Severance After 15-20 Years

This is the one where it really matters

Fifteen to twenty years at one company is a significant portion of a career. You didn't just work there — you shaped things. Processes that still run were ones you built or rebuilt. People in leadership today are people you hired or mentored. The company's institutional memory has your fingerprints all over it.

Getting laid off at this tenure hits differently than at five or even ten years. The job market for someone with 15-20 years of deep experience in one organization is not the same as for someone with 5 years who can pivot easily. The search takes longer. The salary adjustment can be significant. The severance package needs to account for that reality.

Often, it doesn't. And that's why knowing the numbers matters more here than at any other tenure bracket.

What the numbers look like

Based on our benchmark data, here's what people with 15-20 years of tenure report:

Role Level	Tenure	Low (weeks)	Typical (weeks)	Generous (weeks)
Individual Contributor	15 years	8	15-23	30+
Individual Contributor	20 years	10	20-30	40+
Manager	15 years	11	23-30	38+
Manager	20 years	15	30-40	50+
Sr Manager / Director	15 years	15	30	45+
Sr Manager / Director	20 years	20	40	60+
VP / Executive	15 years	23	30-45	60+
VP / Executive	20 years	30	40-60	80+

At this tenure, the numbers are large enough that industry and company size modifiers make a real difference. A director at a large tech company with 20 years might see 50+ weeks. The same director at a small nonprofit might see 20. Use the scoring tool for a comparison that accounts for your specifics.

The age dimension

Time to talk about the thing most severance guides tiptoe around. If you've got 15-20 years at one company, odds are pretty good you're over 40. And that's not just a demographic detail — it's legally significant.

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) protects workers 40 and older from termination decisions based on age. The Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA) adds specific protections around severance agreements: you must be given at least 21 days to review (45 days in a group layoff), plus 7 days to revoke after signing. If the company is not giving you this time, they're violating federal law. Full stop.

More importantly, if you suspect — even a little — that your age played a role in the decision to let you go, your leverage in severance negotiations increases substantially. Companies know that age discrimination claims are expensive to defend and damaging to their reputation. An attorney who identifies a credible age claim can often negotiate a package far beyond what the standard formula would produce.

This isn't about being litigious. It's about understanding that the release of claims you're being asked to sign has real value to the company — and that value should be reflected in what they're offering you.

Why an attorney is almost always worth it at this level

At five years, negotiate on your own — probably fine. Ten years, an attorney consultation is smart but not always necessary. Fifteen to twenty years? Just get a lawyer. Almost always worth the cost. Few reasons:

The dollar amounts justify it. If an attorney's involvement moves your package from 15 weeks to 25 weeks, that's ten weeks of salary — potentially $15,000 to $40,000 or more. Most employment attorneys charge a fraction of that for severance review and negotiation, and some work on contingency for larger claims.

The agreement is more complex at this level. Long-tenure severance agreements often include non-compete clauses, non-solicitation provisions, intellectual property assignments, confidentiality requirements, and releases of claims that span decades of employment. Understanding what you're giving up requires someone who reads these documents for a living.

Potential claims are more likely with long tenure. Twenty years of employment is twenty years of potential issues — performance reviews that don't match the termination narrative, promises made about job security, age-related patterns in who was kept and who was let go. An attorney can identify leverage you don't know you have.

People at this tenure report the largest negotiated improvements

This is where the negotiation stories get real. People at this tenure moving from initial offers of 3-4 months to final packages of 6-12 months. Sometimes more. Difference between scrambling for any job that'll take you and having an actual runway to figure out what's next.

The improvements don't always come as cash. Extended COBRA coverage for 12+ months, executive outplacement services, accelerated equity vesting, pension enhancements, and favorable non-compete modifications are all reported at this tenure level. The total value of these non-cash items can exceed the cash component.

Read the full negotiation guide for tactics. But at this tenure, the most important tactic is simple: don't sign anything for at least a week, and have a professional look at it before you do.

What a fair package looks like at this level

Fair is contextual, but here's a general frame. For someone with 15-20 years of service at a mid-size or large company, a package that includes at least 2 weeks per year in cash severance, 6+ months of COBRA coverage, outplacement services, a written reference, and reasonable (not punitive) non-compete terms is within the range of what people report. Anything significantly below that deserves scrutiny.

For the exact comparison based on your role, industry, and company size, use the scoring tool.