Severance pay calculator Belize 2026

Severance pay in Belize starts after 5 years years of continuous service. From 5 years to 10 years years it is 1 week week of wages for each complete year, and above 10 years years it is 2 weeks weeks for each complete year.

Enter your monthly pay, your start date, your last day and the reason the job ended. The calculator counts complete years and gives the amount.

How it's calculated

Section 183 of the Labour Act applies when the employer ends the job for reasons that do not amount to dismissal, when a worker retires at 60 or older or on medical grounds, and, after ten years, when a fixed-term contract ends.
After at least ten years, a worker who resigns is eligible for a gratuity equal to the severance pay.
For a worker with more than ten years, service before 1 May 2011 is paid at one week for each complete year and service after that date at two weeks.
The weekly wage is basic wages for the 12 months before the end of the job, divided by 52.

An example

An employee on BZ$2,000 a month started on 2 February 2015 and the employer ends the job on 29 October 2026. That is 11 complete years at 2 weeks each, or 22 weeks.

One week is BZ$461.54, so the severance pay is BZ$10,153.85.

Frequently asked questions

When is severance pay due in Belize?

After 5 years years of continuous service when the employer ends the job without a dismissal for cause, or on retirement at 60 or older or on medical grounds.

How much is it?

1 week week of wages per complete year up to 10 years years, and 2 weeks weeks per complete year above that.

Do I get severance if I resign?

Only after at least ten years of continuous service, as a gratuity equal to severance pay.

Does accepting severance end my continuous service?

Yes. Section 184 says accepting severance pay ends the continuous period of employment.

Key terms

Continuous employment: Service with the same employer that has not been broken, counting leave, lay-offs of up to six months and strikes.
Gratuity: A payment on resigning after ten years, equal to severance pay.