Start by writing down every deadline and every payment you expect. List your severance, health coverage, stock awards, ESPP, 401(k), any 401(k) loan and SERPLUS in one place, so nothing important gets handled in isolation while something else quietly expires.
First seven days
The documents to capture while access is still easy
The first week is about capture, not decisions. Download your separation notice, current pay statement, benefit summaries, 401(k) statement, SERPLUS election records and stock-award details while logging in is still straightforward.
Write down the official termination date and keep it visible. Bonus eligibility, equity treatment, benefit coverage and retirement-plan choices can each key off a different date.
Intel’s public leaving resource sketches what comes next: multiple possible separation payments, a 401(k) distribution packet that generally arrives within 30 days, a 30-day hold on distributions, outstanding loans that may continue through coupon payments and a refund of ESPP contributions when employment ends before a purchase period closes. That timing matters — a rushed rollover is rarely the first deadline, and your own separation packet fills in the specifics.
With the paper trail secure, the next question is how much income is about to land in one tax year.
- Termination date and each benefit end date
- Final wages, severance and any other expected checks
- 401(k) balance by source, plus any loan
- SERPLUS balance and your distribution election
- Unvested and vested stock awards
- ESPP contributions awaiting refund
- Health coverage and HSA access
- Days 1–7Capture the documents
Download the separation notice, pay statement, benefit summaries, 401(k) statement, SERPLUS election records and stock-award details while logging in is still straightforward.
- Same weekWrite down every date
The official termination date and each benefit end date — bonus eligibility, equity treatment, coverage and plan choices can each key off a different date.
- ~30 days401(k) packet and hold
A distribution packet generally arrives within 30 days, with a 30-day hold on distributions — a rushed rollover is rarely the first deadline.
- First monthRank the decisions
Sort urgent, irreversible and flexible items, then work the list by deadline and reversibility.
Money in motion
Map the income year before you touch the rollover
Final wages, variable separation pay, sabbatical or paid-time-off amounts, bonuses, equity sales and SERPLUS can all land in the same calendar year. Estimate the combined income and withholding before you commit to Roth conversions, large stock sales or retirement distributions.
Here is how the first months often play out: several checks arrive while your employer coverage ends and the job search is still open. Some of those payments may use supplemental-wage withholding, and withholding is only a prepayment toward your final tax bill. So before you invest the severance or pay off a plan loan, build a month-by-month cash forecast that covers insurance premiums, ordinary spending, expected payment dates and a tax reserve.
Your 401(k) can often stay in the Intel plan when plan rules permit, which can make the rollover a choice rather than an emergency. Compare the Intel plan, a new employer’s plan and an IRA only after you have identified Intel stock, after-tax basis, Roth sources, loans and age-based access rules. Coverage and cash come first — that is the next section.
Coverage and cash
Replace benefits deliberately, not automatically
Compare COBRA or other continuation coverage against a spouse’s plan and Marketplace coverage — premiums, deductibles, provider access and the timing of any new job all belong in that comparison. Confirm how your HSA, life insurance and disability coverage behave once employment ends.
Build a transition reserve from cash you know is coming rather than assuming every separation payment is immediately available. That reserve is what keeps you from a rushed retirement-account distribution or a forced sale of company stock.
Once coverage and cash are protected, sort the remaining decisions by how reversible they are.
Decision sequence
Sort urgent, irreversible and flexible — then work in that order
Urgent items include benefit elections, loan instructions and stock-award deadlines. Irreversible choices can include distributions, rollovers and stock sales. Portfolio allocation and longer-term retirement strategy can usually wait until the facts are complete.
An advisor experienced with Intel employees can place every decision on one timeline and coordinate the investment work with your tax professional. That sequencing is worth more than treating each account as its own project.
Put the checklist to work
Your first-month sequence after the notice
A good first month does not end with a perfectly redesigned portfolio. It ends with preserved access, captured documents, uninterrupted coverage, adequate cash and a decision list ranked by deadline and reversibility. The 401(k), the equity and the long-term plan come after that, with better information and less pressure.
Use this checklist as preparation, not as individualized advice — your current Intel documents control each of these benefits, and a tax professional should confirm the numbers for your year.
- Download your pay, benefit, stock and retirement records before access changes
- Write down your official termination date and every benefit end date
- Build a 90-day cash forecast before you commit the severance
- Confirm what happens to each stock award and your ESPP contributions
- Turn to the 401(k), the loan and SERPLUS once urgent coverage decisions are safe
Frequently asked questions
Questions employees ask next
What should I do first after an Intel layoff?
Collect the controlling documents and write down every deadline before you change accounts or investments.
Do I have to roll over my Intel 401(k) immediately?
Not necessarily. Plan terms and balance rules control whether your account may remain, so compare features before initiating a rollover.
What happens to Intel ESPP contributions after termination?
Intel’s public leaving page says contributions are refunded when employment ends before the subscription period closes — verify the timing in your own records.
Primary sources
What this guide is based on
You understand the issue
Now get help applying it to your situation.
Semiconductor Wealth connects employees with financial advisors who can help coordinate employer benefits, taxes, cash flow and investments into a clear sequence of decisions.