Severance Pay Review Lawyers
Know What You're Owed
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Your partner on the path toYour partner toyour full severance.
Maybe the offer just landed. Maybe the deadline is days away. Either way, Mirza Law gets back what you're owed, so you can move on.
Do not sign anything.
One signature settles everything: your notice, your bonus, your benefits, your claim. Get the offer checked first. The review is free.
Your offer letter, annotated.
Dear Employee,
"This offer represents two (2) weeks' pay per year of service"
There is no weeks-per-year rule. Courts set severance by your age, your role, and your length of service. For most people it's measured in months.
"Payment has been calculated based on your base salary"
Your bonus, commissions, benefits, and pension count too. An offer built on salary alone is almost always too low.
"This offer is made in accordance with the Employment Standards Act"
The minimum the law allows is the floor, not the real number. Most employees are owed the common law amount, which sits on top of it.
"This offer remains open until Friday at 5:00 p.m."
Their deadline, not yours. Your claim is good for two years. Deadlines like this exist to get a signature before you get advice.
"In exchange, you agree to release all claims against the company"
The only sentence in the letter you can't undo. Everything above it can still change. This one can't, once you sign.
Sincerely,
Human Resources
From offer
to what you're owed
Free review
Send your termination letter, your offer, and your employment contract. We read the fine print and work out what you're really owed, not just the legal minimum.
Negotiation
We send your employer the real number in writing, with the court cases that back it up. Most claims settle right here, with no courtroom. We push until the offer matches what you're owed.
Resolution
We check the fine print on the release, you sign, and your settlement lands in your bank account. This chapter closes and you move forward on your terms.
What could you be owed?
Courts decide reasonable notice using your age, position, tenure, and the job market. Run your numbers.
Your severance isn't just salary.
The estimate above is computed on salary alone. Severance is owed on what you actually earned: average bonus, commission, benefits continuation, pension match. If it was part of your pay, it's part of your severance.
The free review prices every line.
Amir Mirza
Managing Attorney
Licensed: 2017How severance pay works in Ontario
How is severance pay calculated in Ontario?
There's no formula and no weeks-per-year rule. Ontario courts set severance by three things: your age, your role, and how long you worked there. It's measured in months of pay, not weeks. Two people on the same salary can be owed very different amounts. A 55-year-old manager with twelve years in is owed far more than someone who was there two years.
The ESA minimum vs. what you're actually owed
Your offer probably quotes the Employment Standards Act. That's the floor, the least an employer is allowed to pay, not the real number. On top of the ESA minimum, most employees are owed common-law notice, which is usually much larger. Whether you get it often turns on the termination clause in your contract; if that wording is written wrong, the cap falls away and you're owed the full common-law amount.
What counts toward your severance
Severance isn't just base salary. If it was part of your pay, it's part of your severance:
An offer built on salary alone is almost always low.
How high can severance go?
Common-law severance in Ontario tops out around 24 months of total compensation, and only the longest-serving, hardest-to-replace employees reach that ceiling. Most people land below it, but “below 24 months” can still mean a year or more of pay, far above the ESA minimum your offer is likely built on.
What can reduce your severance
Three things bring the number down: a clearly written, enforceable termination clause in your contract; finding a comparable new job during the notice period (you have to make a reasonable effort to look); and a release you've already signed. The first is often unenforceable, and a signed release can sometimes be reopened, which is exactly why an offer should be reviewed before you respond.
What to do before you respond
Don't sign on their deadline. Your claim is generally good for two years, so the Friday-at-5 cut-off is pressure, not law. Get the offer and your employment contract reviewed first. At Mirza Law that review is free, and we work on contingency, so there's no fee unless we win.
Our Clients
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I couldn't be happier with the legal representation I received from Mirza Law. Amir negotiated a significantly higher severance package from what I was initially offered. I’m very grateful for the outcome. He explained every step of the process and was responsive throughout my case.
I highly recommend Amir Mirza if your long-term disability insurance claim was denied and you are considering taking legal action. Amir provided me with several options and explained how the process works very thoroughly. He took the time to answer all of my questions and concerns and always responded in a timely manner. I appreciated his caring approach during a stressful time in my life and never felt pressured to pursue litigation when speaking with him.
Mirza Law was professional, responsive, and easy to work with. The team provided clear guidance throughout the process and made everything straightforward to understand. I appreciated their support and would recommend them to anyone looking for reliable legal assistance.
I can't say enough great things about my experience with this firm. Amir was incredibly helpful and secured a much better settlement than I was initially offered. Couldn't have asked for more. I would definitely recommend Mirza Law.
My wife's long term disability benefits were cut off after two years and the team at Mirza Law helped us to get them back. We were working with Amir who dealt with our insurance company directly. He took the time to explain the whole process and laid out our options so we always understood where things stood.
I reached out to this law firm after being denied by Manulife for my long term disability benefits. Amir is genuinely one of the kindest and caring lawyers I have ever met. He guided me through this very difficult period in my life. I understood each part of the process and never felt rushed.
I couldn't be happier with the legal representation I received from Mirza Law. Amir negotiated a significantly higher severance package from what I was initially offered. I’m very grateful for the outcome. He explained every step of the process and was responsive throughout my case.
I highly recommend Amir Mirza if your long-term disability insurance claim was denied and you are considering taking legal action. Amir provided me with several options and explained how the process works very thoroughly. He took the time to answer all of my questions and concerns and always responded in a timely manner. I appreciated his caring approach during a stressful time in my life and never felt pressured to pursue litigation when speaking with him.
Mirza Law was professional, responsive, and easy to work with. The team provided clear guidance throughout the process and made everything straightforward to understand. I appreciated their support and would recommend them to anyone looking for reliable legal assistance.
I can't say enough great things about my experience with this firm. Amir was incredibly helpful and secured a much better settlement than I was initially offered. Couldn't have asked for more. I would definitely recommend Mirza Law.
My wife's long term disability benefits were cut off after two years and the team at Mirza Law helped us to get them back. We were working with Amir who dealt with our insurance company directly. He took the time to explain the whole process and laid out our options so we always understood where things stood.
I reached out to this law firm after being denied by Manulife for my long term disability benefits. Amir is genuinely one of the kindest and caring lawyers I have ever met. He guided me through this very difficult period in my life. I understood each part of the process and never felt rushed.
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