What changes have been made to the law on employee bonuses
When establishing bonus systems, the employer must determine the types of bonuses, their amounts, payment dates, grounds for bonus payment, payment conditions, including taking into account the quality, effectiveness and duration of the employee’s work, the presence or absence of disciplinary penalties, as well as other indicators.
The employer may, but is not obliged to provide in the remuneration system a condition for reducing the bonus in connection with the application of disciplinary action to the employee. At the same time, such a reduction is allowed to be applied only in the period when the employee was held liable, and the reduction of the bonus should not lead to a decrease in the monthly salary by more than 20%.
What changes should employers make to the remuneration system
- Conduct an audit of the employer’s regulations on remuneration and exclude from the remuneration system all payments that are not included in the wage fund (compensation, financial assistance, one-time bonuses, etc.). It is better to register them in another internal regulation of the employer.
- List all types of bonuses included in the remuneration system and describe in detail each type of incentive payment:
- Bonus type
- Who is credited (discrimination in the field of work should be avoided)
- Payment period
- The amount of the bonus
- Grounds for accrual (based on which indicators the calculation and accrual are performed)
- Grounds for deduction (the procedure for reduction or deduction, taking into account the limitation on the total amount of reduction in monthly wages due to deduction of 20%)
Federal Law No. 144-FZ dated 06/07/2025
Amendments to Article 135 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation come into force on 01.09.2025
