Size the reduction before you make it. The severance bill, the full one-time cost, the ongoing savings, and the payback period, with every assumption on the surface.
One workbook that sizes the reduction end to end
Eight tabs in one Excel file. A Start Here page tells you the order to work in, six working tabs do the math, and a Notes tab holds the record of what you decided and why.
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Severance Calculator. Set the policy once: weeks per year of service, base weeks, a cap, and a minimum. List the affected roles and each person’s weekly pay, weeks, and severance calculate, with the totals rolled up.
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Full Cost of the Reduction. The extras that make the real one-time cost: employer payroll tax on the severance, accrued PTO paid out, the employer share of continued benefits, and outplacement support.
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Savings and Payback. The ongoing payroll saved, the payback period in months, and net savings for year one and year three. Stated as a gross run rate, with the plain note that the saving you keep is often lower.
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Notice and Timeline. A planning aid with screening prompts for the federal WARN trigger and date math for the notice clock, built to route the legal calls to counsel.
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Benchmarks. Typical severance by role level and the general notice rules, from public sources, so you can see where your policy lands before anyone signs off.
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Summary. The board-ready page. The one-time cost, the ongoing savings, and the payback in one view, with every figure pulled live from the working tabs.
The sizing in the order finance will ask for it
Four steps from a severance policy to a payback number, and every figure flows forward so the summary is always current.
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Set the policy and list the roles. Weeks per year of service, base weeks, the cap, and the minimum, set once. Then list the affected roles, and each person’s weekly pay, weeks, and severance calculate on the policy.
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Add the real extras. Employer payroll tax on the severance, accrued PTO paid out, the employer share of continued benefits, and outplacement. The result is the full one-time cost, not just the severance line.
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Read the savings and the payback. The ongoing payroll saved, the payback period in months, and net savings for year one and year three, stated as a gross run rate with the caveats where they belong.
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Plan the notice and pressure-test. Screen the federal WARN trigger, count the notice clock, and check your severance policy against benchmarks by level before the number goes in front of anyone.
Numbers that hold up in front of finance
A payback figure is only as good as the assumptions under it, so the planner keeps every assumption on the surface and every rate sourced.
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Rates checked against primary sources. The employer payroll tax uses the 7.65% FICA rate per the IRS, and the default 30% benefits burden tracks federal compensation data, kept deliberately conservative.
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Honest about the savings. The run rate is stated as gross, and the workbook says plainly that the saving you keep is often lower once backfill, overtime, and coverage land.
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A worked example in every tab. The file opens on a realistic ten-person reduction, not a blank sheet you have to decode.
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Counsel checkpoints built in. The notice tab routes the legal questions where they belong, to qualified employment counsel.
Who it is built for
Built for
- An owner or operator who needs the real cost and the real savings before committing to a reduction.
- An HR team of one who has to put a number in front of finance and the board that holds up.
- A consultant or fractional HR lead building the case for or against a restructuring.
If you are looking for
- The selection and the people side, not just the money. The RIF and Restructure Planning Kit covers scoring, the fairness check, WARN and OWBPA planning, and the conversation.
- A single person’s package, not a group. The Severance Planning Calculator handles one exit.
Before you buy
What format is it and can I edit it?
One Excel workbook, eight tabs. It works in Excel or Google Sheets, every cell is editable, and the file is yours to keep.
Is this legal or tax advice?
No. It is a planning model with estimates and general information. Notice, final-pay, and release obligations vary by country, state, and headcount, so have qualified employment counsel review the plan before you act.
How is this different from the RIF and Restructure Planning Kit?
The Kit runs the reduction: selection scoring, the four-fifths fairness check, WARN and OWBPA planning, and the manager conversation. The planner sizes the money: severance, the full one-time cost, savings, and payback. The Kit’s field guide points to this planner to size the cut, and many buyers use both. See the RIF and Restructure Planning Kit.
Will it handle my severance policy?
You set weeks per year of service, base weeks added to everyone, a cap, and a minimum, and every person calculates from that policy. The file is fully editable, so any individual line can be adjusted where your policy makes an exception.
Is it a subscription?
No. One-time purchase, instant download, no recurring fee. You keep the file.
Will it stay current as rates change?
The workbook carries a last-reviewed date so you can see how current it is, the rates it uses are shown next to the figures they drive, and meaningful updates are released as the numbers change.
What is the refund policy?
Digital products are covered by a 14-day money-back guarantee. See the refund policy for the full terms.
What happens after I buy?
Checkout delivers an instant download link, and a receipt with the same link arrives by email. Open the Start Here tab first; it tells you the order to work in. If the file gives you trouble, email support@truestephr.com.
Estimates and general business information for planning, not legal or tax advice. Confirm your actual costs and notice obligations, and have employment counsel review the plan before you act. Last reviewed June 2026.
