Laid off from IBM.
IBM doesn't do one big layoff. It runs quiet, rolling 'resource actions' year after year, and it stopped publishing package terms long ago. The process is the thing to understand, and the process has a clock in it.
At a glance
What's been reported about IBM severance packages
- 30 days · Window to find another internal role after notification
- A few months of pay · Severance reported in the 2025 resource actions
- 3,900 roles · The January 2023 round, about 1.5%
- None published · Formula announced in any recent round
The latest
Q4 2025 resource action, several thousand roles
IBM told CNBC the late-2025 action would affect a low single-digit percentage of its roughly 270,000 employees while keeping U.S. headcount roughly flat year over year. Reporting described far deeper targets inside specific U.S. groups, and the standard 30-day internal window before separation.
Previous rounds
How IBM has handled layoffs in the past
IBM's reductions have run on machinery most companies don't have. The company calls them resource actions, they arrive in waves rather than single headline events, and the Q4 2025 action followed the standard playbook. Notification first, then 30 days to find another role inside IBM, then separation for most. IBM told CNBC the cuts would stay at a low single-digit percentage of the global workforce with U.S. headcount roughly flat year over year.
The 2025 wave was not shallow where it landed. Reporting described targets of 45 percent of the U.S. infrastructure group and more than half of the U.S. cloud group, alongside 2,840 open IBM positions in India against 376 in the United States. A flat global headline can coexist with a gutted U.S. division, which is why the group you sit in matters more than the company-wide number.
Packages have been the quiet part. IBM has not published severance terms in any recent round, and reported accounts describe a few months of pay rather than a rich formula. There is also history worth knowing. ProPublica documented a pattern of older U.S. workers bearing a disproportionate share of earlier IBM cuts, reporting the company disputed. If you're 40 or older, the federal 21-to-45-day review window on your severance agreement exists for exactly this. Use all of it.
Recent IBM layoffs
Q4 2025 · A low single-digit percentage of the global workforce, with reported targets of 45% of the U.S. infrastructure group and more than half of U.S. cloud
Notified employees got 30 days to find another position inside IBM, then separation with a few months of severance pay, per reporting. No formula published.
January 2023 · About 3,900 roles, roughly 1.5%, tied to the Kyndryl and Watson Health spinoffs
Terms not published.
Quick answers
What is an IBM resource action?
IBM's internal term for a layoff. In reported rounds, affected employees have been notified and given 30 days to find another position inside the company, with separation and severance following for those who don't. Most reportedly don't, so treat the 30 days as a parallel track, not a plan.
What severance has IBM paid in recent resource actions?
IBM hasn't published terms. Reporting on the 2025 actions described a few months of severance pay after the 30-day internal window, and older IBM separations were reported as more generous than recent ones. The only reliable number is the one in your own separation paperwork.
What severance has IBM given laid-off employees?
30 days (window to find another internal role after notification). Notified employees got 30 days to find another position inside IBM, then separation with a few months of severance pay, per reporting. No formula published. Packages change between rounds, and your separation agreement is the only version that counts.
Where do I file for unemployment after a IBM layoff?
In the state where you worked, not where the company is headquartered. IBM's biggest U.S. hubs are New York, North Carolina, Texas, 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?
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 IBM?
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 IBM
- File for unemployment in the state where you worked. Benefits run from your filing date, and severance usually doesn't block you. IBM's biggest hubs: New York, North Carolina, Texas, California. 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.