Laid off from John Deere.
Deere's cuts have hit the same two states over and over, Iowa and Illinois, as farm equipment demand fell and moves to Mexico were announced. The salaried packages ran up to a year of severance. The fight over the hourly jobs got loud.
At a glance
What's known about John Deere severance and layoffs
- 2,700+ · Jobs cut in Iowa and Illinois since October 2023
- Up to 12 months · Reported salaried severance in 2024, by service
- About 95% of weekly net pay, 26 weeks · SUB pay described for laid-off production workers
- 50% of weekly earnings, up to 52 weeks · Transitional assistance after SUB pay ends
- A period equal to length of service · Recall rights described for production workers
- $157 million pretax · Filed cost of the 2024 salaried separation programs
- More than 300 · US workers recalled since January 2026
- 12 all-time, 0 since January 2025 · John Deere filings in our WARN tracker
Recent John Deere layoffs
John Deere spent 2026 calling laid-off workers back
Deere recalled nearly 50 more workers in April 2026 at Dubuque, Davenport and Coffeyville, putting the number back on the job since January above 300, after 146 returned to four Waterloo plants in February. In August 2026 Deere reported third quarter net income of $1.379 billion and John May said the company still believes 2026 marks the bottom of the ag equipment cycle.
Previous rounds
John Deere layoff history
Which side of Deere you worked on decides almost everything about what comes next. Deere cut its salaried staff through a separation program it accounted for in its own filings, and for UAW-represented production workers it published a different set of terms drawn from the union contract. Deere said in July 2024 that its salaried layoffs left production workers alone. The two groups got different paperwork, different money, and very different odds of being asked back. Which set applies to you is a question your own notice answers.
For the production rounds Deere itemized, it published what the layoff came with. Recall rights run for a period equal to your length of service, and laid-off workers go into seniority order for openings they're qualified to perform at that factory. Supplemental Unemployment pay covers about 95 percent of weekly net pay for up to 26 weeks depending on service, transitional assistance picks up 50 percent of average weekly earnings for up to 52 weeks after that, and healthcare continues at least six months or as long as SUB lasts, whichever is longer, with another 12 months available if you pay the full premiums. Deere published the same terms again for the workers affected by the August 2025 cuts. Your service, classification and facility decide what actually lands, so read your own notice against this rather than assuming it carries over.
The salaried side ran on a program instead. Deere implemented employee-separation programs for its salaried workforce in the third quarter of 2024 across the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America, and recorded $157 million of pretax expense for them. What it offered in the US was up to 12 months of severance based on years of service, pro-rated short-term and long-term incentive cash, payment for unused vacation, continued health and wellness access, and 12 months of job placement help. A law firm that reviewed those packages said they carried a 45-day signing deadline and advised people to get legal advice first. Check that date on your own paperwork before you do anything else with it.
The 2026 record reads differently from the two years before it. Deere called 146 workers back to four Waterloo plants in February to build 8R tractors, about a week after recalling 99 to Davenport and Dubuque, then added nearly 50 more in April at Dubuque, Davenport and Coffeyville, putting the number back at work since January above 300. In August 2026 Deere reported third quarter net income of $1.379 billion, with construction and forestry sales up 18 percent while large ag sales fell, and John May said the company still believes 2026 marks the bottom of the ag equipment cycle. Coverage of the callbacks also noted the workforce sits well below where it was before the cuts, so a callback list isn't a recovery.
Our own WARN filing tracker holds 12 all-time John Deere filings and 0 filings covering 0 jobs since the start of 2025, so the recent rounds sit outside it and this page rests on company statements and state filings instead. Those filings are worth pulling. Illinois WARN letters recorded 298 salaried cuts at the Moline world headquarters and 21 at Harvester Works in July 2024, and Illinois apologized in August 2025 for reporting more than 800 Harvester Works layoffs that hadn't happened, which is a fair reminder to check the notice rather than the headline. When the September 2025 round landed, Waterloo's mayor said he went to company officials and to IowaWORKS to learn what help was on offer. Your notice and your state's agency are where your own answer sits.
Reporting on previous John Deere layoff rounds
September 2025 · 101 workers at Waterloo with a last day of October 17, and 40 at Des Moines Works in Ankeny with a last day of October 31, which Deere put down to decreased demand and lower order volumes
Deere said the affected workers would get unemployment pay and other monetary benefits, and could keep healthcare for at least six months. The itemized terms published for earlier rounds weren't repeated.
