New Hampshire WARN Act: who is covered and how much notice
The rule
Businesses with 100 or more employees in New Hampshire, not counting part-time employees (or 100 or more employees working at least 3,000 hours a week combined). Written notice at least 60 days ahead of a plant closing (50 or more employees at a site in 30 days) or a mass layoff (250 or more, or 25 or more if they are 33% of the full-time employees), to the affected employees and their representatives, the commissioner of labor, the attorney general and the chief elected official of each municipality where it occurs.
How it differs from the federal rule
Notice also goes to the attorney general, and the mass-layoff count can be as low as 25 employees. An employer that skips notice owes each employee back pay and the cost of benefits for up to 60 days or half the days employed, whichever is smaller, and can face a civil penalty of up to $2,500 plus up to $100 per employee for each day of noncompliance.
This is general information, not legal advice. The federal WARN Act applies in every state as well; see the WARN Act in plain language.
Sources
New Hampshire WARN Act questions
- Does New Hampshire have its own WARN Act?
- Yes. Businesses with 100 or more employees in New Hampshire, not counting part-time employees (or 100 or more employees working at least 3,000 hours a week combined). Written notice at least 60 days ahead of a plant closing (50 or more employees at a site in 30 days) or a mass layoff (250 or more, or 25 or more if they are 33% of the full-time employees), to the affected employees and their representatives, the commissioner of labor, the attorney general and the chief elected official of each municipality where it occurs.
- How is New Hampshire's rule different from the federal WARN Act?
- Notice also goes to the attorney general, and the mass-layoff count can be as low as 25 employees. An employer that skips notice owes each employee back pay and the cost of benefits for up to 60 days or half the days employed, whichever is smaller, and can face a civil penalty of up to $2,500 plus up to $100 per employee for each day of noncompliance.
- How many days of notice does New Hampshire require?
- 60 days is the longest notice period the state's law sets for the employer's notice. The federal Act requires 60 days, and the federal rule applies in every state.
Using this
- Employers: draft the WARN notices and see the New Hampshire deadline and check whether notice is likely required.
- Workers: New Hampshire layoff notices on file and New Hampshire unemployment benefits and how to file.
- Layoffs in 2026, by month, state and company.
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