How long do I have to sign a severance agreement?

Under the federal Older Workers Benefit Protection Act, a release of age-discrimination claims is generally only valid if you were given at least 21 days to consider it — or 45 days when the layoff affects a group or class of employees, in which case the employer also has to disclose the job titles and ages of everyone selected and not selected.

You can sign earlier than the full period if you want to. You can't be pressured into it, and the period has to be genuinely offered.

For those same age-claim releases, you generally get 7 days after signing to revoke, and the agreement doesn't take effect until that window closes. Employers often hold the payment until after the revocation period expires. Revocation usually has to be in writing and delivered the specific way the document requires — follow those instructions exactly.

There's no federal consideration or revocation period. The deadline is whatever the agreement says, though state law occasionally imposes its own requirements, and a few states have specific rules for non-competes that include review periods before signing.

A 3-day or 7-day deadline on an agreement that releases age claims for someone 40 or older is a real problem for the employer, not just an inconvenience for you — it can make that portion of the release unenforceable. It's also a signal the document was pulled from a template without legal review, which usually means other terms deserve scrutiny too.

Asking for more time is normal and rarely refused. A short written request — "I'd like to have this reviewed before signing; can we extend to [date]?" — is enough.

• Write down the exact signing date and the revocation end date. Don't rely on memory.
• Get the document read properly in the first day or two, not the last.
• Send any requests in writing, well before the deadline, with a specific ask.
• Talk to an employment attorney before the revocation window closes, not after.