Laid off from KPMG.
KPMG's cuts have reached where Big 4 cuts almost never go, the partnership itself. The firm said it was eliminating about 100 U.S. audit partners, roughly 10% of them, after too few accepted a voluntary early retirement program, alongside a 4% advisory trim and a multi-year exit from federal audit work.
At a glance
What's known about KPMG severance and layoffs
- About 100, roughly 10% · U.S. audit partners in the 2026 cut
- About 400 roles, roughly 4% · U.S. advisory cut, April 2026
- About 450 staff, planned for redeployment · Federal audit exit
- 195 roles, just over 2% · October 2025 audit cut
- About 330 roles, about 4% · November 2024 audit cut
- Three weeks pay plus service-based amount, June 2023 · Severance formula on record
- None in our tracker · WARN filings since the start of 2025
Recent KPMG layoffs
Partner-level cuts and a federal business exit
In April 2026 KPMG said it was eliminating about 100 U.S. audit partners, roughly 10% of them, after too few accepted a voluntary early retirement program, and days later told staff it was cutting about 400 advisory roles, roughly 4% of that business. The firm also said it was starting a multi-year transition out of federal audit work, with about 450 people planned for redeployment to other jobs rather than layoffs.
Previous rounds
KPMG layoff history
Getting cut is hard enough without having to piece together what happened from trade-press numbers, and at KPMG your round probably had a figure attached to it before anyone explained it to you. Five of them sit on the U.S. record since early 2023. February 2023 removed nearly 700 people from advisory. June 2023 was far bigger, about 1,950 across tax, audit and advisory, roughly 5% of a 39,000-person U.S. workforce, partners included. Then came 330 audit roles in November 2024 and 195 more in October 2025. For June 2023, November 2024 and October 2025, and again for the 2026 partner action, KPMG gave the same core explanation, that too few people were leaving on their own.
April 2026 went somewhere the earlier rounds didn't. KPMG said it was eliminating about 100 partners in its U.S. audit and assurance practice, roughly 10% of its audit partners, after a voluntary early retirement program drew too few takers. The firm called it rightsizing and part of a multiyear effort to get the ratio of partners right, said the cuts weren't performance-related, and declined to explain how it chose which partners would go. That practice counted about 1,400 partners and managing directors in a 2025 audit quality report, and managing directors weren't in scope. About a week later, staff heard that roughly 400 advisory roles, about 4% of that business, were going too, mostly consultants in regulatory risk advisory, customer operations and financial services, with no partners in that round.
The federal audit exit works differently from the rest of it, and the difference matters if you were in that business. KPMG said it was transitioning out of federal audit roles over an orderly multi-year process and redeploying those professionals across the firm, with about 450 people planned for moves to other jobs rather than layoffs. The Financial Times reported that the exit followed KPMG losing a Defense Department contract worth $60 million a year that mainly served the Army, and KPMG had audited the Army for over a decade. That's a plan the firm announced rather than a placement anyone has confirmed for you, so it's worth getting your own move in writing. Our WARN filing tracker holds 2 all-time filings under the KPMG name, and 0 filings covering 0 jobs since the start of 2025, so none of these rounds surfaced there.
What all of that leaves you with is your own paperwork. No severance schedule has been published for any of these rounds. The one numeric figure on record came from June 2023, when a named spokesperson described three weeks of pay plus severance based on years worked. After that the descriptions name categories without amounts, severance with extended health benefits and career transition services in October 2025 and financial assistance with extended health and well-being benefits and career services in 2026, while November 2024 has no terms on record. Departing partners were told only that they would receive financial packages and placement support, which sits in partnership arrangements rather than any employee plan. So read the release agreement in front of you for how any service-based amount is calculated, the date your benefits actually end, and what signing it gives up, because your agreement sets your terms whatever a given round was reported to pay.
