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1. Audit your details. How the company's systems view your job history may not match your understanding. You need to resolve any ambiguities:
   - You may be a retiree or former employee of more that one HP-related company. Which Company
   - Years-of-service may be calculated differently for severance or retiree healthcare vs. how vacation and other benefits were calculated while employed. Which Company
   - Depending on age, years of service, and other factors, you may qualify for what HP confusingly calls the "Pre-2003 HP Retiree Medical Program" -- as opposed to the current "HP Retiree Medical Program." ("2003" refers to the year in which HP cut back the program, not your year of retirement.) Details: Pre2003

2. Documents. We hear regularly from members attempting to reconstruct their employment-related records. Due to policy changes, country-to-country variations, reorganizations, acquisitions, divestitures, and spinoffs, it may be extremely difficult or impossible for your former employer to produce this information. (For example, HP-related companies have used at least 13 U.S. stock administrators.)
   Only you have the documents that applied to your specific situation at the time:
   - Locate your offer-of-employment letter, documents covering any bonus or incentive plan, and other material covering the contractual terms of your employment.
   - Gather the documents that detail each batch of employee stock you have acquired, your retirement plan, 401(k), etc.
   - Collect documents that prove your employer and pay -- for example, W-2's that give each employer's legal name, such as "EDS, an HP company" vs "HP Enterprise Services" -- and the amounts of any commission or bonus pay. Keep copies of paychecks for your last year.
   - Print out anything provided by the company via web or email regarding the terms of your termination, retirement, or severance program.
   Make a separate set of copies to study and mark up.
   Keep these employment-related documents in a safe place with your other permanent documents -- plus an off-site backup in case of fire or other disaster. Don't depend on your work email account or company-issued computer.
   You may need this information for employment verification, unemployment insurance, security clearance, claiming a class-action settlement, divorce or child-support, or other legal issue. And your heirs will need to locate your assets.

3. Be sure to use the very helpful official "leaving" site for your company -- both accessible outside company firewalls:
   Official "Leaving HP" site  [Note: Depending on age, years of service, and other factors, you may qualify for what HP confusingly calls the Pre-2003 HP Retiree Medical Program]
   Official "Leaving HPE" site  [Note: Depending on age, years of service, and other factors, you may qualify for what HP confusingly calls the Pre-2003 HP Retiree Medical Program]

4. Unused vacation/FTO time and Floating Holiday.
   HPInc follows the same policy as HPE: "Any unused credited vacation hours are not eligible for payout, unless required by state law at your primary work location (currently limited to California, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Rhode Island)." HPE Voluntary Career Transition FAQ.
   Check the current wording in the materials you received from your employer.
   - Don't confuse "earned" or "credited" with "available" time.
   - For those in the field, or stationed on customer premises, or otherwise working remotely, "Primary work location" may be an issue. One member reports: "A remote worker's primary work location is where they actually work (and where state taxes are paid)."
   - One member who changed address with the company because they temporarily moved discovered that their unused-FTO situation changed.
   - In some states, you should let the unused vacation/FTO flow to your final paycheck. In other states, the company has decided that they don't need you anymore -- so use up your vacation time!
   - Non-exempt employees must download a paper timecard and fax it to the company to not delay processing.
   - You may not be paid for your annual Floating Holiday. Take it.

5. Cashflow and tax withholding.
   - Prepare for cashflow impact due to the unpredictability of your last paycheck and other checks sent after your last day -- and how quickly you get a new job. It is nearly impossible to predict the amounts and timing of the last checks -- due to tax withholding and monthly payroll cycles. Some members report receiving a "mop-up" check many weeks later. 
   - Cashflow is also affected by tax withholding from final checks. (One member had a grand total of 46% withheld form their final check for federal and state income tax, Social Security, and Medicare.) You will get credit for any excess withholding when you do your taxes -- but this hits your cashflow at a critical time.
   - For salary and vacation/FTO payout -- which may be on the same check -- withholding assumes that you make that much every month.
   - However, severance, commissions, and option exercises are taxed at a flat 25% federal "supplemental wages" rate. Your state may also have a flat supplemental rate (CA: 10.2% for stock bonuses and 6.6% for other bonuses.)
   - The withholding rate may be too low if dual-income couple, highly paid, other income, large severance, or large stock option exercise. Use your tax software to simulate your next annual tax filing to determine if you should make an estimated tax payment or hold onto funds to pay with your next tax return. Just copy last year's file to a new filename and modify the input data for different scenarios -- retirement, new job timing and salary, etc..
   - Consider filing a revised W-4 online with the company as soon as you know you are leaving or being laid off -- well before your last day. (Cannot change after last day.) Use the  Official IRS Tax Withholding Estimator -- you no longer have to pretend that you have 14 kids.
   - Re-run your taxes several weeks after your last day -- you may need to make quarterly federal and state estimated tax payments to avoid penalties.
   - See IRS Publication 505 -- "Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax"

