Document pack
Laid Off? What to Do First Kit: First-30-Days Checklist, Health Coverage and Retirement Options, Severance Questions and a Budget Worksheet
The first month after a layoff, in order: file for unemployment, check your final pay, choose health coverage, decide what to do with a retirement account, and see your budget.
$19 one time · 14-day full refund · Word and PDF · download link by email
Who it is for
Anyone in the U.S. who has just been laid off or expects to be, and family members helping them sort out the first weeks.
Not the right fit if
You need legal advice about a severance agreement or a firing, a recommendation on COBRA or your 401(k), or your state's detailed unemployment rules: this lays out options and questions with official links and doesn't decide for you.
Why it is different
- Every rule it mentions is linked to the official page it comes from: the U.S. Department of Labor for COBRA and severance, HealthCare.gov for the Marketplace and the IRS for rollovers.
- Neutral by design: health and retirement choices are laid out side by side with no recommendation, because the right choice depends on your situation.
- The budget workbook recalculates with zero formula errors, blank and filled, and links to our state unemployment checklists and final paycheck pages.
What is inside
- Layoff budget worksheet (Excel). Income while you are out of work (unemployment, severance, other household income), essential and flexible costs, health coverage cost, a monthly gap and how many months your savings cover, worked out for you.
- First 30 days checklist. Day 1 to 3, week 1, weeks 2 to 4: filing for unemployment, the weekly work search, final pay, health coverage deadlines, retirement accounts, the budget and the job search, each with where to check.
- Health coverage options. COBRA continuation, the Health Insurance Marketplace and other coverage, described side by side with the U.S. Department of Labor and HealthCare.gov pages to read; no recommendation.
- Retirement account options. What usually happens to a 401(k) or similar plan when you leave a job: leave it, roll it over or take it as cash, described neutrally with the IRS and Department of Labor pages. No recommendation.
- Severance agreement questions. Questions to take to an employment attorney before you sign: what you're paid and when, what you give up, deadlines, benefits, references and confidentiality. Questions only, no legal advice.
- Records and contacts log. Dates, names, claim numbers, calls and documents in one place, so nothing is lost while you handle the agencies and your former employer.
A look inside
The first pages, as you will get them
Get it
Laid Off? What to Do First Kit
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Delivered as a zip of editable Word files and printable PDFs. For one business, your own use. General information and templates, not legal, tax or accounting advice. General information, not legal, financial, tax or benefits advice. We are not lawyers or financial advisers. For a severance agreement, talk to an employment attorney; for retirement and tax choices, the plan administrator, the IRS pages or a qualified adviser. Payment is handled by Stripe. If a file will not open or something looks wrong, reply to your order email and we will make it right.
Ways to get it
Just this kit, or more
The set
$54 one time
2 kits including this one, plus the Job Search Bootcamp course, $23 less than buying them separately.
See the setMembership
$29 a month
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See the membershipQuestions
Common questions
What's in the download?
An Excel budget worksheet and five Word documents with matching PDFs: the first-30-days checklist, health coverage options, retirement account options, severance agreement questions for an employment attorney, and a records and contacts log. You get a download link by email after payment.
Does it tell me whether to take COBRA or a Marketplace plan?
No. It lays the options out side by side and links to the U.S. Department of Labor's COBRA guide and HealthCare.gov, so you can compare them for your own situation. It makes no recommendation.
Does it tell me what to do with my 401(k)?
No. It describes the usual options when you leave a job (leave the money in the plan if it allows, roll it over, or take a distribution) and links to the IRS rollover page and the Department of Labor. Ask the plan administrator or a qualified adviser.
Is the severance section legal advice?
No. It is a list of questions to bring to an employment attorney before you sign anything. We are not lawyers.
Does it cover my state's unemployment rules?
It walks you through filing in general and links to our state unemployment checklists and final paycheck pages, which are built from each state's official pages.
Free sample
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