Use the separation type below to see what to hand to the employee and where to get it. There is no universal termination packet: the facts, benefit plans and type of separation determine which conditional items apply.
Sources checked September 2026Official PDF links sit beside the document. Final pay and paystubs come from your payroll team—not a government download.
The employee chooses to leave: resignation, retirement or a new job.
With at least 72 hours’ notice, pay on the last day. Without that notice, pay within 72 hours; an employee quitting without notice may request mailing. Include earned unused vested vacation/PTO. Check commissions and bonuses that are earned or owed; unused sick leave generally is not paid out unless policy provides otherwise.
Provide with final wages. Your payroll team prepares the check and statement; there is no government final-pay form to download.
Give this pamphlet at separation when the employee is unemployed or facing unemployment. It explains unemployment insurance, disability insurance, paid family leave and job-search help. EDD decides eligibility; quitting does not automatically qualify someone.
If coverage is lost, follow the plan-specific COBRA/Cal-COBRA notification and election process. There is no one-size-fits-all form to hand over immediately.
A short letter can confirm that the employee chose to leave, their last day, final-pay arrangements, property return and whom to contact about benefits. Keep their resignation email or letter in your file. This does not replace required documents.
An EDD Change in Relationship notice is not required solely because the employee resigns. If the employer ends the notice period early, review whether the separation should be treated as employer-initiated.
The employer ends employment: firing, layoff or position elimination.
For discharge, all final wages are due immediately. Include earned unused vested vacation/PTO. Verify commissions, bonuses and any other wages owed; unused sick leave generally is not paid out unless policy provides otherwise.
Provide with final wages. Your payroll team produces both documents; there is no downloadable government final-pay form.
Give the written notice immediately for a firing or layoff. Open the EDD form to print and complete it separately. This is the official EDD sample—not a form created by LEANGLE HR Lab. It is separate from final pay and any recommended termination letter.
Give this pamphlet at separation when the employee is unemployed or facing unemployment. It explains unemployment insurance, disability insurance, paid family leave and job-search help. EDD decides eligibility.
If coverage is lost, follow the plan process. Under federal COBRA, the employer notifies the plan administrator after a qualifying event; the plan issues the election notice. Cal-COBRA may involve the insurer or health plan.
Analyze coverage ahead of a layoff. For a covered event, notice is generally due 60 days before—not at the termination meeting. California’s 2026 rules include worker-support information.
Strongly recommended: state the end date, a brief reason that matches your records, and next steps. It does not replace the required Change in Relationship notice.
These are practical sequences, not a claim that every item is required in every case. Keep internal records out of the employee packet.
Add to either packet only when needed: information about other benefits ending or changing, retirement-plan instructions, expense-reimbursement arrangements, and a counsel-reviewed severance agreement only if offered. Coordinate property return and access removal separately; keep the resignation and other employer records in your file. WARN notices belong before a covered event, not just in the termination-day packet.
Open the topics that apply. They are checks for your process, not additional universal handouts.
Verify earned unused vested vacation/PTO and any earned commissions, bonuses, tips or other compensation. Unused paid sick leave generally is not cashed out unless a policy says otherwise. Reimburse legitimate business expenses; do not make unlawful deductions from final pay for missing property.
Internally close out keys, badges, laptops, cards, uniforms, equipment, records and systems access. Record returns separately from the employee’s required pay documents.
Tell the employee when each benefit ends and whether they can keep it or change to an individual policy. Check medical, dental, vision, life and disability plans; flexible spending accounts (FSA), health reimbursement arrangements (HRA), health savings accounts (HSA), and employee assistance programs (EAP). Each has different rules—an HSA, for example, is not simply lost when employment ends. Follow the plan’s instructions and give retirement-plan instructions and a contact when applicable.
U.S. DOL COBRA employer guide California continuation coverage
Severance is only included if offered. Have any terms and release reviewed by counsel; age-40-and-older releases have special rules. Do not use a generic release as a universal form.
Pay final wages and provide the paystub on the last day; check DE 2320 and benefits based on circumstances.
Pay within 72 hours; the employee may request mailing. Provide the paystub and assess conditional handouts.
For discharge, pay immediately with the paystub and give the written Change in Relationship notice immediately.
Plan final pay and written Change in Relationship notice; analyze WARN in advance if the event may be covered.
Keep the decision or resignation record, final-pay calculations, copies of the Change in Relationship notice where applicable, proof of DE 2320 delivery, benefits qualifying-event notifications, property/access and expense closeout, any severance/revocation/election records, WARN analysis and notices, and personnel/performance/investigation records under your retention practices. These are employer records, not a list of universal employee forms.
