TIL it takes 8 MONTHS to actually get a referral bonus paid out

I referred my buddy to my old company back in January. He got hired in February. I figured I'd see that $2,000 bonus in like 60 days tops. Nope. HR kept saying it was "under review" because he had to stay employed for 90 days first. Then they told me the bonus only processes in the NEXT fiscal quarter after that 90 days. I finally got the check deposited in September. Has anyone else had to chase down a referral bonus for almost a year?

3 comments

3 Comments

brian_rivera591d ago

Bet companies do that on purpose hoping you'll forget or quit chasing it. They front-load all the paperwork to make it feel like a sure thing, then drag their feet on the payout side. Kinda wild how fast they collect referrals but take forever to hand over the cash.

shane6551d ago

The real question is what happens if your buddy quits or gets laid off before all that time passes? Do they just keep the whole bonus?

henrycooper1d ago

Did they actually say he had to stay 90 days or was it a 90 day probation period? @shane655 raises a good point though, I've heard of companies straight up clawing bonuses back if the new hire leaves within the first year. My buddy's referral got paid out after 6 months but then our referred guy quit at month 10 and they actually tried to take the money back from my friend. Took him another 3 months of emailing HR to keep it.