---
title: "Kazakhstan Termination & Severance 2026"
description: "Kazakhstan termination 2026: severance runs 1 month average salary for redundancy, 2 months for an economic-decline cut, with 1 month employer notice."
canonical: https://www.teamed.global/country-hiring-guides/kazakhstan/termination-and-severance
---

Kazakhstan · Termination child

Served by Teamed vetted partner-entity network in Kazakhstan

# How do you *terminate an employee in Kazakhstan* in 2026?

Cut a role in Kazakhstan and the severance bill depends on why. A plain redundancy owes 1 month of average salary. A cut driven by falling output that worsens your finances owes 2 months. Either way you also give 1 month written notice first.

Last reviewed 13 June 2026 · Kazakhstan guide

![Warm late-afternoon light over the Bayterek Tower and the government district skyline in Astana, Kazakhstan.](/images/country-guides/kazakhstan-termination-severance.webp)

Illustration · Astana, Kazakhstan

Answer.cite this

You cannot fire at will in Kazakhstan. You need a valid legal ground from the Labour Code. Get it wrong and a court can order the job back.

Severance depends on the reason. A redundancy owes 1 month of average salary. A cut forced by falling output owes 2 months. You give 1 month written notice before either.

There is no general statutory severance for misconduct or resignation. Pay-for-job-loss is tied to specific employer-led grounds. ([Labour Code Art. 131](https://tkrk.kz/chast-2/razdel-2/glava-7/statya-131))

An unlawful dismissal is expensive. A court can reinstate the worker and order average wages for the whole forced-absence period. ([Labour Code Art. 161](https://tkrk.kz/chast-3/razdel-4/glava-15/statya-161))

## What are the valid grounds to terminate in Kazakhstan?

You need a legal ground to dismiss. The Labour Code lists them. Liquidation, staff reduction, misconduct, failed probation, and an economic-decline cut are the main employer-led ones.

No ground means no lawful dismissal. A court can reinstate the worker and order back pay. ([Labour Code Art. 36 and Art. 52](https://tkrk.kz/chast-2/razdel-2/glava-2/statya-36))

Kazakhstan does not allow termination at will. The [Labour Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan](https://adilet.zan.kz/eng/docs/K1500000414) sets out the grounds an employer can rely on, and you must point to one before you act. The most common employer-initiated grounds are liquidation of the business, a genuine reduction in staff numbers, proven misconduct, and failing a probationary period.

### Employer-led grounds you will use most

1. **Liquidation**, where the legal entity or the employer's activity ends
2. **Staff reduction**, a genuine cut to headcount or to a position
3. **Economic decline**, where falling output of works or services worsens the employer's financial position
4. **Misconduct**, including repeated breaches or a single gross breach of duties
5. **Failed probation**, where the worker does not meet the role during the trial period

Some protections sit on top of the grounds. Dismissing a pregnant employee, a parent of a young child, or a worker during certified sick leave or annual leave is tightly restricted under the Labour Code. These are prose protections, not numbers, and they apply regardless of the ground you pick. Treat any dismissal touching one of these groups as a matter for a real HR and legal expert before notice goes out.

### Probation and the trial-period exit

The probationary period is the cheapest lawful exit, because it carries no job-loss severance. The general maximum is 3 months, and it counts toward the worker's length of service. For heads of organisations and their deputies, chief accountants and their deputies, and heads of branches, it can run to 6 months. A failed-probation dismissal must still be documented and the worker told in writing before the period ends.

1. Fix the legal ground Anchor the dismissal to a Labour Code ground before anything else: liquidation, staff reduction, economic decline, misconduct, or failed probation. The ground you record sets the notice and the severance you owe.
2. Check protected status Confirm the worker is not pregnant, a parent of a young child, or on certified sick or annual leave. These groups carry restricted protection and need a real HR and legal expert before notice goes out.
3. Serve written notice For a liquidation or a staff reduction, give the written notice the law requires. A contract or collective agreement can extend it but never shorten it.
4. Calculate the job-loss payment Work out average monthly salary over the reference period and apply the multiple for your ground. A redundancy and an economic-decline cut carry different multiples.
5. Run the final settlement Pay severance, accrued annual leave, and salary to the leaving date on the monthly cycle, no later than the 10th of the following month. Deduct income tax and pension on the final run.

