Severance pay · Alberta
Alberta severance pay calculator.
What Alberta law requires an employer to pay when it ends employment without cause, in dollars, and whether the package you were offered clears that minimum.
Alberta sets a legal floor in the form of termination pay: up to 8 weeks of pay, after more than 90 days of service. Alberta’s page says: “Severance pay is determined under common law and not required under the Employment Standards Code.” It can exceed the statutory minimum and may be set by an employment contract.
Inputs
Statutory minimum
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Alberta minimum notice and termination pay
| Length of continuous service | Minimum notice, or pay in its place |
|---|---|
| 90 days or less | None |
| More than 90 days but less than 2 years | 1 week |
| 2 years but less than 4 years | 2 weeks |
| 4 years but less than 6 years | 4 weeks |
| 6 years but less than 8 years | 5 weeks |
| 8 years but less than 10 years | 6 weeks |
| 10 years or more | 8 weeks |
How the pay is worked out
Termination pay covers the wages the employee would have earned during the notice period at regular hours. It excludes overtime, general holiday pay and vacation pay.
Severance in Alberta
Alberta’s page says: “Severance pay is determined under common law and not required under the Employment Standards Code.” It can exceed the statutory minimum and may be set by an employment contract.
Outside Ontario and the federal jurisdiction, the statutory minimum is notice or pay in place of it. Anything above that comes from a contract or from a court. The amount of a court award is fact-specific and cannot be read off a table, so this page does not estimate it.
Near a threshold?
Provinces word their cut-offs differently (“more than”, “at least”, in days, weeks or months). This calculator uses completed months. If you are within a few days of a threshold, confirm the exact date with the employment standards office.
Source, checked 15 October 2026: Government of Alberta — Employment standards: termination and lay-off.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a statutory severance pay in Alberta?
Alberta’s page says: “Severance pay is determined under common law and not required under the Employment Standards Code.” It can exceed the statutory minimum and may be set by an employment contract. What the law fixes is the minimum notice, or termination pay in its place. That is the amount this page calculates.
How much is the minimum Alberta owes me?
It depends on continuous service. After the qualifying period (more than 90 days) the minimum is shown in the table above, rising to a maximum of 8 weeks of pay. Enter your service and pay in the calculator for a dollar figure.
Can my employer offer less than this?
Not for a termination without cause. An employment contract can promise more than the statutory minimum but not less. If an offer is below the figure above, ask the province's employment standards office or a lawyer before signing.
Does a larger offer mean the offer is fair?
No. The statutory figure is a floor. Beyond it, courts in common-law provinces can award more under common law, which is not a formula and is not estimated here. Do not treat "above the minimum" as "fair" before getting advice.
Estimate only — not legal advice
This page estimates the statutory minimum from the province’s published employment standards guidance. It is not legal advice and not a determination of what you are owed. It does not model group terminations, temporary layoffs, fixed-term contracts, contractual terms, or common-law reasonable notice, any of which can change the answer. It stores nothing and sends nothing: the calculation runs in your browser.
For a binding answer, contact the province’s employment standards office or an employment lawyer. Do not sign a release without advice.