cause dismissals; group terminations; the tax treatment of a lump sum. These need their own review. See the methodology page for the correction policy.
Cite this report
usecos.app Research & Engineering. Severance and Termination Pay by Province, 2026. Updated 2026-10-26. Statutory minimums for five jurisdictions plus an illustrative common-law model; not legal advice. https://usecos.app/reports/severance-pay-by-province-2026
Download the underlying CSV · More usecos reports · Take-home pay calculator
Sources and verification
Each rule above was checked against the official page on October 26, 2026. Laws change; confirm the current text before relying on a number.
- Ontario ESA guide: termination of employment (notice by length of service)
- Ontario ESA guide: severance pay (5 years, $2.5 million payroll, 26-week maximum)
- BC Employment Standards: compensation for length of service
- Alberta Employment Standards: termination notice table
- CNESST (Quebec): section 82, notice of termination
- Canada Labour Code s.230 (notice of termination)
- Canada Labour Code s.235 (severance pay)