Job Loss Money Action Plan

Who this is for

The money side of losing a job, on two pages. The first cuts the monthly budget to essentials; the second checks the final pay against your paperwork, lists the calls for week one and shows how long your money lasts.

Anyone who has been made redundant, dismissed or reached the end of a contract, and anyone told their job is at risk who wants the figures ready before the last day.

What this helps you track

• Essential monthly costs cut back, against what you usually pay
• Each part of the final pay, expected against what actually arrived
• The calls to lenders, landlord, insurers and benefit offices in week one
• How many months savings and final pay would cover the essentials
• Job search registrations and contacts, kept with the money plan

How to use it

1. Write the employer, your last working day, the savings you could use and any other income you will have each month.
2. List your essential costs with what you usually pay and the lowest you could get each one down to, and tick the ones you can pause.
3. On the second page, write what your contract, letters and final payslip say you are owed, then what actually reached your account.
4. Work through the first-week list and note in the action column who you spoke to and what was agreed.
5. The bare-bones total, the months your money lasts and the differences are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, add and divide.
6. Keep the plan beside your job search notes and update it as income starts again.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How is the number of months worked out?

The savings you could use plus the final pay received, divided by the bare-bones monthly total less any other income you have. It is a planning figure from your own entries, not a forecast.

How do I know what I am owed in final pay?

From your contract, your notice or redundancy letter and your final payslip. Rules on notice, holiday and redundancy pay differ by country, so check the rules where you are, or ask an adviser if a figure looks wrong.

How is this different from the emergency fund planner?

The emergency fund planner helps you build a cushion before anything happens. This plan is for when the income has stopped: checking what you are paid on the way out and stretching what you have.

Should I stop paying my debts?

The sheet does not decide that. List minimum payments as essentials and contact lenders early; the bills and debts priority worksheet helps you put them in order, and free debt advice services can help too.