## How much notice must you give a Kazakhstan employee?

For a redundancy or a liquidation, you give at least 1 month written notice. A contract or collective agreement can set a longer period.

Notice is the start of the process, not the whole of it. You still need a valid ground and the job-loss payment on top. ([Labour Code Art. 53](https://tkrk.kz/chast-2/razdel-2/glava-4/statya-53))

The headline notice rule covers the two employer-led grounds buyers ask about most: liquidation and staff reduction. [Article 53 of the Labour Code](https://tkrk.kz/chast-2/razdel-2/glava-4/statya-53) sets the floor at one month, and a written contract or collective agreement can raise it but never lower it.

| Ground for dismissal | Minimum employer notice |
| --- | --- |
| Liquidation of the employer | 1 month |
| Staff or headcount reduction (redundancy) | 1 month |
| Failed probation | Before the probation period ends |
| Misconduct grounds | Per the Labour Code procedure for the specific ground |

The notice clock and the job-loss payment are separate duties. Serving notice does not discharge the severance. You owe both, and you document both in writing.

### Working time that shapes a final pay run

Full-time hours are capped at 40 hours per week, which sets the base for any overtime or accrued balances carried into the final settlement. Unused annual leave is a cash liability on exit: the law grants 24 days per working year, paid out at the daily rate for any days the worker has not taken.

## How is severance calculated in Kazakhstan?

Severance is a multiple of average monthly salary, and the reason sets the multiple. A plain redundancy or liquidation owes 1 month of average salary.

A dismissal forced by falling output that worsens the employer's finances owes more: 2 months of average salary. ([Labour Code Art. 131](https://tkrk.kz/chast-2/razdel-2/glava-7/statya-131))

Kazakhstan does not use a tenure-based formula like the UK. The job-loss payment under [Article 131 of the Labour Code](https://tkrk.kz/chast-2/razdel-2/glava-7/statya-131) is a flat multiple of the worker's average monthly salary, and the multiple turns on the ground.

| Reason for the dismissal | Compensation for job loss |
| --- | --- |
| Liquidation of the employer | 1 month average salary |
| Staff or headcount reduction (redundancy) | 1 month average salary |
| Economic-decline cut (falling output worsens finances) | 2 months average salary |

The economic-decline ground is the trap. It doubles the payment, so an employer reaching for it to justify a cost-driven cut owes 2 months of average salary rather than the 1 month a standard redundancy carries. The ground you record on the order is the ground that sets the bill.

### What feeds average salary

Average monthly salary is built from the worker's actual earnings over the reference period, not the headline base alone. Bonuses and allowances that form part of pay can pull it up. There is no statutory 13th or 14th month salary in Kazakhstan, so an annual bonus only counts if your contract created it and it falls inside the reference window.

### The wage floor behind the maths

Average salary cannot sink below the legal minimum. The statutory minimum monthly wage for 2026 is KZT 85,000/month, unchanged from 2025. Most reference thresholds in the Labour Code are pegged to the Monthly Calculation Index, set at KZT 4,325/month for 2026.

## What happens if a Kazakhstan dismissal is unlawful?

An unlawful dismissal is reversible. A court can put the worker back in the job and order average wages for the whole forced-absence period.

Back pay is not unlimited. Awards for forced absence are capped, but the exposure is real and it sits on top of any severance you still owe. ([Labour Code Art. 161](https://tkrk.kz/chast-3/razdel-4/glava-15/statya-161))

Republic of Kazakhstan · Labour Code Art. 161

A worker reinstated by a court is paid average wages for the entire period of forced absence. The remedy is reinstatement plus back pay, and it lands on top of the 1 month or 2 months of average salary the original dismissal already required.

