McClatchy Layoff 2026: What Employees Need to Do This Week

A layoff notice from McClatchy starts five time-sensitive clocks that most employees do not know about. On September 11, 2026, McClatchy announced significant cuts across its newsroom network, affecting journalists, editors, and newspaper staff at local and regional papers around the country, including the Miami Herald. The exact number of positions has not been disclosed. What matters right now is not the headline count. It's the deadlines that start running the day your employment ends.

This article covers each one, in the order it arrives. Use our post-layoff checklist to track them as you go.

What happened

McClatchy, one of the largest local newspaper chains in the country, announced layoffs on September 11, 2026. Cuts hit multiple newsrooms across its network of local and regional papers. The Miami Herald was among the outlets affected. The company has not released a total headcount number. Affected employees span reporting, editing, and newspaper operations roles.

File for unemployment today

Unemployment insurance is a state-run benefit that replaces a portion of your wages while you look for work. In California, where McClatchy is headquartered, the maximum weekly benefit is $450 as of 2026.¹

File as soon as possible. California does not make it easy to backdate claims, and every week you delay is a week of potential benefits you may not recover. The rule most people miss: you are supposed to file during your first week of unemployment, not after you've already been out of work for a month.

File through the California EDD's UI Online portal at edd.ca.gov. You will need your Social Security number, employment history for the past 18 months, and your last employer's address. California has a one-week unpaid waiting period before benefits begin, so the clock starts running at filing, not at payment.

If you worked in one of McClatchy's newsrooms outside California, file in the state where you worked, not where McClatchy is headquartered. Benefits and portal links vary by state.

What should you do about your severance agreement?

A severance agreement is a contract. In exchange for money, you typically agree to waive certain legal claims against your employer. Before you sign anything, you need to know how much time you have.

If you are 40 years old or older, the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA) gives you specific rights.² For an individual termination, you have at least 21 days to review the agreement. Because McClatchy is conducting layoffs across multiple newsrooms simultaneously, this is almost certainly a group termination program. That means employees 40 and older get at least 45 days to review.²

Either way, you also have 7 days after you sign to revoke your signature. The agreement is not enforceable until that 7-day window closes.²

Do not let anyone pressure you to sign before these windows are up. That pressure itself can be a red flag worth noting. Use the time to read the agreement carefully. Key things to check: whether the non-disparagement clause cuts both ways, whether there is a non-compete, and whether the severance amount is the right number given your tenure. McClatchy has not publicly disclosed its severance terms, so you are working from whatever the agreement itself says.

An employment attorney can review it for a flat fee at many firms. It may be worth it.

What should you do about health insurance?

COBRA is a federal law that lets you keep your employer's health plan after you leave. The coverage is identical to what you had, which is the main advantage. The cost is the main disadvantage.

Under COBRA, you pay the full premium that you and your employer were splitting, plus a 2% administrative fee. The average individual premium for COBRA coverage in 2026 runs approximately $703 per month.³ That's real money every month.

You have 60 days from the date you lose coverage (or the date your COBRA election notice arrives, whichever is later) to elect COBRA.⁴ One thing most people don't know: COBRA coverage is retroactive. If you elect it on day 58, your coverage goes back to day one of your qualifying event. So you don't have to decide immediately, but you do have to decide within 60 days.

The alternative is the Health Insurance Marketplace. Losing employer coverage is a qualifying life event that triggers a 60-day Special Enrollment Period.⁵ You can enroll in a Marketplace plan at healthcare.gov during that window. Depending on your income for the rest of 2026, you may qualify for subsidies that bring your monthly premium down well below what COBRA would cost.

If you have ongoing prescriptions or specialist care, check that your current doctors are in-network on any Marketplace plan before you enroll. That's the trade-off worth thinking through.

What about the taxes on your severance?

Severance is ordinary income. The IRS treats it the same as your regular paycheck, with one difference: it's usually paid as a lump sum, which means it gets hit with federal supplemental wage withholding at 22%.⁶

That 22% is a withholding rate, not your actual tax rate. If your total 2026 income (salary you already earned this year, plus severance) pushes you into a higher bracket, you'll owe the difference when you file in April. It's worth running a rough estimate now rather than being surprised later.

The Q3 2026 estimated tax payment deadline was September 15, 2026.⁷ If you received a large severance payment and your withholding came up short, you may need to make an additional estimated payment to avoid an underpayment penalty. A tax professional can calculate that for you in about 20 minutes with your numbers.

California also taxes severance as ordinary income. There is no special state treatment.

What happens to your 401(k)?

Your 401(k) balance is yours. Leaving McClatchy doesn't change that. But you have decisions to make about where it lives.

You have three main options. First, you can leave it in the McClatchy plan if the plan allows it (most plans require a minimum balance, often around $5,000, to stay). Second, you can roll it directly into an IRA or a new employer's plan. Third, you can take a cash distribution, which is usually the worst option because it triggers income tax plus a 10% early withdrawal penalty if you're under 59.5.

The direct rollover is the cleanest move. The plan sends money directly to your new IRA custodian and there's no tax event. If you take an indirect rollover instead (they send you a check), you have 60 days to deposit it into a qualified account.⁸ Miss that window and the IRS treats the full amount as a taxable distribution.

Don't rush this decision, but do put the 60-day window on your calendar today if you're considering an indirect rollover. There are no extensions.

Deadlines and rules described here reflect federal law and general state guidelines as of the article date.

The Layoff Guide

The deadlines above apply whether or not you are tracking them. The Layoff Guide from Layoff HQ is a 33-page field guide that covers all twelve post-layoff deadline events in the order they arrive: unemployment, the severance review and revocation windows, COBRA and the Marketplace, your FSA, your equity window, your 401(k), and your taxes. Each event comes with timed checkpoints, the decision math, and the one mistake that costs people the most, plus a fill-in worksheet that turns your last day worked into your complete personal deadline calendar. One-time purchase. No subscription. Instant download, with a 14-day full refund if it is not useful.

Get the Layoff Guide, $39 or build your free Decision Calendar.