Put bonus plan rules in place that match how your team is actually paid

The usual problem is not simply whether a policy exists, but whether it matches what actually happens at work. Disputes often arise when targets are unclear, managers have broad discretion without clear limits, payment dates are vague, or the rules do not explain what happens if someone resigns, is on leave, changes role or only partly meets a target. The practical working model can be just as important as the contract wording. This service helps you check those pressure points and put clearer rules around them.

It is commonly used by employers introducing a new incentive plan, updating an outdated bonus arrangement, or trying to formalise a bonus system that has been handled informally. It can suit businesses paying discretionary bonuses, performance-based incentives, team bonuses or role-specific reward structures. It is also useful where different documents currently say different things about bonuses. If you need broader employment dispute representation or ongoing HR support, that would sit outside this fixed-fee service and would need separate scoping.

That depends on the plan, but common topics include who is eligible, how performance is measured, whether bonuses are discretionary or formula-based, when payment is assessed, what happens if employment ends before payout, and whether misconduct, clawback events or business performance can affect the amount. We may also look at how the bonus rules interact with employment agreements, offer letters and workplace policies. Drafting decisions should be based on the arrangement itself, including the documents, responsibilities and factual context, not just a generic incentive template.

A generic template may be too blunt if your bonus arrangements depend on role type, sales cycles, team performance, manager discretion or conditions around continued employment. Templates also tend to skip the awkward scenarios that trigger disputes, such as partial achievement, delayed revenue recognition, long leave, probation, notice periods or changes to business priorities. This service Your lawyer will explain the practical position and your options in plain English. The benefit is having rules that better reflect how the incentive plan will operate in practice.

After the rules are settled, the next step is usually to check how they will be introduced and what other documents may need updating. For example, you may need to align offer letters, employment agreements, manager communications or internal policy wording so the bonus plan is described consistently. In some businesses, rollout is where confusion starts, especially if verbal promises differ from the written rules. We can provide practical guidance on implementation, but ongoing HR management and dispute handling are outside the fixed-fee unless separately arranged.

Just submit an enquiry via this page or click the 'get started' button on our website to submit an enquiry. After you've submitted an enquiry, one of our legal consultants will review your enquiry within 1 business day and get in touch to get a better idea of exactly what you are looking for.

Then your legal consultant will send through an email with a bit more information about the services you need, along with a fixed fee quote setting out costs, scope of the service and timing. Have a read through it, and if you're happy with the scope, you can accept and sign our engagement letter online - easy!

Once you've formally accepted, we'll connect you with a specialist lawyer and they will work with you to complete your project. They will contact you by email or phone if they need to get in touch.

Sprintlaw works on fixed-fee pricing wherever possible, so you can review the scope and cost before you decide whether to proceed. For the Bonus Plan Rules service, pricing starts from $900.00.

After you enquire, a legal consultant will confirm what is included, the expected timing and whether any extra work is needed before you engage us.

We operate completely online, which means we can help you wherever you are in New Zealand. We have office spaces in Sydney, and in Melbourne, but our use of technology allows our team members to work remotely from around the world. Our legal team are mostly based in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. We also have a London office for Sprintlaw UK.

Our legal team is made up of experienced lawyers, who are specialists in various areas of law and hold an Australian legal practising certificate. None of our Sprintlaw lawyers are New Zealand qualified lawyers and they do not currently hold a New Zealand practising certificate.

They provide legal services working remotely from Australia via our 'legal consultancy' model, through which (under section 6 and section 35 of the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006) our Australian legal team are permitted to provide legal services to New Zealand businesses provided they do not provide services in certain 'reserved' areas of law. You can read our FAQ page to learn a bit more about our 'legal consultancy' model.

Given the strong similarities between Australian and New Zealand law, and the areas of law in which we practice (being small business and startup law), we do not view the fact that our lawyers have not qualified in New Zealand as having any substantive impact on the quality of our service. We are committed to ensuring that we provide high quality, affordable legal services to all our New Zealand clients.

Our legal team have all trained at leading firms, but have left the traditional corporate law world to join us on our mission to create a new and better way of delivering legal services. They have specialist expertise in technology law, intellectual property law, contract drafting and review, corporate law and commercial law.