How do bonuses at BBs work if you get a buyside offer?

Currently a second year at a BB and am going through buyside recruiting. I was fortunate enough to receive an offer from a firm I really like, but the only issue is they want me to start before my yearly bonus will hit my direct deposit. For timeline context, we get our bonuses announced towards the end of the summer, but it takes 2 months for it to actually hit our bank accounts.

I was able to push the start of the offer until after our bonuses are announced, but it's still before it will hit my account. The offer I have is from a solid firm so I'm not really in a position to make demands, or I'd push it back further. I have a good relationship with my team, so I'm not worried of getting screwed out of the bonus, but I'm worried about how it works from a payroll perspective if I'm technically no longer an employee of the firm. Has anyone else been in this position? What should I do before I sign any offer?

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A Bonus is just that...a "bonus" and not required pay. All ibanks have contracts with their employees where they are both employed and paid "at will". If you announce that you are leaving before your bonus hits your bank account, 9 times out of 10....it never will. This is why ALL ibank employees with significant bonuses wait until AFTER their bonus hits the bank before they ANNOUNCE they are leaving....and typically, people leave in masse that very same day.

If a firm wants you to leave before you get paid your bonus, then you should receive "in writing" a guarantee that they will pay you your bonus if your former employer chooses to not pay the bonus. If they are not willing to "buy out" your bonus...then you need to decide if the new job is worth the highly likely probability of losing the bonus.

This is just how it works.

just google it...you're welcome
 

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