<prompt> Human: Not sure if this is the appropriate sub for this question, but I am curious about what everyone thinks. I began a new position in January 2015 at a very successful nonprofit which offered an annual bonus at the end of the fiscal year December at the discretion of the company. I was the account manager, heading our largest account with the help of two direct reports. We had a number of goals throughout the year which we exceeded, piloted a new program which received extremely high praise from not only the client but from everyone involved, and by all accounts had a very successful year. In late November, out of nowhere, I receive a job offer from a company I interviewed with back in 2014. While the NP was a fantastic company and a great position, the offer was too good to pass up. However, the CEO of the NP who has my supervisor was scheduled to begin a month long sabbatical starting the week of Thanksgiving. I broke the news to my CEO and offered to help manage the account on nights and weekends while she was out, So that she would not have to cancel her plans, and avoid causing panic with the client. They agreed and I live up to my end of the bargain. While not full-time, I ended up answering emails throughout the day while starting the new position, and worked on a number of year-end reports, info graphics, and the key planning document for 2016. I took weekly status calls with the client during my lunch break, interacted with the client on a timely basis, and the account didnt skip a beat. The NP had a shut down period from 122415 - 1416. During that time I continued to work on th documents listed above. On 1416 the CEO returned and later that week the news was delivered to the client that I was moving on. The following week I gave back my company-issued laptop, but continued to help the account manager who replaced me. I actually still assist her with account-specific questions to this day. I left on very good terms and have exchanged pleasantries with the CEO on a few occasions. So my questions is - if you were in my shoes, would you inquire about the bonus? The employee handbook is very vague, stating that bonuses are not guaranteed and are dependent on both employee and company performance both very good.  <response>: generally speaking, you must be actively employed at the time of the bonus payout to be eligible. Mind you, a bonus is NOT commission, it is not accrued for individual performance, and it is not generally included in your compensation package.So you can ask... you have nothing to lose... but I believe they are under no obligation to grant it. 