Plain-words guide

You signed. Now you are not sure. The 7-day window is real.

For workers 40 and older, federal law builds a cooling-off period into every severance agreement: 7 days after signing to change your mind (the law calls it revocation). Until those days run out, the agreement is not in effect at all.

How revocation works

The 7 days are calendar days starting the day after you sign. To revoke, follow the agreement's own instructions exactly — most name a person or address and require written notice — and keep proof of delivery (an email with a read receipt, a courier confirmation, a timestamped hand-delivery). A revocation that arrives on day 7 counts; one that arrives on day 8 does not, and 'I mailed it on day 6' arguments are ones nobody enjoys. When in doubt, deliver early and in two ways.

What happens after you revoke

The deal unwinds: no severance under that agreement, and your claims stay intact. The company may re-offer (sometimes the same paper, sometimes better), or not. Revocation is therefore a decision, not a tactic — use it when you have learned something that changes the math (a defect in the paperwork, a fact about the layoff, advice from counsel), not as a bluff.

State windows that add to the federal one

New York gives 7 days to revoke agreements covered by its confidentiality statute (any age). Minnesota gives 15 days to rescind a release under its Human Rights Act. Oregon gives 7 days to take back covered discrimination-claim agreements with confidentiality terms you requested. Your state page carries the details and citations. Run your exact dates — signing day in, last revocation day out — in the checker.

If your window is closing today and the stakes are high, an employment attorney's same-day call is the right spend — lawyer-referral services at your state bar can usually place you within hours.

Go deeper

Included in the $49 SeveranceDecoded Kit

The clause-by-clause decoder — every clause in plain words: what it means, what to look for, the exact questions to raise
The paperwork audit (the legal checklist) — every item the law names for workers 40+, checked against your documents
The group layoff list audit (Exhibit A) — titles and ages of who was picked and who was not, checked line by line. No other tool does this
The negotiation playbook — what companies actually move on (money, dates, stock deadlines, the non-compete, your reference) and the words that move them
Ready-to-send scripts: asking for more time, asking for changes, and the change-your-mind letter (revocation)
The red-flag page — the short list of facts that mean a lawyer's paid hour is worth it, and how to find one who does this daily

Get the SeveranceDecoded Kit — $49

One payment. Yours to keep. Works for any severance agreement, any state.