Articles / When the agreement arrives
How to tell if a revised separation agreement changed
Four quick checks anyone can run on two versions of an agreement, using software you already have, before signing the new one.
Last reviewed November 6, 2026. General information about California law, not legal advice.
The short answer
Compare the page count, the word count, the file's properties and a side-by-side comparison in a word processor. Two versions that are truly the same match on all four. If anything changed, people commonly ask in writing for a list of every change and treat the new version as a new offer.
Check 1: pages and words
The simplest check. Compare the page count, then copy the text of each version into a word processor and compare the word counts. A difference of several hundred words is not a clean-up.
Check 2: the file’s properties
Every PDF carries properties: who created it, with what software, when it was created and last modified, and which PDF version it uses. Identical documents have identical fingerprints. In most PDF readers these are under File, then Properties.
Check 3: a side-by-side comparison
Microsoft Word’s Compare feature, and similar tools in other editors, produce a marked-up version of the differences in under a minute. The site’s compare tool does the same for two PDFs, in your browser, without uploading anything.
Check 4: contradictions inside the document
Read for self-contradiction: two different deadlines, a defined term used two ways, a page that says not to sign before your last day next to an email saying you can sign right away.
Keep the originals
Save every version as a separate file with the date in its name. Download the signing certificate whenever you sign electronically. Months later it may be the only record of what happened and when.
Read the transcript
Two versions of a severance agreement. One line is different. Can you find it? Less any amounts the Company determines are owed to it. Revisions are normal. Not knowing which one you signed is the problem. 38% of large employers say they've made severance less generous. In 2024, it was 9%. A PDF arrives. Then a revised one. Then a signing link on a Friday night. Then the work login closes, and the copy is behind it. California law gives workers a copy of the employment documents they sign. Upon request. Many people ask for it in writing. Many people also compare the signing screen with the version they read, and save the signed copy where it opens without a company login. The one you signed is the one that counts. Right to a Final Copy is working to make that copy automatic. Send this to someone who just got the email.
Watch · 0:52
Can you find the line that changed?
Two versions of a fictional severance clause, one added line, and what California law says about getting a copy of what you signed.
Common questions
The email says the new version is the same. Is that enough?
It is a claim to check. A longer replacement with different page and word counts is not a formatting change.
Will opening the PDF change its metadata?
Opening it to read usually does not, but re-saving it can. Keep the original file you were sent and work on a copy.
Not legal advice
This article explains how California and federal rules generally work. It does not tell you what to do in your situation, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every example on this site is a fictional story. For advice, seefree and low-cost help in California.