Company refuses to pay bonus

[Clayton234]

I live in NY near Albany and I worked for a telemarketing company who has a bonus program that you get 200$ if you refer a friend, they get hired and stay a complete month. I refered a friend who was hired and began work on July 17th I resigned in early August in order to move on August 30th to NYC. I just sent my old boss my new address for tax statements and told him he could send my bonus to the new address. He told me since I slresigned from the company, I won't be receiving the bonus anymore even though the person I referred has worked there a complete month and is still employed there. I've heard trough the grapevine that he is giving my referral bonus to the lady who refered me to work there. Am I legally entitled to that bonus even though I resigned from the company?

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

Probably not. You were no longer an employee when the bonus would have been earned.

 

[ecmst12]

It is perfectly standard for both the referred and referring employees to have to remain employed until the bonus is actually paid for it to be due.

 

[Mass_Shyster]

I live in NY near Albany and I worked for a telemarketing company who has a bonus program that you get 200$ if you refer a friend, they get hired and stay a complete month. I refered a friend who was hired and began work on July 17th I resigned in early August in order to move on August 30th to NYC. I just sent my old boss my new address for tax statements and told him he could send my bonus to the new address. He told me since I slresigned from the company, I won't be receiving the bonus anymore even though the person I referred has worked there a complete month and is still employed there. I've heard trough the grapevine that he is giving my referral bonus to the lady who refered me to work there. Am I legally entitled to that bonus even though I resigned from the company?

If the ONLY terms of the offer are that you refer the friend, and the friend remains employed for 30 days, then you fulfilled your obligation under the agreement, and are entitled to the payout. I cannot say whether there is a requirement that you remain employed to be eligible to collect.

You said you resigned in early August. Is that when you tendered your resignation, or was when you stopped working there. Were you still working there on August 17th?

I don't know if it's worth traveling back to Albany to take the employer to small claims court, but that would be your recourse. You cannot sue for travel costs/time or time taken off work to sue, so all you can get is the $200 plus court filing fees.