They handed you a document, a deadline, and a number. Enter the offer below and get an instant verdict: how the money compares to what similar roles are getting in 2026, how long you legally have to decide, and what every clause in the agreement actually costs you.
Free verdict, no email, no account. An employment lawyer charges $450–$2,000 to review the same agreement. Here it's instant — and your agreement never leaves your browser.
How it works
Salary, years of service, weeks offered, and which clauses are in the agreement. About a minute — and nothing is uploaded anywhere.
Below market, at market, or strong — against current benchmarks for your role and tenure. Plus your real signing deadline and every costly clause decoded.
The $49 Severance Kit gives you the full benchmark tables, the asks that actually work ranked in order, word-for-word scripts, and a counter-offer letter — timed to your deadline.
The free checker
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General information only — not legal advice. SeveranceVerdict is not a law firm. See the disclaimer.
Why this, why not the alternatives
| SeveranceVerdict | Employment lawyer | Upload-and-wait services | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your verdict | Instant, in your browser | Typically 1–2 days (one firm advertises 36 hours) | You upload your agreement and wait for a report |
| Price | Free checker; full Kit $49 one-time | $450–$2,000 flat fee for a review | $19.99–$147 per report |
| Your agreement | Never leaves your device — nothing is uploaded, emailed, or stored | Shared with the firm | Uploaded to a form on someone else's server |
| What you get | Benchmarks, deadline, clause flags — and a negotiation plan | Legal advice on your specific case | A written analysis of your document |
A lawyer is the right call when the stakes are high — large equity, a possible discrimination or retaliation claim, an executive contract. The kit's final section tells you exactly when to hire one. For everyone else, the question "is this fair, and what should I ask for?" is a benchmarks-and-clauses question — and that's what this answers, instantly and privately.
The Severance Kit
The free checker scores your offer. The kit walks the whole agreement with you: every clause decoded, every benchmark on the table, every ask scripted — and an honest section on when to skip all of it and hire the lawyer.
Release of claims, the ADEA waiver, noncompete, nondisparagement, cooperation, equity treatment, COBRA, the unemployment note, and the repayment traps — each in plain English, with the headings and phrases each clause hides under so you can find yours.
Get the Severance KitWeeks per year of service by role level and tenure, total-package medians for 2026 vs. 2023, what COBRA months are worth, and the extras (PTO payout, bonus treatment, vesting dates) that separate a fair offer from a light one.
Get the Severance KitWhat's actually negotiable, ranked by how likely it is to work — more weeks, COBRA months, a noncompete carve-out, a reference letter, a vesting date — with a leverage inventory worksheet and word-for-word scripts for every ask.
Get the Severance KitA fill-in counter-offer letter that makes the asks in writing, and a day-by-day planner for your 21- or 45-day window — including how the 7-day revocation period works and what to do if the letter's deadline is shorter than the law allows.
Get the Severance KitA 50-state snapshot of noncompete enforceability (general information, dated), including the states where these clauses are banned or salary-capped. Plus the honest section: the four situations where the $750 attorney earns their fee, and how to hire one well.
Get the Severance KitOne-time purchase
The clause-by-clause decoder, the full benchmark tables, the negotiation playbook with word-for-word scripts, the counter-offer letter, the deadline planner, and the state noncompete snapshot. Lawyers charge $450–$2,000 to review one agreement. Pay once, keep it — no account needed.
Secure checkout. After payment you'll be redirected to your private kit page. One payment, yours to keep.
FAQ
No. SeveranceVerdict provides general information — benchmarks, clause explanations, and negotiation frameworks — so you can walk into the decision informed. It is not a law firm, nothing here creates an attorney-client relationship, and no website can judge the specific legal claims you might be giving up. If your situation involves possible discrimination, retaliation, large equity, or an executive contract, hire an employment attorney. The kit's final section explains exactly when that's the right call.
No — and that's deliberate. The checker runs entirely in your browser: nothing you type is uploaded, emailed, or stored on any server. Compare that to services that ask you to upload your severance agreement — a sensitive legal document with your name, salary, and employer all over it — to a form on their site. Your numbers stay on your device; close the tab and they're gone.
Published flat fees for a severance agreement review commonly run $450–$2,000. One Chicago firm charges $750 flat with a 36-hour turnaround; a San Diego firm publishes tiers from $995 to $1,950. Hourly advice typically runs $200–$500 an hour. That buys you legal advice on your specific case — worth it in the high-stakes situations listed in our lawyer cost guide. The kit exists for the middle: the benchmarks, clause decoding, and negotiation groundwork, for $49.
The federal 21/45-day consideration windows (and the 7-day revocation period) come from the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act, which covers workers 40 and over. Under 40, your deadline is the one in your offer letter. It is still worth asking for more time — the deadline is set by the company, and extension requests are routine. Some states and some individual agreements add their own protections. Our 21-day rule guide explains who is covered and what to do if you're not.
Usually, yes — severance agreements are contracts, and contracts get negotiated. The cash weeks are only one line: COBRA months, noncompete scope, the reference story, your termination date (which can decide a vesting cliff), PTO and bonus treatment, and mutual nondisparagement are all regularly in play. What you can move depends on your leverage — tenure, role, timing, and the facts of how you were let go. The kit ranks the asks by how often they work and scripts each one. See the free guide: Can you negotiate severance?
If you're 40 or over, you have 7 days after signing to revoke under federal law — the agreement isn't final until that week passes. After that, a signed agreement is generally binding, which is exactly why the review window matters. If you believe you signed under pressure or with facts the company concealed, that's a question for an employment attorney, not a website.
The clause-by-clause decoder, the full benchmark tables, the negotiation playbook with scripts and a leverage worksheet, a fill-in counter-offer letter, a deadline planner for your review window, a 50-state noncompete snapshot, and the "when the lawyer is worth it" section. One payment of $49 and you're redirected straight to your private kit page — no account to create, no login to remember. Bookmark it; it's yours to keep.
Free Guides
Plain-English, dated, and written for the person holding the document — not for HR.
The benchmarks and the math: weeks per year of service, the 2026 medians, and the four places a light offer hides.
OWBPA's 21- and 45-day windows, the 7-day revocation, who is covered — and what to do if you're under 40.
The 1–2 week rule of thumb, by role level — and why the total, not the rate, is what you compare.
What's actually on the table beyond cash — COBRA, clauses, dates, and the reference story — and how to ask.
Noncompete, release, nondisparagement, cooperation, clawback — every standard clause in plain English.
The $450–$2,000 landscape, what the fee buys, when it's worth it — and the $49 middle path.