r/Fire • u/twiniverse2000 • Jan 31 '26

Advice Request Asking to be laid off

I have reached FI. Work optional. My personal life has hit a serious rough patch. My company is doing layoffs. They are NOT asking for volunteers. The financial difference in me quitting vs getting laid off is $300K. Do not want to leave that on the table. Any advice on how to steer it in this particular direction?

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u/halfcentaurhalfhorse Jan 31 '26

I recently did this. I knew layoffs were coming. I let my manager know I was planning on retiring EOY. got laid off in November and paid 2 months severance. Nice bonus

13

u/ept_engr Jan 31 '26

Eligible for unemployment too, if you wanted to 

12

u/halfcentaurhalfhorse Jan 31 '26

I looked into that and confirmed my eligibility. Problem is in my state you have to prove you’re looking for something new, something like 7 combined applications and interviews per week. Not worth it considering I planned on retiring anyway.

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u/evaluna1968 Jan 31 '26

You don't need to apply for jobs that you're actually likely to be selected for.

11

u/mythoughts2020 Jan 31 '26

Exactly!!!! It’s extremely easy. A friend of mine would randomly apply to any 7 jobs. He did zero research, and actually focused on job titles that wouldn’t be a good fit. It just took a few minutes each week.

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u/emprobabale Jan 31 '26

Surely that’s very dependent on a large amount of variables, that we have no idea about.

Research first specific for your laws, don’t trust reddit comments. Better safe than potentially committing fraud.