Just laid off?

• StateYour state's unemployment site - where you worked, and free to file
• 60 daysTo pick a marketplace (Obamacare) plan on HealthCare.gov after coverage ends
• 60 daysTo elect COBRA, from your notice or coverage end, whichever is later
• 44 daysLongest a COBRA notice can take to reach you
• 30 daysFor a plan to send its documents after you ask in writing
• $7,000Old 401(k) balance at or under which the plan can move it after notice

• Filing for unemployment is free on your state's own site. CareerOneStop lists every state's filing site and phone number.
• HealthCare.gov shows marketplace (Obamacare) prices before you apply, and Medicaid takes applications all year.
• Your COBRA notice comes from the plan administrator. Your employer has 30 days to tell the administrator, who has 14 more to mail it.
• Your old 401(k) plan's website or phone line handles leaving it, moving it, or cashing it out. The IRS explains the tax rules for each.
• Ask a benefit plan for its documents in writing and the administrator has 30 days to send them.
• Federal law doesn't require your final paycheck right away, but some states do. Your state labor department has the rule.
• None of these sites talk to each other, so the calendar that ties them together is yours to keep.

Sources:CareerOneStop: unemployment by stateHealthCare.gov: special enrollmentDOL: COBRA FAQsDOL: plan informationDOL: last paycheck

Every form after a layoff lives on an official site, and filing costs nothing. It suits a simple layoff and anyone comfortable with 4 or 5 sites that don't talk to each other. The catch: nobody tracks the dates but you, and the COBRA, marketplace, and severance clocks all run at once.

If the catch is a dealbreaker: Free government and nonprofit counselors can walk through the same sites with you by phone.

• 30 daysFor your employer to tell the health plan you left
• 14 daysFor the plan administrator to mail your COBRA notice after that
• 60 daysWritten WARN notice before a covered layoff at employers with 100+ workers
• 60 daysMost back pay and benefits owed per worker when required WARN notice is skipped
• 21/45Days to review severance at 40+: 21 on your own, 45 in a group layoff
• 7 daysTo take back a signed severance agreement at 40+
• StateSets when your final paycheck is due - federal law doesn't require it right away

• HR can confirm the 2 dates almost everything counts from: your last day and the day your health insurance ends.
• Federal COBRA covers private employers with 20 or more employees. The employer has 30 days to notify the plan, and the administrator has 14 more to send your notice.
• WARN covers employers with 100 or more employees and requires 60 calendar days' written notice of covered plant closings and mass layoffs. Skipping it can mean up to 60 days of back pay and benefits.
• At 40 or older, a severance release has to give you 21 days to review (45 in a group layoff) and 7 days to revoke. In a group layoff it also has to list the job titles and ages of who was and wasn't let go.
• Your state sets when final pay is due and whether unused vacation counts. Federal law doesn't require it right away.
• Many HR teams hand COBRA and the 401(k) to outside administrators, so the answer is often another phone number.
• HR works for the company. It can explain what your severance agreement says, but it won't weigh whether the terms are fair to you.

Sources:DOL: COBRA FAQsDOL: Worker's Guide to WARNEEOC: severance agreementsDOL: last paycheck

HR has the dates, documents, and plan phone numbers everything else depends on, and federal law puts some of it on a schedule. It's the fastest route to exact facts about your pay and coverage. The catch: HR works for the company that just laid you off, and it won't judge whether your severance terms are fair.

If the catch is a dealbreaker: An employment lawyer or free legal aid reads severance terms from your side of the table.

• 222,246Inquiries EBSA benefits advisors closed in FY 2025
• $468.7MBenefits those advisors got back for workers in FY 2025, without a lawsuit
• $10MFederal navigator funding for 2027 marketplace plans, down from $100M in 2024
• $19,9502026 income cap for 1 person at LSC-funded legal aid (125% of poverty)
• 6Regional pension counseling projects giving free retirement plan help
• 2,300American Job Centers nationwide, for job search and training

