What should I negotiate beyond the money in a severance deal?
The short answer
Severance negotiations routinely extend well beyond the dollar amount. Common non-cash items that employees and employers discuss include: extension of health coverage through a COBRA subsidy, removal or narrowing of non-compete and non-solicitation clauses, equity vesting acceleration, a formal reference clause or neutral-reference commitment, and mutual non-disparagement. Each of these lives in the agreement as a clause — or is absent, which is itself something to address. The starting point is knowing what your agreement currently says (or does not say) about each of these items before making specific asks. Scan your agreement to see which non-cash items appear, which are absent, and what their terms say.
What Dang reviews here: Dang reviews the clause language in your severance agreement — what the release, non-compete, COBRA, arbitration, and non-disparagement terms say and what to ask about them. It does not verify wage, hour, or leave compliance.
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What non-cash items are commonly negotiated in severance
Health coverage is often the most urgent non-cash item: COBRA continuation at full cost can be expensive, and employers sometimes agree to subsidize some or all of the premium for a period. Non-compete and non-solicitation clauses are another frequent negotiation target — a broad non-compete that limits where you can work next has real dollar value, and removal or narrowing of that clause is often worth more than an incremental increase in the cash amount.
Equity and vesting acceleration, a formal written reference commitment, outplacement support, and a structured transition timeline are also items that commonly appear in negotiated severance. Non-disparagement mutuality — whether the restriction runs both ways — matters if the employer's clause is one-sided. Each of these is a clause (or a missing clause) in the agreement, not a separate negotiation: the document is where these conversations start.
Why people worry
Workers often focus on the cash figure and sign without reviewing what the agreement says about their next job, their health insurance, or their unvested equity. Discovering months later that a non-compete clause prevents a new opportunity, or that a COBRA subsidy was on the table but never asked for, is a common regret. Knowing what is negotiable before the deadline closes gives you the leverage.
What to look for in your agreement
- Any non-compete or non-solicitation clause — scope, duration, geography — and whether removal or narrowing was offered.
- COBRA language: whether any subsidy is included, for how long, and under what conditions it ends.
- Equity treatment: whether unvested grants are addressed and whether any acceleration is offered.
- Non-disparagement scope — whether it is mutual or one-sided, and what speech it covers.
- Reference clause: what the employer commits to say, and through which channel.
Questions to ask before signing
- Ask whether the non-compete can be removed or narrowed given that the departure was involuntary.
- Ask the other party to clarify whether a COBRA subsidy is available and for how many months.
- Confirm how unvested equity will be treated and whether acceleration is possible.
- Consider having the agreement reviewed to identify which non-cash items are present, absent, or improvable.
Why scan instead of guess
The general rule tells you the baseline. Your offer tells you what you’re actually being asked to sign — and the wording is what binds. Dang reads the document and flags the clauses worth reviewing, in plain English.
The deterministic engine scores and decides what’s risky. The AI only enriches the plain-English wording — AI extracts, code decides, never the other way around.
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Common questions
Is a non-compete removal a realistic ask?
It depends on the employer and the circumstances — but it is a standard negotiation ask, particularly when the departure was involuntary. Narrowing the scope, duration, or geography of the restriction is also common. The clause's current wording determines what you are pushing back on.
Can I ask for accelerated vesting in a severance negotiation?
Vesting acceleration is sometimes offered in severance agreements, particularly for senior roles or in layoff situations. Whether it is available depends on the equity plan documents and the employer's willingness to negotiate — worth raising if unvested equity is material.
No account required · File deleted after analysis · Not legal advice. Dang reports contract findings in plain English — general information, not legal advice about your situation. For consequential decisions, consult a licensed attorney in your state.