Laid off from Cognizant.
Cognizant's Project Leap restructuring set aside up to $270 million for severance without ever confirming how many of its 357,000 people it covers. Analyst estimates run from 4,000 into five figures, and almost none of it will show in US WARN data.
At a glance
What's been reported about the Cognizant layoffs
- Up to $270M · Employee-related restructuring budget, disclosed
- About 357,000 · Global workforce, majority in India
- None beyond ~4,000 initial · Confirmed cut count
- Zero · US WARN filings since 2025, our tracker
Recent Cognizant layoffs
Project Leap, a severance budget in search of a headcount
Cognizant disclosed a restructuring program costing $230 million to $320 million, with up to $270 million for employee severance. The company hasn't confirmed totals beyond an initial 4,000, while analysts modeling the budget against a workforce concentrated in India project substantially more.
Previous rounds
Cognizant layoff history
Cognizant entered 2026 with a restructuring it describes by budget rather than by people. The $270 million employee-cost ceiling is the hardest number the company has stood behind, while coverage has modeled anywhere from 7,000 to 15,000 roles depending on regional severance assumptions. The company simultaneously said it would hire more than 20,000 fresh graduates, the classic shape of a pyramid-rebalancing rather than a shrink.
For US employees the public record is quiet by structure. With over 250,000 of 357,000 employees in India, cuts concentrate where US notice laws don't reach, and our tracker holds no Cognizant WARN filing since 2025. US reductions distributed across client sites rarely cross per-site thresholds, the same pattern as the consulting firms we track.
If you're affected at Cognizant in the US, visa status is the first clock to check. The company has been among the largest H-1B employers in the country, and an H-1B layoff starts a 60-day grace period that runs regardless of any severance negotiation. Terms arrive as individual agreements against an unpublished formula, with the federal review windows as your floor.
Previous Cognizant layoff rounds
2026, Project Leap · A disclosed $230M to $320M program with estimates ranging from 4,000 confirmed toward five figures as analysts model the severance budget
Individual terms not published. The disclosed budget covers severance and related costs globally, across very different labor-law regimes.
How Cognizant has compared
Same arc as the Accenture page in our records, an AI-framed restructuring with a large disclosed charge and no confirmed headcount. The difference is geography. With most delivery staff in India, the US filing record stays empty while the reduction runs, so American employees get less public signal than the budget's size suggests.
Cognizant layoff and severance questions
What severance does Cognizant pay in layoffs?
Cognizant hasn't published individual terms. The disclosed number is a program budget, up to $270 million for employee costs globally, which says the packages exist but nothing about yours. The agreement in front of you is the only version that counts.
How many people is Cognizant actually cutting?
The company confirmed a program and a budget, not a final count. About 4,000 was the initial figure attached to Project Leap, and analyst estimates run higher against the severance budget. Treat totals you read as modeling, not disclosure.
I'm at Cognizant on an H-1B. What does a layoff mean for me?
Termination starts the 60-day H-1B grace period, your window to transfer the visa, change status, or depart. That clock runs independently of severance talks, so start the transfer search immediately even while reviewing your agreement.
Where do I file for unemployment after a Cognizant layoff?
In the state where you worked, not where the company is headquartered. Cognizant's biggest U.S. hubs are Texas, New Jersey, California. 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?
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 Cognizant?
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.
What to do after being laid off from Cognizant
- File for unemployment in the state where you worked. Benefits run from your filing date, and severance usually doesn't block you. Cognizant's biggest hubs: Texas, New Jersey, California. Somewhere else? Every state is here.
- Find out in writing how long you have to review the severance agreement. 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.