• EBSA benefits advisors at 1-866-444-3272 answer COBRA and old 401(k) questions and chase plans that won't respond. In FY 2025 they closed 222,246 inquiries and recovered $468.7 million through informal resolution.
• HealthCare.gov lists local assisters who give free, impartial enrollment help. Federal navigator funding fell to $10 million a year starting with 2026 plans, split among 35 groups for 2027.
• LSC-funded legal aid generally serves households at or under 125% of the poverty guidelines - $19,950 a year for 1 person and $41,250 for 4 in 2026. Some programs make exceptions up to 200%.
• Most NFCC member agencies offer free credit counseling. Some charge for specific services, and fees vary by agency and state.
• HUD-approved housing counselors help with rent, mortgage, and foreclosure problems, often at little or no cost.
• Pension counseling projects give free legal help finding and claiming retirement benefits, regardless of age or income.
• Each office covers its own lane, so a layoff can mean 4 or 5 separate calls.

Sources:DOL: EBSA FY 2025 resultsCMS: in-person assistanceLSC: 2026 income guidelinesNFCC: what counseling costsPension counseling projectsDOL: American Job Centers

Federal agencies and nonprofits answer layoff questions for free, and some - like EBSA's benefits advisors - can get a plan to pay what it owes. They suit anyone with one specific problem: a missing COBRA notice, a rent gap, a plan that won't call back. The catch: each office handles one lane, and some have income limits or thin staffing after 2025 funding cuts.

If the catch is a dealbreaker: Paid professionals take on a single issue in depth, and many employment lawyers work for a share of what they recover.

• 1/3Common contingency fee: a share of what a lawyer recovers for you
• $349Average US lawyer hourly rate in 2025, all practice areas
• $250Median hourly fee for financial planners in a 2020 Kitces survey
• $150-350Range covering most planners' hourly fees in that survey
• $2,500Median fee for a one-time financial plan in the same survey
• $0Commissions a NAPFA fee-only planner can take

• Employment lawyers often take claims like discrimination or unpaid wages on contingency, commonly about 1/3 of the recovery. Court costs and expenses can be separate, so ask how they're handled.
• Bar association lawyer referral services set up a first consultation for a reduced fee or no fee, depending on the area.
• Clio's data puts the average US lawyer rate at $349 an hour in 2025, with wide swings by state and practice area.
• Fee-only planners, like NAPFA members, are paid only by clients - hourly, flat fee, retainer, or a percentage of assets - and take no commissions.
• A CPA or enrolled agent can sort out taxes on severance, unemployment benefits, and cashing out an old 401(k). Fees vary by return and region.
• SEC adviser search and FINRA BrokerCheck show an adviser's registration and disciplinary history for free.
• Each pro handles 1 piece: the lawyer won't pick your health plan, and the planner won't file for unemployment.

Sources:ABA: contingent feesClio: lawyer rates by stateKitces: financial advisor feesNAPFA: what fee-only meansSEC investment adviser search

A lawyer, fee-only planner, or CPA works for you on one specialty - severance terms, a possible claim, or taxes. That depth matters most when the dollars are large or something about the layoff looks illegal. The catch: typical rates run $250-$350 an hour or about 1/3 of a recovery, and none of them covers the whole first 60 days.

If the catch is a dealbreaker: LSC-funded legal aid and pension counseling projects handle some of the same problems for free if you qualify.

• 1Real person who builds a plan around your layoff dates
• $0Cost to you - funded by our founder, no referral fees
• 1 dayWe reply within 1 business day
• FormsHelp with unemployment, COBRA, and marketplace paperwork
• HRFollow-ups with your old HR team on dates and missing notices
• USLayoffs in the United States only

• A real person builds a plan with your deadlines for health insurance, unemployment, severance, your old 401(k), and bills.
• Your concierge helps with the forms and follows up with HR when a notice or a date is missing.
• It's free, funded by our founder. No referral fees and no paid partners.
• We lay out your options and deadlines. We don't give legal, tax, or investment advice.
• We aren't a law firm, an investment adviser, or an insurance broker.
• We're a new service. We reply within 1 business day, and we only help with US layoffs.

LayoffGuide.com is a free concierge: a real person builds a plan around your dates, helps with forms, and follows up with HR. It helps most when the paperwork is piling up and you'd rather not track 5 clocks alone. The catch: we're new, and we don't give legal, tax, or investment advice.

If the catch is a dealbreaker: A lawyer or fee-only planner gives advice on your specific terms, and legal aid does it free if you qualify.