Termination in Georgia: Notice, Severance, Final Pay, and EOR Offboarding

Georgia is not an at-will employment market. If a company hires through an employer of record, the client may manage the employee's daily work, but the EOR is still the legal employer. That makes offboarding a coordinated legal, payroll, documentation, access, and communication process.

This guide explains the Georgia-specific termination rules buyers should understand before hiring. For provider selection and shortlist criteria, start with the main guide to the best EOR in Georgia.

Quick Answer

The Labour Code lists the termination grounds for Georgian employment agreements. For certain employer-led terminations, the employer must provide either 30 calendar days of written notice with at least one month's remuneration as severance, or three calendar days of written notice with at least two months' remuneration. Employees may request written substantiation, and the employer must provide it within seven calendar days after the request. Final settlement is generally due within seven calendar days after termination, unless the agreement or law provides otherwise.

For an EOR-managed employee, the client manager should not begin a termination conversation before the EOR reviews the grounds, documentation, notice, severance, unused leave, final pay, equipment return, and employee communication plan.

Georgia Termination Facts

Lawful Grounds Matter

The Labour Code lists termination grounds. These include economic or organizational downsizing, expiry of the employment agreement, completion of work, employee resignation, written agreement between the parties, qualification mismatch, gross breach, repeated breach after disciplinary action, long-term incapacity, liquidation, and other objective circumstances.

That list matters because a foreign manager may be used to a more flexible system. In Georgia, the first question is not "Do we want to end this employment relationship?" It is "Which legal ground applies, and do we have the documentation to support it?"

For EOR hiring, the EOR should help test:

• the legal ground;
• the facts supporting that ground;
• disciplinary history, if relevant;
• policy documents;
• written warnings;
• performance documentation;
• leave or protected-status issues;
• final pay; and
• employee communication timing.

Notice and Severance

For certain employer-led terminations, the Labour Code gives two notice-and-severance paths. The employer may provide 30 calendar days of written notice and at least one month's remuneration as severance, or it may provide three calendar days of written notice and at least two months' remuneration.

The shorter notice path is not a shortcut to skip review. It can be more expensive and still requires the correct legal basis and documentation.

Before choosing a path, ask:

• Which termination ground applies?
• Does that ground fall into the notice-and-severance rules?
• Is there a protected leave or pregnancy issue?
• What is the employee's monthly remuneration?
• What unused leave is owed?
• What expenses or allowances remain unpaid?
• What local documents are required?

Written Substantiation and Disputes

After receiving notice, an employee may request written substantiation of the termination grounds. The employer must provide the written substantiation within seven calendar days after the request.

This is one reason the EOR and local advisor should be involved before the termination conversation. If the employee asks for substantiation, the company should not be reconstructing the rationale after the fact.

The file should already contain:

• employment agreement;
• role description;
• performance records;
• policy documents;
• warnings or disciplinary notices;
• relevant manager notes;
• payroll and leave records;
• proposed notice or mutual agreement;
• final-pay calculation; and
• communication plan.

Final Pay and Unused Leave

When employment ends, the employer must generally make final settlement within no more than seven calendar days, unless the employment agreement or law provides otherwise. The Labour Code also requires unused leave compensation when employment is terminated on the employer's initiative, in proportion to the duration of labour relations.

For EOR offboarding, final pay should include a review of:

• salary through termination date;
• unpaid overtime;
• bonus or commission treatment;
• allowances;
• reimbursable expenses;
• unused leave;
• severance, if applicable;
• deductions;
• tax withholding;
• pension contributions; and
• equipment or asset return.

The EOR should explain how the final payslip will look and when the employee will receive payment. For the payroll mechanics behind tax, pension, pay timing, and corrections, see payroll in Georgia.

EOR Offboarding Workflow

A Georgia termination should be treated as a workflow, not a manager call.

Use this sequence:

1. Identify the business or performance issue.
2. Gather documentation.
3. Contact the EOR before speaking with the employee.
4. Confirm the legal ground.
5. Check protected-status and leave issues.
6. Decide notice and severance path.
7. Calculate final pay and unused leave.
8. Prepare written documents.
9. Coordinate system access and equipment return.
10. Communicate with the employee through the approved channel.
11. Retain the termination file.

Borderless AI support documentation directs employees to contact Borderless AI for payroll, taxes, insurance, benefits, legal forms and compliance, timesheet processing, background checks, and termination legalities. For a Georgia hire, ask Borderless AI who owns offboarding review and how fast the EOR responds when the client manager raises a termination issue.

Common Termination Mistakes

Avoid these mistakes:

• treating Georgia like an at-will market;
• starting a termination conversation before EOR review;
• relying on a vague performance concern;
• choosing a fixed-term contract only to make termination feel easier;
• ignoring protected leave or pregnancy issues;
• failing to calculate unused leave;
• missing written substantiation timing;
• delaying final settlement;
• cutting system access before the communication plan is ready; and
• using a foreign template without local review.

Questions to Ask a Georgia EOR

Before hiring, ask each provider:

1. Who owns employer-led termination review?
2. Which Georgian termination grounds do you review against?
3. How do you handle substantiation requests?
4. How are notice and severance calculated?
5. Who calculates unused leave?
6. How is final settlement paid?
7. What documents are prepared before the employee conversation?
8. How do you coordinate equipment return and system access?
9. How fast do you respond to urgent offboarding questions?
10. What happens if the employee disputes the termination?

The best time to ask these questions is before the offer is signed, not when a manager is already frustrated.

FAQs

Is Georgia an at-will employment market?

No. Georgian employment termination must rely on a permitted legal ground under the Labour Code.

How much notice is required for termination in Georgia?

For certain employer-led terminations, the employer may provide 30 calendar days of written notice with at least one month's remuneration as severance, or three calendar days of written notice with at least two months' remuneration.

Does Georgia require severance pay?

Certain employer-led terminations require severance under the Labour Code. The amount depends on the notice path and termination ground.

When is final pay due in Georgia?

Final settlement is generally due within no more than seven calendar days after termination, unless the employment agreement or law provides otherwise.

Can a client manager terminate an EOR employee directly?

The client manager should not begin a termination conversation without EOR review. The EOR is the legal employer and should coordinate the local process.