Reporting on previous KPMG layoff rounds
April 2026 · About 100 U.S. audit partners, roughly 10% of them, plus about 400 advisory roles, roughly 4% of that business. KPMG said about 450 federal audit staff were planned for redeployment to other jobs as part of a multi-year transition out of that work.
Amounts not published. KPMG said departing partners would get financial packages and placement support, and that affected advisory colleagues would get financial assistance, extended health and well-being benefits, and career services.
October 2025 · 195 people from the U.S. audit business, just over 2% of that workforce, which KPMG tied to its multi-year audit transformation and to persistently low attrition
KPMG said it provided severance, access to extended health benefits, and career transition services. Amounts not published.
November 2024 · About 330 roles in U.S. audit, about 4% of roughly 9,000 auditing staff, reported as a response to too few people leaving on their own
June 2023 · About 1,950 employees, roughly 5% of a then 39,000-person U.S. workforce, across tax, audit and advisory, with partners included
Three weeks of pay plus severance based on years worked, per a named KPMG spokesperson.
February 2023 · Nearly 700 people in the U.S. advisory business, close to 2% of total U.S. staff, with some advisory staff moved into tax and audit instead
KPMG described severance, health care, emotional and well-being support, career counseling, and learning and development. Amounts not published.
How KPMG's layoffs compare to other companies
KPMG's cuts have reached its own partners twice on this record. The June 2023 round included partners, and the April 2026 action covered about 100 audit partners, which KPMG called rightsizing and said wasn't performance-related.
What to do after being laid off from KPMG
- File for unemployment in the state where you worked. Benefits run from your filing date, and severance usually doesn't block you. KPMG's biggest hubs: New York, New Jersey, Texas, Florida. 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 KPMG's hub states run: New York, New Jersey, Texas, Florida, 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.
KPMG layoff and severance questions
Is KPMG cutting partners as well as staff?
Yes. In April 2026 KPMG said it was eliminating about 100 partners in its U.S. audit and assurance practice, roughly 10% of its audit partners, after too few accepted a voluntary early retirement program. The firm called it rightsizing, said the cuts weren't performance-related, and declined to say how it picked. The June 2023 round included partners too, according to a named KPMG spokesperson.
What severance does KPMG pay?
No schedule has been published for any of these rounds, and the terms varied. The clearest figure on record is June 2023, when a KPMG spokesperson described three weeks of pay plus severance based on years worked. Later rounds were described by category only, such as severance with extended health benefits and career transition services in October 2025. Partner exits ran through partnership arrangements rather than employee severance. For employees, the agreement in your own paperwork sets the terms.
Did KPMG file WARN notices for its layoffs?
None of these rounds appears in our WARN filing tracker. It holds 2 all-time filings under the KPMG name, and 0 filings covering 0 jobs since the start of 2025. Anyone looking to confirm their round will find it in the company's own statements and the trade reporting instead, and their separation paperwork is what sets their terms.
How many rounds of layoffs has KPMG had since 2023?
Five dated U.S. rounds are on record here. February 2023 cut nearly 700 advisory roles, June 2023 about 1,950 across the firm, November 2024 about 330 in audit, October 2025 another 195 in audit, and April 2026 about 100 audit partners alongside about 400 advisory roles. Counts published elsewhere differ, because some start from a 2022 round and some fold in KPMG's U.K. cuts.
Which KPMG teams were cut in 2026?
The April 2026 advisory layoffs mainly hit consultants in regulatory risk advisory, customer operations and financial services, and no partners were part of that round. The separate partner action hit the U.S. audit and assurance practice, where managing directors weren't included. KPMG also said it was starting a multi-year transition out of federal audit roles, with about 450 people planned for redeployment to other jobs across the firm.
Where do I file for unemployment after being laid off from KPMG?
In the state where you worked, not where the company is headquartered. KPMG's biggest U.S. hubs are New York, New Jersey, Texas, Florida. 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 KPMG?
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 KPMG?
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 KPMG?
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.