Laid off from Amazon.
Amazon's latest cuts are its biggest ever, and in every reported round its process has been unlike anyone else's, a window to find another internal role before severance even enters the picture. Which side of that window you land on changes everything.
At a glance
What's been reported about Amazon severance packages
- 90 days before separation · Internal transfer window, 2025 and 2026 rounds
- 60 days paid, 90 in New York · Notice, 2023 template
- Tenure-based, varies by round · Separation pay
- Transitional coverage up to 6 months · Healthcare, 2023 round
The latest
Another 16,000 roles in January 2026, on top of October's 14,000
Amazon's official January 2026 message announced about 16,000 more corporate roles cut as a continuation of the October restructuring, bringing the two rounds past 30,000 combined. Most U.S. employees again got a 90-day window to find an internal role, with severance, outplacement, and health benefits for those who don't.
Previous rounds
How Amazon has handled layoffs in the past
Amazon's documented process has run differently from everyone else's. Before severance entered the picture, affected employees got a paid window, 60 days of notice in the 2022 and 2023 waves with 90 in New York, and a 90 day internal transfer window in the October 2025 and January 2026 rounds. Through the window you have stayed on payroll, benefits kept running, and vests inside it still paid out. Only after the window closed did the separation package start.
That structure has changed both the math and the strategy. On paper Amazon's severance weeks have looked thinner than Meta's or Google's, but the windows have added one to three months of full payroll in front of them, and reported tenure-based separation pay reached twenty or more weeks for long-tenured staff in the 2023 waves. It has also meant the first decision is where to spend the window, hunting internally, externally, or both at once.
The caution flag is variance. Amazon's terms have moved around more between rounds than any peer's, reporting on exact week counts has conflicted, and the October 2025 round's terms were never published. The windows and the tenure-based structure have been the stable parts. Everything else deserves verification against your own paperwork rather than anyone's summary, including ours.
Recent Amazon layoffs
January 2026 · About 16,000 roles across corporate teams, announced in an official message
Amazon's announcement promised a 90-day internal transfer window for most U.S. employees, severance, outplacement services, and health insurance benefits. Exact pay terms not published.
October 2025 · About 14,000 corporate roles, roughly 4% of white-collar staff, with further cuts signaled
Most employees received a 90-day window to find an internal role. Those who don't land one get severance pay and additional benefits. Exact terms not published.
Late 2022 through 2023 · About 27,000 corporate roles across multiple waves
60-day paid notice (90 in New York under that state's WARN law), then tenure-based separation pay reported at up to roughly 20 or more weeks for longer-tenured staff, transitional health coverage up to 6 months, and job placement support.
Your stock and equity
Amazon RSUs have generally stopped vesting when employment ends, and Amazon's standard vesting schedule has been more back-loaded than its peers', so the stakes are higher here. Paid notice and transfer windows have kept people employed, meaning vest dates inside them still paid out. Map your vest calendar against your final date before signing anything.
Quick answers
What is Amazon's 90 day transfer window?
In the October 2025 and January 2026 rounds, most affected U.S. employees got 90 days to find another role inside Amazon before separation. Pay, benefits, and vesting continued through the window, and severance applied only to those who didn't land an internal role. Earlier waves used a 60 day paid notice instead, 90 in New York under that state's WARN law.
How many weeks of severance has Amazon paid?
It has varied more than at any peer, and reporting conflicts. The 2022 and 2023 waves were reported as tenure-based, reaching twenty or more weeks for longer-tenured staff, while the October 2025 terms were never published. The stable parts have been the paid windows and tenure scaling, not a fixed number.
Do RSUs vest during Amazon's notice or transfer window?
The windows have kept people on payroll, and vests scheduled inside an employment window paid out. With Amazon's back-loaded vesting schedule, a vest date landing inside versus outside the window can swing the value of the whole package, so map the dates before making decisions.
What severance has Amazon given laid-off employees?
90 days before separation (internal transfer window, 2025 and 2026 rounds). 60-day paid notice (90 in New York under that state's WARN law), then tenure-based separation pay reported at up to roughly 20 or more weeks for longer-tenured staff, transitional health coverage up to 6 months, and job placement support. Packages change between rounds, and your separation agreement is the only version that counts.
What happens to my stock if I'm laid off from Amazon?
Amazon RSUs have generally stopped vesting when employment ends, and Amazon's standard vesting schedule has been more back-loaded than its peers', so the stakes are higher here. Paid notice and transfer windows have kept people employed, meaning vest dates inside them still paid out. Map your vest calendar against your final date before signing anything.
Where do I file for unemployment after a Amazon layoff?
In the state where you worked, not where the company is headquartered. Amazon's biggest U.S. hubs are Washington, California, New York, Virginia. Severance usually doesn't block you from filing, and benefits run from your filing date, so file the same week.
Should I sign the severance agreement right away?
Not on the spot. First pin down how much review time you actually have. If you're 40 or older, federal law gives you 21 days to consider an agreement that waives age claims, 45 in a group layoff, and a waiver signed under a shorter deadline can be invalid. If you're under 40, no federal window applies and the deadline in your packet may be real, so confirm it in writing and ask for more time if you need it. Use whatever window you have to read the release terms, especially non-disparagement and no-lawsuit clauses, and don't stall past a real deadline, because offers can be withdrawn.
Can I collect unemployment if I got severance from Amazon?
Usually yes, though some states delay benefits until severance pay periods end, and lump sums are treated differently than salary continuation. Check your state's rules on our state benefit pages, and file immediately either way so your claim date is locked in.
Help for people recently laid off from Amazon
- File for unemployment in the state where you worked. Benefits run from your filing date, and severance usually doesn't block you. Amazon's biggest hubs: Washington, California, New York, Virginia. Somewhere else? Every state is here.
- Don't sign the severance agreement on the spot. Find out in writing how long you have to review it. At 40 or older, federal law guarantees 21 days, 45 in group layoffs. Under 40, the packet's deadline may be real, so ask for time rather than assume. Read our severance breakdown first. The clauses matter more than the number.
- Mind the health insurance window. Losing coverage opens a 60-day special enrollment period, and an ACA plan usually beats unsubsidized COBRA. Compare your options before the employer coverage lapses.
- Get your real runway number. Severance plus savings divided by reality. The calculator takes five minutes.
- Know which clocks are already running. Severance review windows, COBRA election, visa grace periods, and 401(k) rollovers all run on federal deadlines that started at termination. All five deadlines are here.