Salary Continuance vs Lump Sum Severance Payment Structures

When you’re terminated without cause, your severance offer might look generous — but how you’re paid matters just as much as how much you’re paid. Two of the most common structures are:

• Salary continuance, where you remain on payroll for a period of time, and

• Lump-sum severance, where you receive everything upfront.

  
  

Understanding the differences between salary continuance vs lump sum severance can help you protect your rights, reduce taxes, and negotiate a package that actually benefits you.

Why the Payment Structure Matters

Even when the total dollar amount is the same, the way your employer structures your severance can affect:

• Taxation

• Mitigation obligations

• Cash flow

• Whether payments can be clawed back

• Your ability to plan financially

• Your leverage during negotiation

Before accepting an offer, it’s essential to understand how salary continuance vs severance work, and which option aligns with your goals.

Lump-Sum Severance: One Payment, Maximum Flexibility

A lump-sum severance means you get the severance payment upfront. This is often the simplest and most employee-friendly option.

Key Advantages

• No mitigation obligations: If you find a new job immediately, you still keep the full severance.

• Total flexibility: You can invest, save, or use the funds however you choose.

• Tax planning opportunities: Many employees ask for portions to be deposited into an RRSP to reduce withholding tax.

• Certainty: A lump sum avoids risk if the employer later faces bankruptcy or cash-flow problems.

  
  

The "Catch"

Because lump-sum severance is usually not reduced if you find a new job during the notice period, employers often discount lump-sum offers compared to salary continuance. If you secure new employment shortly after signing the agreement, you keep both the full severance amount and your new income. Severance is meant to support you while you search for work, not to create a financial windfall, so employers factor this into their calculations.

Salary Continuance: Steady Paycheques, but With Conditions

Under a salary continuance arrangement, you remain on payroll for the notice period and receive your salary in regular instalments.

Common Features

• Regular pay (bi-weekly or monthly)

• EI, CPP, and tax deductions apply

• Benefits and pension often continue

• Often longer notice periods than lump sum payment structures

The Catch: Mitigation

Most salary continuance agreements include a mitigation clause, meaning:

• If you find a new job, your old employer can reduce or stop your remaining payments.

• Many agreements require you to report new employment.

• Failure to report can result in the employer demanding repayment of amounts beyond your statutory minimums.

• Often, employers claw back at least 50% of the remaining amount owed.

As a result, the major difference between salary continuance or lump sum severance offers is the risk of losing money if you re-employ.

Salary Continuance vs Severance: Which Is Better?

There is no universal “best” option. The right structure depends on your priorities and goals:

Goal	Better Option
Certainty and full control	Lump-sum severance
Lower tax hit (RRSP rollover)	Lump-sum severance
Regular cash flow	Salary continuance
(Usually) No reporting if re-employed	Lump-sum severance
(Usually) Continuance of benefits, pension	Salary continuance

Most employees prefer lump-sum severance because it ends the relationship cleanly and avoids reporting obligations. 

As a general rule, if you think you’ll find a new job relatively fast, lump-sum severance is usually the better option.

How to Negotiate Salary Continuance Offers

While lump-sum severance often puts employees further ahead, there are situations where an employer may refuse to offer a lump-sum payment. In these cases, your energy may be better spent negotiating the terms of the salary continuance structure. You could, for example, as your employer to:

• Reduce the clawback percentage: Ensure that no more than 50% of the remaining salary continuance is clawed back if you find new employment. This way, you still retain a portion of your severance even after re-employment.

• Clearly define “alternative employment”: Try to include a clause that limits clawback provisions to situations where you earn at least 70% of your previous salary through new employment or self-employment. This ensures that lower-paying or temporary work doesn’t eliminate your severance entitlement. If “alternative employment” is not defined, even a small, one-off payment you receive could trigger a clawback of your package.

How SeverEase Helps You Maximize Your Severance Pay

Choosing between salary continuance or lump sum payments isn’t just about money — it’s about structure, strategy, risk, and negotiation.

SeverEase helps you:

• Compare salary continuance and lump-sum offers

• Understand how mitigation impacts your total payout

• Learn negotiation strategies to ask for the structure you prefer

• Use lawyer-drafted templates to counteroffer confidently

Whether your employer is proposing salary continuance, lump-sum severance, or a hybrid, SeverEase gives you the tools to understand your options and negotiate the best structure for your situation.

Ready to Review or Negotiate Your Severance Package?

Download our SeverEase Guidebook to learn more about assessing your severance package and negotiating terms that maximize your payout.