Microsoft’s buyout offer to 60,000 staff includes base pay, health insurance, stock vesting: report

Microsoft’s Chief People Officer, Amy Coleman, said that some employees in its Canada, India, UK, and US organisations are eligible for the buyout.

Microsoft has extended voluntary buyout offers to nearly 60,000 employees across the US, UK, Canada, and India. Amy Coleman, Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer, in a communication shared with Microsoft employees on October 26, said that this offer “gives eligible employees who may be considering a future outside the company a new choice to make that transition now with support.”

A sign on the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington, US, October 26, 2026. (REUTERS)

In a recent report, Business Insider has shared what is included in the buyout offered by the tech giant.

According to the report, payouts are structured around an internal experience scale for employees from level 59 to Level 70. Staff at Level 64 and below will receive one week of base pay for every six months of service at the company. Those ranked from Levels 65 to 67 will receive two weeks of base pay per six months, with overall financial severance capped at 39 weeks of pay. The standard severance offer for level 68 includes 12 months of salary.

Beyond compensation, the voluntary exit deal includes equity protections to help leaving workers retain their earned stock rewards. Depending on their specific tenure and job tier, eligible employees will receive between 6 to 12 months of accelerated stock vesting. Microsoft is offering extended healthcare subsidies as part of the package. Eligible employees have until early December to decide whether to accept the exit terms.

Coleman, in the internal memo, also shared “What employees should know”.

“This offer will be available to eligible employees in participating teams in Canada, India, the United Kingdom and the United States at level 70 and below. This is a time-limited, voluntary program that gives those who are eligible the opportunity to leave Microsoft with financial support and career planning resources. Some organizations are providing the Voluntary Exit Offer, and some are not. Participation varies based on each business’s priorities, customer commitments and workforce needs. Eligible employees will receive an email with a link to their Voluntary Exit Offer details within the next few hours.”

Earlier this year, Google offered voluntary exit packages to some employees. At the time, the company’s chief business officer, Philipp Schindler, said that some employees could leave with severance packages.