Source: [Labour Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Art. 161](https://tkrk.kz/chast-3/razdel-4/glava-15/statya-161)

Kazakhstan has no separate fixed-window collective-redundancy framework with day-count consultation periods of the kind the UK or France runs. The protection for a wrongly dismissed worker sits in the courts instead. [Article 161](https://tkrk.kz/chast-3/razdel-4/glava-15/statya-161) lets a court restore the worker to the former job and order average wages for the whole forced-absence period, with back pay capped rather than open-ended.

That makes procedure the real cost control. A dismissal that names the wrong ground, skips the written notice, or hits a protected worker is the dismissal a court unwinds. The cheapest dismissal is the one that holds up the first time, because reinstatement plus back pay can dwarf the severance you set out to pay.

### Where group cuts add risk

A larger reorganisation multiplies the same exposure across every worker. There is no single statutory consultation window to count down, so each individual dismissal must stand on its own valid ground and clean paperwork. One badly recorded ground in a batch can pull a whole cut into dispute.

## Can you agree a mutual exit in Kazakhstan?

Yes. The Labour Code recognises ending employment by agreement of the parties. It is often the cleanest route out of a contested situation.

A mutual exit sidesteps the ground-and-notice machinery. Both sides sign the terms and the worker waives the dispute.

Termination by agreement of the parties is a recognised ground under the [Labour Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan](https://adilet.zan.kz/eng/docs/K1500000414). It lets an employer and a worker close the relationship on agreed terms, without relying on a redundancy or a misconduct finding, which is why it is the common route when a clean break matters more than the headline cost.

A typical Kazakhstan mutual exit records:

- **The agreed leaving date**, set by both sides rather than a notice clock
- **The final payment breakdown**, covering salary to the leaving date and any agreed lump sum
- **Accrued annual leave**, the unused part of the 24 days entitlement, paid out in cash
- **Any agreed extra amount**, where the parties want to settle above the legal floor
- **A waiver of claims**, which heads off a later reinstatement action

Final pay timing follows the normal Kazakhstan rule. Wages run at least once a month and no later than the 10th of the following month, so terminal sums fall due on the same monthly cycle rather than on a fixed post-exit day count. Get the agreement signed before the last working day so the final run is clean.

## How Teamed runs Kazakhstan terminations

Teamed is your legal [employer of record](/lp/employer-of-record) in Kazakhstan. The cost is [**from $599 per employee per month**](/pricing), with **zero FX mark-up** in any currency. Every Kazakhstan termination runs through Teamed's operations team.

We handle the ground, the 1 month notice, the severance maths, and the accrued-leave payout. It all runs on **one platform**. The decision on who to let go, and why, stays yours.

**Real HR and legal experts** handle your Kazakhstan hires, from the first contract through every monthly payroll run and statutory deduction. **An actual person**, not a chatbot or a pooled queue. There is **no setup fee** and **no exit fee**, and employer cost **passes through at cost, itemised** on every invoice.

The split of responsibilities under EOR for Kazakhstan terminations:

| What Teamed handles | What the client decides |
| --- | --- |
| Recording a valid Labour Code ground before any notice goes out | Whether to dismiss, why, and on what timeline |
| The 1 month written notice for liquidation or staff reduction | Performance standards and what counts as misconduct |
| Severance at 1 month or 2 months of average salary, by ground | Whether to offer terms above the legal floor |
| Average-salary calculation and the accrued-leave payout | Whether a mutual exit is the cleaner route |
| Final payroll on the monthly cycle, by the 10th of the next month | Communication with the wider team |
| Income tax at 10% and 15% plus pension deductions on the final run | Reference wording and any waiver terms |

Kazakhstan has no fixed collective-consultation window, but the real risk is naming the wrong ground or hitting a protected worker. Teamed checks the ground and the paperwork on every dismissal before notice is served.

