to ask how much a work bonus might be?

[wishiwasinbarbados]

Obviously I can't ask anyone in real life, and I have never worked in an industry which gives a bonus.
DS has just accepted a job which has a salary, plus "a discretionary Christmas bonus".
He will be a trainee lawyer when he starts.
Would anyone know how much, if anything, he might expect as a bonus?

Don't get too excited, it could be £50, could be a few thousand, you'll have to wait and see. How exciting!

Not a lawyer but an accountant. Bonuses in industry are (in my very limited experience) better than those in professional services firms where the bonus is getting promoted.

Absolutely no way of knowing. It might be a straight cash amount, it might be % of salary which varies according to performance rating.

You’ll have a year to find out; everywhere I’ve ever worked only pays year-end bonus to people who joined before September and then pro-rata.

He doesn't even start until next September anyway! It's his first 'proper' job after uni, so it's all v exciting.
Me and DH are both freelance, so we can only dream of a bonus lol!!

Ah a while to wait yet then!

When he starts, there will probably be a staff handbook or information on the intranet about how bonus works at different grades.

@SoScarletItWas
I mean, I just hope he enjoys the job and is happy. But I'm intrigued to find out if/what his bonus might be!

Just be aware that it will show up differently on the payslip.

Last place I worked, the Christmas bonus was £50 but it showed up on my payslip as £74. This is because payroll calculates it against your salary and tax code and it will very between higher earners vs lower earners. The idea is that you always got given a £50 take-home bonus after the taxman has taken his cut.

Over the course I’ve my career so far I’ve had bonus schemes that have varied from a £30 supermarket voucher to 20% annual salary and everything in between. Is his salary and benefits package generous in general? That will probably be a reasonable indicator as to whether he should lean towards expecting a token gesture or a generous lump sum.

@InfoSecInTheCity
I don't really know what is a generous benefits package is.
His salary seems to be over what Google says is normal for his job, and he'll get Bupa healthcare amongst other things. That seems pretty generous to me!

Basic would be:

• statutory minimum number of days annual leave
• unpaid leave for dependent/compassionate
• statutory sick pay only
• pension contributions at govt min required level

If the company are offering over and above on all those things and then added extras like private healthcare then it’s a good sign that they see the benefit to the company in showing appreciation to staff.

I would definitely try to not get hopes up as bonus’s are usually non-contractual and if there are any financial challenges they are one of the first things to be cut.

“How long is a piece of string” is the answer to that.

My husband gets a bonus every year (provided the company has done well) and it sorts us right out for Christmas and the start of the year! Enjoy it OP

When he starts out it is not going to be much. After several years with the company bringing in client fees and earning the business money it is going to be worth having:

Friends who have worked in professional private sector jobs for around 10 years seem to get between 20% and 100% of their base salary as an annual bonus. I was astounded when I found out as in one case the bonus alone was worth 2.5 times my whole annual salary: public sector!

At my organisation discretionary bonuses for all staff members range between 5-20%, with the majority being at least 10%.

Totally depends on the firm. The bonus may be a set level while he is doing his training contract, but once he qualifies it will be a combination of how many hours he bills and how well his department and the firm does. Bonuses in law firms are decent but it’s not like finance where in a good year the bonus can be more than the salary. Speaking very generally, a junior lawyer in a London firm might get 10% of their salary on top as a bonus. No idea outside London, though. Check and see if his firm is on the website Roll On Friday - it has info about firms and the salaries they pay including at trainee level.

A bonus is just a portion of your salary they don't have to give you. It's a con. You tell yourself you're getting £175k but you're actually getting £150k and come the bad years they don't pay it, or reduce it. Once you expect a bonus then not getting it is harsh.

it will depend on whether the firm made target this year and his performance hence ‘discretionary’ As a new starter in a law firm and unlikely his makes sales it won’t be much. Couple hundred maybe? As he works his way up and he meets his sales/utilisation/performance targets it is often 5, then 10 then 20% of salary once at the higher grades.

as a senior lawyer I get 20% if I meet targets but last year I got 0 as the firm didn’t make target.

Having said that it could also be a £50 book token.

At a junior level like that it is likely to be max 5% or even something like a £20 voucher.

As a trainee solicitor, my department forfeited everyone’s bonus (about £200 each) and put it towards a group skiing holiday. To which trainees weren’t invited.

In private practice law for 20 years, my bonus was never more than 10% and I probably received it less than half of the years I worked, usually because either the firm or I had not met the targets.

It could be depending on how long he has been there. Where my husband works , multiple offices, everyone receives a card with a minimum of 70 in it. Part cash part grocery card. If they are on a multiple of 5 years they get more. At 30 years my hubby received a cheque for 2,000. He also received a laptop.

You could be waiting quite a time to find out. It is possible that a September start won't qualify for a Christmas bonus. You may get order an tub of Celebrations in December 2027 though

I’m a lawyer and when I worked in a private firm the bonus was £10,000 (subject to tax) if you met the billable hours target which averaged out at 7 hours per day. The bonus was the same for everyone - though I assume partners had a different deal.

I’d treat this as literally a bonus: it’s likely £50 or equivalent in vouchers.

Ar my firm bonuses are linked to hours and fees : trainees usually don’t get included but there is scope for exceptional performance.

Tremendous that he has a training contract - hard to come by - but I wouldn’t plan around the Xmas bonus!

I got a bonus of £3.50 once!

I worked in a US law firm when i was younger and it was a flat amount if you met billable hours target - it was a properly stretch target, really hard to meet.

I get 30% now if the company meets budget - sadly not looking good this year. Have always had it previously. People not on the % scheme get £200 extra in their December pay.