Six years on the job in Ontario at $1,200 a week means you’re owed at least six weeks of notice or pay, which is $7,200. If your employer’s payroll is $2.5 million or more, statutory severance adds another $7,200. Pick your province, enter your service and pay, and you’ll see your legal minimum.
How much notice do I get for my years of service?
Employment standards laws set a minimum and nothing more. Your employer either gives working notice or pays the equivalent wages, called termination pay, which stands in for the paycheques you’d have earned during the notice period. Only Ontario and federally regulated employers add a separate statutory severance on top. The table shows how notice grows in the places where we confirmed the rules.
| Where | Notice by years of service |
|---|---|
| Ontario, British Columbia | 1 week from 3 months, 2 weeks from 1 year, 3 weeks from 3 years, then one extra week per year until 8 weeks at year 8 |
| Alberta | 1 week from 90 days, 2 weeks from 2 years, 4 from 4 years, 5 from 6 years, 6 from 8 years, 8 from 10 years |
| Saskatchewan | 1 week from 13 weeks, 2 weeks from 1 year, 4 from 3 years, 6 from 5 years, 8 from 10 years |
| Quebec | 1 week from 3 months, 2 weeks from 1 year, 4 from 5 years, 8 from 10 years |
| Nova Scotia | 1 week from 3 months, 2 weeks from 2 years, 4 from 5 years, 8 from 10 years |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 1 week from 3 months, 2 weeks from 2 years, 3 from 5 years, 4 from 10 years, 6 from 15 years |
| Northwest Territories | 2 weeks from 90 days, 3 weeks from 3 years, then one extra week per year until 8 weeks |
| Federal employers | 2 weeks from 3 months, 3 weeks from 3 years, then one extra week per year until 8 weeks, plus severance |
What does that look like at $1,200 a week?
Take six years of service. Ontario and British Columbia both require six weeks of notice, worth $7,200 in termination pay. Alberta gives five weeks, or $6,000. Quebec and Nova Scotia give four weeks, or $4,800, and Newfoundland and Labrador gives three weeks, or $3,600.
Two places go further. Ontario adds severance at one week for each year worked, capped at 26 weeks, but only for staff with five years or more whose employer carries a payroll of $2.5 million or above. Six years then bring a further $7,200, so the total is $14,400.
A federal employer owes the greater of two days of wages per year or five days. Here that’s 2.4 weeks, or $2,880, and the total is $10,080.
How does Ontario count partial years?
Notice is counted in whole years, but severance isn’t. The Ontario guide to severance pay under the Employment Standards Act multiplies your regular weekly wages by the completed years plus the completed months divided by 12, with a ceiling of 26 weeks.
Take Jamal, who worked six years and six months at $1,200 a week for an employer over the payroll line. Termination pay is six weeks, or $7,200, and severance is 6.5 weeks, or $7,800, so the total is $15,000. Vacation pay owed on the termination pay is extra, and on $7,200 at 6%, the rate for five years or more, that is another $432.
The same guide says severance is due seven days after the job ends or on what would have been your next regular pay day, whichever is later. Employers also qualify for the payroll test if they closed a business and severed 50 or more people within six months, even when their payroll is smaller.
What can change the minimum?
These figures are the floor set by statute, and plenty can move them.
- Dismissal for just cause usually removes the right to notice or termination pay.
- Short-term staff, fixed-term contracts and some industries, such as construction, are excluded in many provinces.
- A court can award far more notice under common law, based on age, role and how hard it is to find similar work.
- A written contract or union agreement can promise more than the law does.
Prince Edward Island’s new Employment Standards Act came into force on 30 June 2026. Notice runs from one week after 90 days of service, to two weeks after one year, four weeks after five years, six weeks after 10 years and eight weeks after 15 years. The calculator shows that result as not available.
Is severance pay taxed?
It counts as income, so use the take-home pay calculator to see a figure after tax. Accrued vacation pay is a separate item, and the vacation pay calculator shows how it’s worked out. If a public holiday falls inside the notice period, the holiday pay calculator covers it.
What this page is based on
Notice scales, formulas and the Ontario and federal severance rules are read from provincial employment standards pages and the federal labour code, as of 29 September 2026. This is general information, not legal advice, and if you’re facing a dismissal, an employment lawyer can tell you what your contract and the courts add. This is an independent site, not a government service, and it doesn’t speak for one.
About this calculator
- What it does
- Estimate the legal minimum notice, termination pay and severance in your province.
- Category
- Payroll and Salary
- Last checked
- September 30, 2026
- Result type
- Estimate for information only, not tax advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum I get after a dismissal?
The legal minimum is notice or termination pay, from one to eight weeks in most provinces. Ontario and federal employers can add statutory severance.
Who qualifies for statutory severance in Ontario?
Workers with at least five years of service whose employer has $2.5 million or more in payroll. It pays one week for each year, up to 26 weeks.
Are severance and termination pay the same thing?
No. Termination pay stands in for notice, while severance is an extra payment for service. Most provinces require only notice or termination pay.
Could a court award more than this?
Yes. Under common law, courts can set longer notice based on age, role and the job market, and a contract can also give more.
What happens if I was fired for just cause?
In most provinces you lose the right to notice or termination pay. Whether the cause is real is often disputed, so get advice.
Sources and updates
Updated: . How we check rates · Editorial team · Updates