Final pay: check the months, not the years

When employment ends in Antigua and Barbuda, the arithmetic works differently from most of the region.

The counting unit

Severance is calculated at one day's basic pay per month of service. So your service needs to be counted in months, and each additional month adds a day.

A settlement rounded down to whole years may be short.

What should be included

• Outstanding wages to the termination date
• Accrued annual leave
• Notice pay, where notice was not given and worked
• Severance, where you have one year of service and a qualifying reason applies

Before you accept

1. Confirm your service in completed months from your real start date
2. Check the basic pay figure used — it should be the basic at termination
3. Establish whether a collective agreement applies, since those frequently give more
4. Check whether a business sale is involved, which engages the 2019 amendment
5. Confirm whether the dismissal is contested — the 21-day window matters

The formula divergence

Published guidance on Antiguan severance varies more than in most jurisdictions. If the figure you have been offered uses a different formula from the per-month calculation, ask which basis was used and confirm it with the Labour Department.

Recovery where payment is not made

The Labour Code contains provisions on recovery of severance pay. Non-payment is not the end of the matter.

If you dispute the dismissal itself

The 21-day cooling-off period for contested dismissals gives the Department of Labour room to intervene. That window is short — raise the dispute within it.

Documentation

Employers must retain records for three years after employment ends, and missing records create presumptions in your favour.

Keep your own copies regardless: contract, payslips, evidence of your start date and the termination letter.

Where to go

The Labour Department, and the Industrial Court for disputes that escalate.