Canada · Ontario ESA estimate

Ontario severance calculator.

Understand Ontario termination pay and statutory severance, before you assess an offer or plan a termination.

Termination & severance Ontario ESA · Before tax · CAD

01 · Your details

Start with the employment details.

Employment situation

For Ontario employment ending immediately. Check coverage.

Annual salary

Before tax and deductions.

Employment start date

Termination date

No working notice is assumed.

Employer payroll test

This is the employer's global payroll, not one employee's salary. Check the payroll test.

Example dates and salary · Change the details to make it yours.

Ontario statutory pay estimate Enter your details

Before tax. Termination pay and statutory severance are shown separately.

Termination payPay instead of statutory noticePending

Statutory severanceSubject to service and employer eligibilityPending

Show the calculation

Enter valid details to see the calculation.

Could an offer be worth more?

Contract or common-law rights can exceed ESA minimums. Salary and service alone cannot price them. What else to check.

How this estimate works Coverage, calculation & sources

Ontario, with pay instead of notice.

This tool assumes an individual termination covered by the Ontario ESA, continuous employment, a fixed annual salary and no working notice. It divides annual salary by 52 to estimate regular weekly pay.

Notice depends on service at termination. For statutory severance, the calculation extends service by the required notice period, then counts completed years and months. Eligibility also depends on the employer payroll test.

Ontario termination rules · Ontario severance rules · ESA sections 57, 64 and 65

Before using the result.

This is a wage estimate before tax. It excludes vacation pay on termination pay, benefits continuation, outstanding wages and other amounts due. Contract and common-law entitlements need an individual assessment.

Working notice, breaks in service, variable pay, group terminations, permanent closures and ESA exemptions need a separate review. A qualifying permanent closure can trigger severance even below the payroll threshold.

Outside Ontario, use the applicable provincial or territorial authority or federal termination rules.

This Ontario severance calculator estimates Ontario ESA termination pay and eligible statutory severance for continuous employment on a regular salary, with no working notice.

Read the full answer

Enter salary, employment dates and the employer payroll test. Amounts are before tax and exclude vacation pay, benefits and contract or common-law entitlements. Other provinces and federally regulated employment use different rules.

Ontario ESA · individual termination

Two separate rights. Different eligibility.

These are Ontario ESA rules for individual termination. The tool assumes no working notice and no ESA exemption. Other jurisdictions and group terminations require a separate calculation.

0-8weeks

Individual termination notice

Based on continuous service. No statutory notice under three months; one week from three months to under a year; two weeks from one to under three years.

5years

Severance service threshold

Credited service must reach five years. The required notice period can count toward this threshold.

26weeks max

Statutory severance

If eligible, one week per completed year plus completed months divided by 12, capped at 26 weeks.

25+ years running Canadian payroll

The rates above aren't a one-off. They run every cycle.

Workzoom has run Canadian payroll since 2000. The 2026 CRA rates in this calculator are the rates Workzoom applies automatically on every pay run, with T4 and ROE generated from the same engine, ready to submit.

See Workzoom Payroll

The full breakdown How Canada Severance actually works: the math, filing deadlines, and setup steps. A plain-English guide for Canada employers, published by Workzoom as a free resource.

What employers actually ask about Canada Severance.

The most common questions Canada employers ask about Severance, filing, and payroll integration.

Does this calculator cover all of Canada?

It calculates Ontario ESA amounts for an individual termination with no working notice, continuous employment and a regular salary. It does not calculate other provincial, territorial or federal entitlements. Use the official sources in the method section to find the applicable rules.

What if I do not know the employer payroll?

Choose “I’m not sure”. The tool shows termination pay and leaves severance eligibility unconfirmed when the service threshold is met. It does not assume the employer qualifies or include an unconfirmed severance amount in the headline.

Who qualifies for Ontario statutory severance?

Generally, an employee needs at least five years of credited service and an employer meeting the $2.5 million global payroll test. A permanent discontinuance that causes 50 or more severances at an establishment within six months can also qualify. This tool does not model that closure route or ESA exemptions.

Why does the severance calculation extend beyond the termination date?

When required notice is not provided, Ontario ESA section 65(4) counts that notice period as continued employment for severance. This can change both the five-year eligibility test and the completed months used in the amount.

Is this the full value of a severance offer?

No. The estimate excludes vacation pay on termination pay, benefits continuation, outstanding wages and other payments. Contract or common-law rights may provide more than ESA minimums. They require an individual assessment and are not calculated from salary and service alone.

What if I received working notice or have variable pay?

Select “Ontario, other circumstances”. Working notice, variable earnings, interrupted service, group terminations and exemptions need a separate assessment. The tool will stop displaying Ontario figures for that situation.

Last updatedSep 10, 2026

Definitions

Termination pay: Regular wages paid instead of the minimum statutory notice. Vacation pay and benefits obligations are separate from the wage estimate shown here.

Statutory severance: A separate Ontario ESA payment subject to service and employer eligibility. It uses completed years and months, up to 26 weeks.

Common-law notice: Rights beyond statutory minimums can depend on the contract and individual circumstances. This calculator does not estimate them.

Credited service: Service used for statutory severance, including the required notice period when notice was not provided, under ESA section 65(4).

Disclaimer

Statutory information accurate as of Sep 10, 2026 and reviewed quarterly. Rates and thresholds are set by Ontario ESA Termination and Severance and may change. Workzoom maintains current rates in the platform automatically. Pricing in local currency or USD equivalent. Implementation, training, and support are included.

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