6. 401(k) issues.
   - If you won't have a 401(k) plan after termination, consider immediately increasing your 401(k) contribution setting to reduce taxes and -- if your last day is after the next match payout -- to get a bigger match from the company. Check the current matching rules for your company. For example, at both HP and HPE. the match is mentioned in each Earnings Statement but is only credited annually -- and only if you are on the payroll through December 31. For those being spun off to DXC or Micro Focus, members report that the next 401(k) match payout will be on the date of their transition.
   - If your new employer has a more generous 401(k) match, consider dropping your 401(k) setting to 0%.
   - The 401(k) contribution deducted from your final paycheck will be a percentage of the total gross on that paycheck, which is hard to predict.
   - If you have a loan against your 401(k), you may be required to pay off the loan to avoid a penalty. Check your documents.
   - When reviewing old financial records, note that HPInc originally gave its 401(k) program the confusing name "TAXCAP" -- "Tax Savings Capital Accumulation Plan."  1984 HP Annual Report   1998 Measure Article (pages 8-10)   2004 SEC filing

7. Stock options or other incentives.
   - You need to determine immediately if you have unexercised options that will expire upon termination. Read that section in your WFR or Retirement document, print out your stock option history, read the legal document you received with each option grant, and refer to the stock-related sections on the official "Leaving HP" or "Leaving HPE" site (item 3 above.) On that site, there is a link to a Merrill Lynch brochure on "Equity Awards," disclosing the transaction cost to sell your shares. Since the company eventually stops paying ML to administer your account, the brochure also discloses annual "inactive account" and "low balance" fees.
   - You need to get your options report twice -- before your termination date and again after your termination date. The report you get before you leave doesn't tell you what will happen to your options after you leave -- for example, the expiration date may be pulled forward.
   - The key: Options are not compensation that you have earned -- they are designed to retain you as an employee. Once you leave, unexercised options are only relevant to the company as a potential expense.
   - To receive “retirement treatment” on equity awards, you must be age 55 with 15 years of qualifying service or age 55 with at least 70 age-plus-service "points."
   - If transitioned to DXC or Micro Focus, stock and options issues: https://www.hpalumni.org/stock

8. Earnings statements and future W‑2s. Log into your account at the company's payroll service. Print out the most recent earnings statements and any other online-only statements you want to keep. Members report that having W‑2 copies for every year helps in legal situations such as tax audit, divorce, or child support. Set up password recovery questions and check that the email address on the account will reach you in the future -- otherwise, you will not be able to recover account access for future W‑2s such as a severance or retirement payment, stock incentives, or the inevitable miscellaneous cleanup payment. Instead of online statements, you may wish to change your account to paper statements. Advice from members: https://www.hpalumni.org/Contacts-Payroll

9. Flexible Spending Account. Check on the amount you have available and the rules for using it. You many have to use up the balance before your last day.

10. Credit card. Move out any company credit card points before your card is cancelled. Ensure that all charges have been approved by the company -- and print out proof of the approval. Members report that AMEX is trying to collect from former employees several months after they left.

11. Share Ownership Plan. If you participate in the Share Ownership Plan, study the terms and print the full history information that you'll need later for selling shares and doing taxes.

12. Email and phone:
    - Access to company systems and your company email account may stop well before your last hour. Cases have been reported where access stopped -- without warning -- on the day before the last day... or even weeks earlier. Assurances from managers have proven to be irrelevant -- your manager has no control over the automated HR and IT processes. Any autoreply that you set up will be immediately disabled. Moving your personal business
    - If you have personal calls coming to a company landline number, notify your contacts to change the number they have for you. Your greeting will be deleted.
    - If you have a company-paid cell phone account, you need to either set up a new cell phone account (with a new number) and notify your callers -- or use the form on the company site to have the cell phone number reassigned to your personal cell phone account. Your company cell phone number may vanish quickly.
    - If you don't have one, you can get a free or low-cost personal email account in a few minutes (Member advice: How to set up a professional email account.)
    - If you have personal email directed to your company address (such as Amazon) change the email address on each account. Notify your correspondents. Messages will not reach you. Senders may not be notified -- or may receive a reply that looks like phishing or is ambiguously-worded (for example, "User unknown in virtual alias table.") This may be interpreted unfavorably by the sender. 
    - If you have any personal data in an online address book or similar, copy it out.

