Kits for That

Job Loss Kit, $35

Get what you’re still owed after a layoff or firing

Final paychecks have legal deadlines, and severance agreements often come with federal review windows and room to negotiate. Answer seven questions and you get a final-pay demand letter, a severance review checklist, an unemployment appeal letter, and a plan for health insurance, retirement money, and references.

For anyone laid off or fired

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Self-help templates and general information, not legal advice.

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You supply the facts and these templates put them in order. Read every line before you send or sign anything, and check that the deadlines and rules still match your state’s current law. These documents are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.

Tip: Save or print each document as a PDF before you start another. You can change the details and generate the toolkit again as often as you need.

Part 1: Final pay and personnel file request

Send now. Deadlines run from your last day.

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The demand letter goes after the pay you’re owed. Parts 2 to 4 cover severance, unemployment, and benefits.

  • Part 2: a severance review checklist covering the 21/45-day federal review windows, what you would be giving up by signing, and a counter-offer letter
  • Part 3: an unemployment appeal letter, plus how to prepare for the phone hearing
  • Part 4: how to compare COBRA with marketplace coverage, what to do with your 401(k), and a neutral-reference request
  • Wrongful-termination red flags worth raising with an employment lawyer
  • WARN Act basics for larger layoffs
  • Print or save as PDF, edit as often as you like, and use it on any of your own devices

Written by John Detty, 22 years a U.S. Navy Legalman. About the site

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Self-help templates and general information. Not legal advice, and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Terms

Part 2: Severance review and counter-offer

Read this before you sign anything
Unlock to see the severance review checklist and counter-offer letter.

Part 3: Unemployment appeal

Appeal deadlines are short, so check your denial notice today
Unlock to see your appeal letter and hearing prep.

Part 4: Benefits, references, and red flags

COBRA, 401(k), references, and when to call a lawyer
Included in the $35 toolkit.

About these documents

Made with Kits For That self-help templates (IdaMil LLC, kitsforthat.com) from the details you entered. Kits For That is not a law firm. These documents are not legal advice and are not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Laws change, so confirm the current rules for your state before you rely on them. Keep this page for your records. It is not part of what you send.

What to take care of when you lose a job

A lot gets decided in the first days after a job ends, which is when most people are still absorbing the news. Final paychecks carry state-law deadlines: immediately or within days in many states, not “whenever payroll runs.” Severance offers to workers 40 and older come with federally required review windows (21 days for individuals, 45 for group layoffs, plus 7 days to revoke after signing), so pressure to “sign today” has no legal force. Unemployment denials can be appealed, and you stand a better chance with documents in hand and a prepared 10-minute account of what happened.

  1. Ask for what you’re owed, in writing. That means wages through your last day, accrued PTO in many states, and unreimbursed expenses. In states with late-pay penalties, a written demand can set those penalties running. The letter also asks for your personnel file, which many states let you request.
  2. Read the severance agreement before you sign it. A severance agreement is a trade: money in exchange for your legal claims. Know what you’re waiving, use the full review window, and make a counter-offer. Severance is often negotiable, especially if you have long tenure, the reason for the termination is unclear, or the employer wants a non-compete.
  3. Appeal an unemployment denial. “Misconduct” denials don’t always hold up at a hearing, because in most states ordinary performance problems aren’t misconduct. File by the deadline printed on the notice, then prepare short answers to what the hearing officer will ask: why you were let go, whether you were warned, and what you did about it.
  4. Sort out benefits and references. Health insurance (you have 60 days to elect COBRA, so there is time to compare options), 401(k) rollovers, and a written neutral-reference agreement.

Do I have a wrongful termination case?

At-will employment means most terminations are legal. The exceptions include firings based on protected traits, retaliation for complaints or claims, retaliation for exercising legal rights (taking leave, filing a wage complaint, reporting a safety problem), and firings that breach a contract. The toolkit lists the specific red flags employment lawyers look for when deciding whether to take a case on contingency. Check them before you sign any severance waiver.

Before anything else: don’t forward yourself anything from work systems, since that can violate company policy or the law. Do write down today, from memory, the dates, the names, what was said when you were let go, and any promises made. Your memory is evidence, and it fades quickly.

Job Loss Kit provides self-help document templates and general information. It is not legal or tax advice, it is not a law firm, and it is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Final-pay deadlines, PTO payout rules, and unemployment procedures vary by state and change over time, so check the current rules for your state. Facts verified July 2026.

Who writes these. Kits For That is run by John R. Detty, who served 22 years as a U.S. Navy Legalman, the Navy’s paralegal rating, before retiring. He is not a lawyer, and nothing on this site is legal advice. About the site