What is the due date for bonus payment?
What is the due date for payment of bonus? It should be paid within 8 months from the close of the accounting year. Bonus should be paid irrespective of whether the establishment is making profit or loss.
The 2.5 month rule requirement. In certain circumstances, businesses can deduct bonuses employees have earned during a tax year if the bonuses are paid within 2½ months after the end of that year (by March 15 for a calendar-year company).
The Payment of Bonus Act, 1965 provides for a minimum bonus of 8.33 percent of wages. The salary limited fixed for eligibility purposes is Rs. 3,500 per month and the payment is subject to the stipulation that the bonus payable to employees drawing wages or salary not exceeded to Rs.
Bonus Period means the period for which a Bonus is payable. Unless otherwise specified by the Board, the Bonus Period shall be the fiscal year of the Company.
No, bonuses do not have to be paid by March 15.
Companies can pay bonuses whenever they like, but many choose to set March 15 as the deadline for tax reasons. Many companies can deduct bonuses on their tax returns as long as they pay them within two and a half months after the tax year ends.
The laws governing discretionary bonuses
Discretion – Discretion must be exercised rationally – an employer cannot legally remove a bonus if it can be proven that the employee had earned it.
Typically, the obligation to repay bonus compensation is triggered upon the employee's termination of employment. Once the obligation is triggered, the employee will be required to repay the bonus compensation previously received, either in a lump-sum payment or in installments.
It is common industry practice for corporate taxpayers to accrue employee bonuses earned throughout the year with the anticipation that they will be paid within 2 ½ months from the end of the year.
The Two and a Half Month Rule
If a company accrues a bonus expense at the end of one tax year and does not pay out the bonus within two and a half months of the year end, these payments are not tax deductible unless the employee receiving the bonus has reported the bonus payment in his taxable income.
While reward bonuses are usually given in cash, they sometimes take the form of stock compensation, gift cards, time off, holiday turkeys, or simple verbal expressions of appreciation. Examples of reward bonuses include annual bonuses, spot bonus awards, and milestone bonuses.
Why do bonuses get paid in March?
Annual bonuses are paid on March 15th. It is no coincidence that companies often pay out annual bonuses around March 15th. In the case of a company with a calendar year tax year, paying bonuses by March 15 will generally allow the company to deduct the bonuses in the tax year which ends on the prior December 31.