For the workers affected by this round Deere listed the same terms it had published a year earlier, recall by seniority, SUB pay, transitional assistance, profit sharing and continued healthcare.
July 2024 · Salaried cuts. Illinois WARN letters recorded 298 at the Moline world headquarters and 21 at Harvester Works, and the Iowa WARN site carried 170 more at Waterloo, Dubuque and Johnston
Deere said it was extending up to 12 months of severance based on years of service, pro-rated short-term and long-term incentive cash, payment for earned and unused vacation, ongoing health and wellness benefits and 12 months of job placement services.
The fullest set Deere has published for a production round. SUB pay at about 95% of weekly net pay for up to 26 weeks, transitional assistance at 50% of average weekly earnings for up to 52 weeks after that, profit sharing, healthcare for at least six months, and recall rights equal to length of service.
How John Deere's layoffs compare to other companies
Deere's salaried package ran up to a year of severance with pro-rated incentives and 12 months of job placement help. UAW-represented production workers were offered something salaried staff don't get, a right to be recalled in seniority order for a period equal to their length of service, and in 2026 that right started paying out.
What to do after being laid off from John Deere
- File for unemployment in the state where you worked. Benefits run from your filing date, and severance usually doesn't block you. John Deere's biggest hubs: Iowa, Illinois, Kansas. Somewhere else? Every state is here.
- Apply for financial and hardship assistance. Unemployment supplements income, but food benefits, health coverage and utility help are often available as well. Here's some of what John Deere's hub states run: Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, and every other state is here.
- 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, and read how the COBRA clocks run if you are weighing it seriously.
- 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.
John Deere layoff and severance questions
What severance has John Deere paid?
It depends which side of the company you were on. Reporting on the 2024 salaried cuts described up to 12 months of severance based on years of service, pro-rated incentive payouts, unused vacation and 12 months of job placement help. Production workers in the rounds Deere itemized got a different structure built on SUB pay, transitional assistance and continued healthcare rather than a lump severance figure. No company-wide formula is on record, and your own agreement controls.
Which state do I file in after a Deere layoff?
Deere's cuts have straddled Iowa and Illinois, and Coffeyville puts Kansas in the picture too. Start with the state agency covering the plant you worked at, since that's the agency that can confirm which state takes your claim and what it pays. Our state pages for all three are linked below.
Does John Deere call laid-off workers back?
In the production rounds it itemized, Deere said laid-off employees stay eligible for recall to their home factory for a period equal to their length of service, and go into seniority order for openings they're qualified to perform. That happened at scale in 2026. Deere brought 146 workers back to Waterloo in February and more than 300 across the US by April.
How does SUB pay work at John Deere?
Supplemental Unemployment pay tops up state unemployment. Deere described it in 2024 as covering about 95 percent of weekly net pay for up to 26 weeks, depending on years of service, with transitional assistance at 50 percent of average weekly earnings for up to 52 weeks once SUB runs out. Healthcare runs at least six months or as long as SUB lasts, whichever is longer. Those terms come from Deere's notices for particular rounds, so check what your own notice says.
Is John Deere still cutting jobs in 2026?
Nothing in the reporting we track shows a new John Deere layoff round announced in 2026. What the record does show for the year is callbacks, more than 300 of them by April, spread across Waterloo, Dubuque, Davenport and Coffeyville. Coverage of those recalls also noted the workforce sits well below where it was before the cuts, so treat it as a partial refill rather than a reversal.
Where do I file for unemployment after being laid off from John Deere?
In the state where you worked, not where the company is headquartered. John Deere's biggest U.S. hubs are Iowa, Illinois, Kansas. Severance usually doesn't block you from filing, and benefits run from your filing date, so file the same week.
Is it OK to file for unemployment after a layoff at John Deere?
Yes. Unemployment insurance is funded by payroll taxes employers pay on wages, the claim never appears on credit reports or background checks, and future employers cannot see it. If the hesitation itself is the obstacle, whether filing is OK has its own article.
What happens to my health insurance after a layoff at John Deere?
Your plan sets the end date rather than the law, so the separation packet is where that date actually lives, and it is often the last day of the month rather than your last day of work. After coverage ends, COBRA lets you keep the identical plan by paying the whole premium yourself, up to 102 percent of what the plan really costs, which lands as several times the payroll deduction you were used to. You get 60 days to elect, counted from the later of coverage ending or the election notice arriving, and electing reaches the coverage back to the day the old plan stopped so no gap exists. How continuation coverage works walks the timing, and whether to take it rather than a marketplace plan is a separate decision.
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 John Deere?
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.