What is the WARN Act?

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act is a federal law that requires covered employers to give at least 60 calendar days' advance written notice before a covered plant closing or mass layoff, so affected workers have time to seek new employment or retraining.

How many employees does a company need to be covered by WARN?

An employer is covered if it meets either of two tests: 100 or more full-time employees (excluding anyone who has worked less than 6 months in the last 12, or who averages under 20 hours a week), OR 100 or more employees of any status whose combined hours average 4,000 or more per week, excluding overtime.

How many layoffs trigger WARN notice?

A plant closing is covered when 50 or more full-time employees lose their jobs at a single site within 30 days, with no minimum-percentage test. A mass layoff is covered when 500 or more full-time employees are affected at a single site, or when 50-499 full-time employees are affected AND that is at least one-third of the site's full-time workforce.

Does WARN require severance pay?

No. WARN requires advance NOTICE, not severance. There is no federal formula for severance pay under WARN. If a covered employer fails to give proper notice, the remedy is back pay and benefits for each day of the violation, up to 60 days — not a statutory severance payout. Some state laws (like New Jersey's) separately mandate severance regardless of notice.

Do states have their own WARN laws?

Yes — several states have 'mini-WARN' laws that are stricter than the federal law, with lower employer-size thresholds, longer notice periods, or extra requirements. California's Cal-WARN covers employers with 75+ employees (vs. federal 100+) with the same 60-day notice. New York requires 90 days' notice from employers with 50+ full-time employees. New Jersey requires 90 days' notice AND mandates severance pay even when notice is given on time.

WARN Act Notice Checker

Check whether your employer and layoff or plant closing likely meet the federal WARN Act's coverage thresholds — and see the notice period, who must be notified, and stricter state rules that may also apply. This is an eligibility checker, not a severance-amount calculator.

Employer size

WARN covers an employer that meets EITHER test below — you only need one to be true.

Full-time employees

Worked at least 6 of the last 12 months, averaging 20+ hours/week.

Employees of any status (full-time + part-time)

Combined weekly hours, all employees (excluding overtime)

The alternative test: 100+ employees of any status whose combined hours average 4,000+ per week.

Employer test: Met — 100+ full-time employees

The event

What's happening at this site?

Full-time employees expected to lose their jobs at this site within 30 days

Total full-time workforce at that site

Only needed for the 50-499 employee / one-third-of-workforce test — not used once the affected count reaches 500.

These workers were hired only for a specific temporary project or facility, and told so at hireThese job losses are a direct result of a strike or lockout at this site

Event test: Met — 40% of site workforce

State (optional)

Where is this site located?

A handful of states set stricter mini-WARN rules than the federal law — we show a note for California, New York, and New Jersey.

Result

Likely covered by federal WARN

Based on your answers, this employer and event both meet WARN's coverage thresholds, and no exception applies.

Next steps

Federal WARN requires at least 60 calendar days' written notice before the plant closing or mass layoff takes effect.
Notice must go to: each affected employee (or their union representative), the chief elected official of the local government where the site is located, and the state's Rapid Response Dislocated Worker Unit.
Three narrow exceptions can shorten (not eliminate) the 60-day window: a faltering company actively seeking capital, unforeseeable business circumstances, or a natural disaster — notice must still be given as soon as practicable, with a stated reason.
Check whether your state has its own WARN-equivalent ('mini-WARN') law — several states set lower employer-size thresholds, longer notice periods, or extra requirements like mandatory severance beyond the federal minimum.
This tool checks notice-requirement eligibility only. WARN has no federal severance-pay formula — if notice is skipped, the remedy is back pay and benefits for the violation period (up to 60 days), not a statutory severance amount.

This is an eligibility checker, not a severance-amount calculator — there is no federal formula for severance pay, and WARN's own remedy for a missed notice is back pay and benefits for the violation period, not a set payout. This tool does not replace advice from an employment attorney or your state's Rapid Response Dislocated Worker Unit.

What counts as an "employment loss"?

WARN's employee-count tests only count full-time workers who experience an "employment loss" — a termination other than for cause, voluntary departure, or retirement; a layoff exceeding six months; or a cut in hours of more than 50% in each month of any six-month period. Workers who accept a transfer within a reasonable commuting distance, or who accept a transfer outside that distance within 30 days, generally do not count as an employment loss.

The three notice-shortening exceptions

Even a covered employer can give less than 60 days' notice — but not zero — under three narrow circumstances: a "faltering company" actively seeking capital that reasonably believes advance notice would prevent it from obtaining that capital; "unforeseeable business circumstances" such as a major customer abruptly cancelling an order; or a natural disaster. In each case, the employer must still give as much notice as practicable and state the reason for the shortened notice.

Why there's no severance number here

WARN is a notice law, not a pay law. If an employer skips required notice, the remedy set by the statute is back pay and the value of lost benefits for each day of the violation, capped at 60 days (or half the employee's tenure, if shorter, under some state laws) — not a fixed severance formula. Any severance you receive is a matter of your employment contract, company policy, or a state law like New Jersey's that mandates it separately from WARN notice.

WARN Act Notice Checker

What counts as an "employment loss"?

The three notice-shortening exceptions

Why there's no severance number here

Sources

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