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I got a better job offer in another city, and I have to move there by starting of next month, which is 01/02/2023. On the other hand, my current employer announced the bonus date will be paid by 19/01/2023.

If I give my 2 weeks' notice on 17th January, 31st January will be my last working day. I am not sure if it's expected that I will still get this bonus. My main concern is that I'm relying on this bonus for my relocation expenses.

How do I handle this appropriately?

UPDATE:
I was talking to one of my friends and he mentioned that HRs usually process the payment by the 16th, so it will be fine if I can give the notice by end of the 17th as they usually don't revert the payment once made.
What are your comments?

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    Most companies have a written policy about the bonus. Eligibility should be spelled out there (pro-rating for new hires, cut off dates, etc). Departing employees should be covered there as well.
    – Hilmar
    Jan 11 at 15:28
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    Where in the world are you? What does "two weeks notice" mean? Is that mandatory where you live, is it in your contract, or is it professional courtesy?
    – nvoigt
    Jan 11 at 15:49
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    Have you considered pushing back the dates a week to avoid this issue? Jan 11 at 16:02
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    VTC - it really depends on your company specific policy in regards to Bonuses. One company I worked for had a policy that if you worked at all during the bonus period, then they would pay out a pro-rated bonus - so I had like a $10 payment from them just under a year after I left, as I'd worked 1 week of the new Bonus period. However, your current company may not have that as a policy. Jan 11 at 20:54

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Before you give notice, you read carefully everything that you can find about bonuses. There will be several relevant dates: When the bonus is due to be paid, when it arrives in your account, when you give notice, and when you stop being employed. What's also relevant is how well the company treats its employees in general.

If you give notice after the money is in your bank account, you should be safe. If your employment ends before the bonus due date your chances are low. If your employment ends after the date the bonus is due, you should be paid but bad companies won't.

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so how do I handle this appropriately?

While many companies will give you your expected bonus, bonuses are not guaranteed. It's possible that a bonus would not be granted to someone who has already given their notice. I've seen it happen.

So if this bonus money is important to you, do not give your notice until after you have received your bonus check. For you, that means you should wait until after the 19th.

(When I retired, I did so after the end of the fiscal year, but before bonuses were distributed. I didn't expect to get a bonus, but was pleasantly surprised to get mine a month after retiring.)

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    Did you read " I have to move there by starting of next month which is 01/02/2023."? Are you suggesting to leave a sour taste with either not serving his full notice period (2 weeks) or to even neglect his contractual agreement to start at said date? That math doesn't add up..
    – iLuvLogix
    Jan 11 at 16:03
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    @iLuvLogix Often when people think they HAVE to do something, they are mistaken. Most companies don't have much of an issue pushing back the start date by a week, but most people never ask to do so, and assume it's absolutely inflexible. Jan 12 at 4:02
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Contact your new employer and ask for help. Explain the situation to them and ask if you can either

a) push back your start date by 4 weeks (or whatever duration allows you to be notified of your bonus, receive it in your bank then serve notice) or,
b) amend your job offer to include relocation expenses

You have made a mistake here so I'd recommend being humble and explicitly recognising this. At least one of the options above should seem reasonable to most employers so you'll hopefully get this resolved to your satisfaction. In the (hopefully unlikely) event that your new employer refuses to show any flexibility, you may want to reconsider whether you want to work for them.

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