<prompt> Human: Finally just got an offer for the job Ive been hunting for the past two months. Yesterday I confirmed with the new company that I would start on the 19th, and so yesterday I gave my boss notice that my last day would be the 16th. Its a small company and my departure will be tough on my small team, so I wanted to give him the heads up as soon as possible, which is why I gave a little more than 2 weeks.Heres the kicker. He called me today to let me know that the executives, upon hearing of my notice, decided to cancel my end of year bonus. The company pays bimonthly, so I get my paycheck by direct deposit on the 15th and last of the month. They use ADP, so the pay statement dated 1231 for the period of 1201 - 1215 has already been issued to me with the bonus amount 4k on it. They told me that they would be reversing the direct deposit set to take place tomorrow, and wrote me a company check instead for my normal salary amount that I am supposed to take to the bank to deposit tomorrow.So my question is... Can they do this? It doesnt sit right with me at all one of many reasons Im leaving the company. If I had waited until Friday to give exactly two weeks, I would have the bonus in my account already. I try to do my boss and the company a favor by giving a little extra time to find a replacement, and this is how they repay me or unpay me, as it were. Especially as they told me that I may even see the direct deposit show up in my account with bonus, but it would be reversed. Is there anything I can do? For reference, this is in Virginia, am still employed until the 16th, and the company handbook has no mention or policies in place regarding bonuses. Sorry for any spelling andor formatting issues, Im on my mobile. If this the wrong sub, please let me know and I can cross post elsewhere. Thanks.EDIT: Wanted to make one thing clear that I didnt initially. The company did NOT tell me that I had a bonus coming on 1231. A year ago they had indicated that there may be some bonus for the companys performance, but offered no details or anything written on how much this would be or when it would be paid. I think they meant it as a sort of Christmas surprise and reward because the company did well in 2014. If I had known that I was getting any bonus on the 31st, I would have waited until it was deposited to give notice. Instead, I got the other job offer, figured I should do right by my boss and give him as much notice as possible that I would be leaving on the 16th... and boom, company rewards this by telling me that theyre going to yank the bonus from my 1231 paycheck. Its definitely a lesson for me about the wonderful world of business, but I didnt intentionally give notice 2 days before my bonus payday.UPDATE 1231 EDIT: alright, so the deposit was paid and then immediately reversed. Im not fired or anything, I think they assume that Im taking this lying down. I had no chance to close the account or anything, as some people suggested. But I will have it on my bank statement that I was paid, and then they withdrew the paycheck. Plan of action: Our office is closed the next two days, so next week I will be asking for a meeting with the CEO and CFO. Im going to explain that they have used my good-faith gesture and loyalty to take advantage of me and respectfully request that they return the bonus that they withdrew from my account. If this fails kind of assuming it will, but I do feel that the professional thing is to give them a chance, Ill inform them that Im filling a complaint with the VA department of labor regarding what I believe to be an illicit withdrawal from my bank account. I will definitely post an update once all this goes down next week and let you all know the outcome.Assistant: You may want to double check with your states labor board.I dont think they can rescind a bonus since they previously informed you of it, and especially since its in retaliation.Human: Thanks to you and the others who have suggested this. I am going to try and keep the money by freezingclosing my bank account and transferring my funds elsewhere, and make them come to me for it. If it does come to a point where the labor board gets involved, Ill definitely update and let you know what I find out.  <response>: The plot thickens... 