13. Company-owned computer. Start the transition and cleanup early -- this can take considerable time. If you don't have a personally-owned computer, buy one ASAP. Your computer may be collected before your last day -- or possibly wiped remotely while still in your possession. Be sure to find the company's instructions in your WFR or other termination documents. Returned computers have been lost. Ship with signature-required. If returning in person, insist on a receipt. Member advice: Moving your personal business.

14. Patents. For status of your patent incentives and patent plaques:
    HPInc -- ip.incentives@hp.com  
    HPE -- hpe.ip.incentives@hpe.com

15. Recognition Rewards or eAwards. Check any incentive or reward account you have -- you may be surprised. Spend the points before your last day. Get a debit card or search for "Amazon" to get a $25 card for 101 points. Charitable Donations for as little as 1 point.  

16. Health coverage.
    - Your benefits terminate at midnight on your last day.
    - Print out anything provided by the company via web or email regarding the terms of your termination, retirement, or severance program. Find and study the references to health coverage.
    - You will generally qualify as a retiree if you leave HP or HPE at age 55 or older with at least 10 years of qualifying service. To receive “retirement treatment” for retiree health benefits, you can also qualify as a retiree if you have at least 80 age-plus-service “points.”
    - You will be instructed to view your health options online. However, to fully understand your COBRA or retirement health plan, download the most recent HP or HPE Enrollment Guide  
    - COBRA health benefits continuation -- including premium assistance under the American Rescue Plan. COBRA discussion and links
    - Whether or not you are continuing on an HPInc/HPE health plan, call the Benefits Center to go over your specific situation in detail -- which may include COBRA, reimbursement accounts, Medicare, coverage for dependents, etc. You need to understand the actions you need to take before and after your last day. Benefits Centers
    - Technically, you have 31 days to change if you lose coverage from an employer or other plan -- or have a status change such as marriage, divorce, or transition to Medicare. This is not unique to HPInc/HPE. A fundamental principle of health insurance is that everyone continuously pays into the overall health insurance system pool when they are healthy.
    - Nail down your health coverage as soon as you can: "They couldn't do the surgery because his insurance had been terminated. It took a very long three-way phone call with the Benefits Center and UHC to get his new coverage entered into the system."

17. HPShopping. Change your email address at hpshopping.com to a personal email address. Difficult and slow to change after you lose access. (You may need to buy a new system somewhere to replace your company-owned equipment.)

18. Evaluations. Print out copies of your past performance evaluations. Many report that the rating they received before WFR was suddenly and inexplicably much lower than the ratings on previous evaluations. How to obtain a copy of your personnel file to assist in developing your résumé: HPInc  HPE.

19. Training and certifications.
    - Print out the list of courses that you have taken through the company -- including courses taken through third parties such as SkillSoft -- for your files and to help with your résumé.
    - Use the company's online training facilities to complete courses and renew certifications -- for example, clocking training hours to renew your PMP certification.

20. Corporate travel sites. If you have an account on a corporate travel site -- such as Carlson Wagonlit -- remove your personal membership information -- i.e. frequent flyer numbers, hotel loyalty account, driver's license, etc.

21. Postal address. Ensure that the company has your current home postal address. Even if you have direct deposit, you may receive a paper check in the flood of postal mail from the company. Make sure that the legal successor to every company you ever worked for has your current postal address. Even if not classified by the company as a "Retiree" or if long gone -- in case of pension plan changes, employment lawsuits, settlements, or other issues. (HP Inc. is the legal successor to the companies acquired by Hewlett-Packard before the company was split into HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, including DEC, EDS, etc.) Update address at former company

22. Additional Issues specific to: DXC EDS Micro Focus

23. Join the independent HP Alumni Association. If you are in the process of leaving HP or HPE, join the HP Alumni Association -- operator of this website -- to participate in our Benefits and Finance Groups. No charge, thanks to HPAA's Supporting Members. Join the HP Alumni Association  

B. Additional action items before your last day  Questions or comments? info@hpalumni.org

If formerly a regular, direct U.S. employee of HP or HPE -- or are in the process of leaving -- join the HP Alumni Association. No charge, thanks to HPAA's Supporting Members.

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