EOR, contractors, and entity employees all live on **one platform**. A worker hired through Teamed's Kazakhstan network can **graduate** to your own Kazakhstan legal presence when headcount makes entity formation the right call, **until it isn't**. Run the [Crossover Calculator](https://www.teamed.global/tools/crossover-calculator) to see when the model flips. Start from the [Kazakhstan hiring overview](/country-hiring-guides/kazakhstan).

Key sources: [Labour Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 414-V](https://adilet.zan.kz/eng/docs/K1500000414) and the [Tax Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan](https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K1700000120). See how it lines up against a notice-led regime in [Egypt termination and severance](/country-hiring-guides/egypt/termination-and-severance).

## Frequently asked questions

How much severance must you pay in Kazakhstan in 2026?

It depends on the ground. A dismissal for liquidation or a staff reduction owes 1 month of the worker's average monthly salary under Article 131 of the Labour Code. A dismissal driven by a drop in output that worsens the employer's finances owes 2 months. There is no general tenure-based severance for misconduct or resignation.

How much notice must you give a Kazakhstan employee?

For a liquidation or a staff reduction, the employer must give at least 1 month written notice under Article 53 of the Labour Code. A contract or collective agreement can set a longer period but cannot go below the legal floor. Notice and the job-loss payment are separate duties, so you owe both.

Can you fire an employee at will in Kazakhstan?

No. You need a valid ground from the Labour Code, such as liquidation, staff reduction, misconduct, or failed probation. A dismissal without a lawful ground can be reversed in court. Under Article 161 a court can reinstate the worker to the former job and order average wages for the whole period of forced absence, with back pay capped.

What is the maximum probation period in Kazakhstan?

The general maximum is 3 months, and it counts toward the worker's length of service. For heads of organisations and their deputies, chief accountants and their deputies, and heads of branches, it can run to 6 months. A failed-probation dismissal carries no job-loss severance, which makes it the cheapest lawful exit when used properly.

Is there a 13th month salary in Kazakhstan?

No. There is no statutory 13th or 14th month salary in Kazakhstan. Any annual bonus is discretionary or contractual. It only feeds the average-salary calculation behind severance if your contract created it and it falls inside the reference window.

When is final pay due after termination in Kazakhstan?

Final pay follows the normal wage rule. Wages are paid in national currency at least once a month, no later than the 10th of the following month, so terminal sums fall due on the same monthly cycle rather than on a fixed post-exit day count. The final run covers salary to the leaving date, severance where it applies, and any unused part of the 24 days annual leave entitlement.

Teamed Legal Operations

The costly Kazakhstan mistake we see is reaching for the economic-decline ground to justify a cost cut. It doubles the severance to two months of average salary, and if the ground does not hold, a court can reinstate the worker and order back pay on top. Pick the right ground first, then count the cost.

A note from Tom Price-Daniel

In Kazakhstan the reason you give sets the bill. A redundancy owes 1 month of average salary, an economic-decline cut owes 2 months.  
Name the wrong ground and a court can put the worker back in the job with back pay.  
Get the ground right before the conversation starts, not after.

Tom Price-Daniel · Co-founder, Teamed

## Related Kazakhstan guides

- [Hiring in Kazakhstan, overview](/country-hiring-guides/kazakhstan)parent
- [Egypt termination and severance](/country-hiring-guides/egypt/termination-and-severance)neighbour
- [Employer of Record overview](/lp/employer-of-record)core
- [Pricing, Zero FX Fixed](/pricing)core
- [EOR vs Entity Crossover Calculator](https://www.teamed.global/tools/crossover-calculator)tool
- [Employer Cost Calculator](https://www.teamed.global/tools/employer-cost)tool
- [Talk to an expert](https://www.teamed.global/contact)CTA

A note on this page.

This is a guide, not legal, tax or accounting advice. Rules change and vary by jurisdiction, so verify current requirements with the relevant authorities, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the State Revenue Committee, or speak to a qualified professional before relying on any specific framework. A progressive individual income tax scale of 10 percent and 15 percent took effect on 1 January 2026 under the new Tax Code; monitor the State Revenue Committee for guidance that may affect final pay calculations.