Ontario Severance Pay & Wrongful Dismissal Calculator
Estimate your Ontario severance pay and wrongful dismissal settlement range. This calculator converts your age, years of service, salary, and role type into an estimated reasonable notice period (months) and calculates a dollar range in CAD. Informational planning only — not legal advice.
Ontario is your jurisdiction? You're in the right place. Canada-wide: Canada severance calculator · General: General version · Need contract exit fees instead? Ontario contract termination fee calculator
On this page: Estimator · How it works · Ontario notes · Examples · Locations · FAQ
Home Contract Termination Cost Wrongful Dismissal Calculator Ontario
Informational planning only — not legal advice. See disclaimer and terms.
How this Ontario wrongful dismissal calculator works
1) Compensation
The estimator starts with annual salary and optionally adds planning adjustments for benefits and bonus.
2) Notice range (months)
Many settlement discussions use a months-of-notice range. This tool uses a simplified scoring approach based on age, service, seniority, and job market difficulty.
3) Settlement range
The output shows a low / typical / high range to avoid false precision. Actual outcomes depend on facts, contract terms, and applicable Ontario law.
If you have a written contract limiting notice or severance, actual entitlements may differ.
Severance pay vs. termination pay in Ontario
Ontario employees are often entitled to both termination pay and severance pay under the Employment Standards Act (ESA), plus potentially more under common-law reasonable notice. Understanding the difference helps you evaluate whether an offer is fair.
ESA termination pay (Ontario)
Under Ontario's ESA, employers must provide termination pay (or working notice) based on length of service: 1 week per year of service, up to a maximum of 8 weeks. This is the statutory minimum that applies to most employees.
ESA severance pay (Ontario)
Separate from termination pay, Ontario severance pay under the ESA applies if you have 5+ years of service AND your employer has a payroll of $2.5 million or more (or 50+ employees being terminated within 6 months). The amount is 1 week per year of service, up to a maximum of 26 weeks.
Common-law reasonable notice
Beyond ESA minimums, Ontario courts often award common-law reasonable notice — typically 1 month per year of service as a rough starting point, up to approximately 24 months in some cases. Factors include age, length of service, position type, and availability of comparable employment. This calculator estimates a range based on these common-law factors.
Constructive dismissal in Ontario
Constructive dismissal occurs when an employer makes a significant change to your employment terms (pay cut, demotion, relocation, hostile work environment) without your consent. If you're forced to resign due to these changes, you may be entitled to the same severance and termination pay as if you were fired without cause. This calculator can help estimate that range — use your most recent salary and role before the changes occurred.
This calculator estimates a settlement planning range based on common-law factors. For precise ESA calculations or legal advice on constructive dismissal claims, consult an Ontario employment lawyer.
Worked examples
Example 1: Mid-career manager
Age: 47 · Service: 8 years · Role: Manager · Salary: $85,000 · Job market: Average
Example 2: Older specialized role in a hard market
Age: 58 · Service: 12 years · Role: Executive / specialized · Salary: $120,000 · Job market: Hard
Example 3: Short service, easy market
Age: 32 · Service: 1.5 years · Role: Individual contributor · Salary: $70,000 · Job market: Easy
Tip: Use examples to sanity-check your inputs, then refine your job market and seniority selections.
Choose a location
Use the Canada page for general context or the general version if you want no jurisdiction label.
Canada
Canada-wide context (CAD defaults).
General
General version (USD formatting, no jurisdiction label).
Need contract exit fees instead? Use Ontario termination fee calculator.
Ontario wrongful dismissal calculator FAQ
Is this Ontario wrongful dismissal calculator accurate?
It’s a planning estimator that converts your inputs into a notice-months range and then estimates a dollar range. It does not account for all facts, contract terms, or ESA-specific calculations and is not legal advice.
Is this the same as ESA termination pay or ESA severance pay?
No. Ontario ESA minimums and common-law reasonable notice are different concepts. This tool is designed for planning discussions and does not calculate definitive legal entitlements.
What inputs matter most?
Age, years of service, role type/seniority, and job market difficulty often drive the notice range. Compensation then translates months into dollars.
Does having a contract change the estimate?
It can. A valid employment contract may limit notice or severance. This tool does not interpret contracts.
How is severance pay calculated in Ontario?
Ontario severance pay has two layers. Under the ESA, severance pay is 1 week per year of service (up to 26 weeks) for qualifying employees. Common-law reasonable notice — which this calculator estimates — is typically higher, often roughly 1 month per year of service depending on age, role, and job market. Most settlement discussions focus on the common-law range, which is what this calculator estimates.
How much termination pay am I entitled to in Ontario?
ESA termination pay in Ontario is 1 week per year of service, up to 8 weeks. However, common-law entitlements are often significantly higher. Use this calculator to estimate the common-law reasonable notice range, then compare it to your employer's offer. If the offer is at or near ESA minimums only, there may be room to negotiate.
What is constructive dismissal in Ontario?
Constructive dismissal happens when your employer fundamentally changes your job terms — such as a major pay reduction, demotion, or forced relocation — without your agreement. In Ontario, this can entitle you to the same severance and termination pay as a without-cause termination. Use this calculator with your pre-change salary and role to estimate a settlement range.