Real screenshots from the workbook. Example figures are illustrative.
RIF and Restructuring Savings Planner
Size the reduction before you make it. The severance bill, the full one-time cost, the ongoing savings, and the payback period, with every assumption on the surface.
One-time purchase, no subscription. Instant download.
Built by expert HR practitioners and leaders
- Severance calculator that prices the policy person by person
- Full one-time cost with payroll tax, PTO payout, benefits, and outplacement
- Savings and payback with the run rate, year-one net, and payback month
- Notice and timeline planning aid with WARN screening prompts and date math
- Severance and notice benchmarks by role level, from public sources
- Board-ready summary on one page, every figure pulled from the tabs
The model sizes the decision. It does not make the decision and does not replace legal or financial review.
Estimates and general business information for planning, not legal or tax advice. Confirm your actual costs and notice obligations, and have employment counsel review the plan before you act.
Not the right fit? Take the 60-second match.
Last reviewed June 2026
One workbook that sizes the reduction end to end
Eight tabs in one Excel file. A Start Here page tells you the order to work in, six working tabs do the math, and a Notes tab holds the record of what you decided and why.
Severance Calculator
Set the policy once: weeks per year of service, base weeks, a cap, and a minimum. List the affected roles and each person's weekly pay, weeks, and severance calculate, with the totals rolled up.
Full Cost of the Reduction
The extras that make the real one-time cost: employer payroll tax on the severance, accrued PTO paid out, the employer share of continued benefits, and outplacement support.
Savings and Payback
The ongoing payroll saved, the payback period in months, and net savings for year one and year three. Stated as a gross run rate, with the plain note that the saving you keep is often lower.
Notice and Timeline
A planning aid with screening prompts for the federal WARN trigger and date math for the notice clock, built to route the legal calls to counsel.
Benchmarks
Typical severance by role level and the general notice rules, from public sources, so you can see where your policy lands before anyone signs off.
Summary
The board-ready page. The one-time cost, the ongoing savings, and the payback in one view, with every figure pulled live from the working tabs.
The sizing in the order finance will ask for it
Four steps from a severance policy to a payback number, and every figure flows forward so the summary is always current.
Set the policy and list the roles
Weeks per year of service, base weeks, the cap, and the minimum, set once. Then list the affected roles, and each person's weekly pay, weeks, and severance calculate on the policy.
Add the real extras
Employer payroll tax on the severance, accrued PTO paid out, the employer share of continued benefits, and outplacement. The result is the full one-time cost, not just the severance line.
Read the savings and the payback
The ongoing payroll saved, the payback period in months, and net savings for year one and year three, stated as a gross run rate with the caveats where they belong.
Plan the notice and pressure-test
Screen the federal WARN trigger, count the notice clock, and check your severance policy against benchmarks by level before the number goes in front of anyone.
Numbers that hold up in front of finance
A payback figure is only as good as the assumptions under it, so the planner keeps every assumption on the surface and every rate sourced.
Who does what
A reduction is a split of work between you, the planner, and your advisors. Here is the split, stated plainly.
- The planner sizes the cost and the savings. Severance, the full one-time cost, the run rate, and the payback, with the math visible in every cell.
- Finance validates your rates. Drop in your actual burden, benefits, and payout figures and the model recalculates around them.
- Counsel covers notice and releases. The planner screens and counts dates; the legal calls stay with your lawyer.
Who it's built for
Who this fits, and where to go if that's not you.
Built for
- An owner or operator who needs the real cost and the real savings before committing to a reduction.
- An HR team of one who has to put a number in front of finance and the board that holds up.
- A consultant or fractional HR lead building the case for or against a restructuring.
If you are looking for
- The selection and the people side, not just the money. The RIF and Restructure Planning Kit covers scoring, the fairness check, WARN and OWBPA planning, and the conversation.
- A single person's package, not a group. The Severance Planning Calculator handles one exit.
Before you buy
What format is it and can I edit it?
Is this legal or tax advice?
How is this different from the RIF and Restructure Planning Kit?
Will it handle my severance policy?
Is it a subscription?
Will it stay current as rates change?
What is the refund policy?
What happens after I buy?
Can I expense this purchase to my business?
Most customers buy TrueStep HR tools for business use, and a tool you use for work often qualifies as a deductible business expense. Whether it does for you depends on your situation, so confirm with your accountant or tax professional. Your receipt arrives by email at checkout and works as documentation.
The 6 red flags to check before you discipline or fire someone
A five-minute screen that catches the most common and most expensive people-decision mistakes before they happen. Free PDF, sent to your inbox. Unsubscribe anytime.
Size the cut once and know the real number
The severance, the full one-time cost, the ongoing savings, and the payback, with every assumption on the surface.
Estimates and general information for planning, not legal or tax advice. Last reviewed June 2026.