Severance Agreement Deadline Calculator (OWBPA)
Workers 40 and older get statutory time to consider a severance agreement waiving age-discrimination claims: 21 days individually, 45 days in a group layoff, plus 7 days to revoke after signing. Enter the date the offer arrived to map those windows and export them to a calendar.
Works offline — your inputs never leave this device. How that works
These periods apply to a waiver of age-discrimination claims for workers 40 and older. Agreements for younger workers, and terms other than the age-claim waiver, are governed by different rules.
Verified 2026-07-31 against EEOC Q&A — Understanding Waivers of Discrimination Claims in Employee Severance Agreements (effective 2026-01-01)
Estimate only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Only EEOC can determine your actual amounts.
Official source: EEOC — waivers of discrimination claims in severance agreements ↗
🎓 Understand this tool
What it is
A date calculator for the statutory time windows attached to a severance agreement that waives age-discrimination claims for workers 40 and older: the consideration period before signing, and the revocation period afterwards.
How it works
The Older Workers Benefit Protection Act sets these periods, and the EEOC publishes them: at least 21 days to consider an individual agreement, at least 45 days when the waiver accompanies a group layoff or exit incentive program, and 7 days after signing during which the signature may be revoked. The EEOC states that the seven-day revocation period cannot be changed or waived by either party for any reason.
Getting the most from it
- Enter the date the agreement was handed to you — the clock runs from receipt.
- Say whether it came as part of a group layoff, which changes 21 days to 45.
- Note the decide-by date and the revocation date the tool maps.
- Export both to a calendar so neither window passes unnoticed.
Reading your result
These are floors, not ceilings: an employer may allow longer, and a materially revised offer can restart the clock. The dates tell you how much time exists for review — an employment attorney can use that window to read the agreement itself.
What it can't tell you
This calculates dates from the statute as published by the EEOC. It cannot tell you whether a particular waiver is valid, what other clauses mean, whether non-age claims are affected, or how state law changes the picture. Those are questions for an employment attorney.
Frequently asked questions
Under the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act, a waiver of age-discrimination claims must give an employee at least 21 days to consider the offer. In a group layoff or exit incentive program the period is at least 45 days, and written information about the group must accompany the offer.
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