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How do I model a work bonus?

This short video explains how to best model a taxable bonus.

Written by Nancy Gates

One-time and annual bonuses

A bonus usually arrives in a single paycheck instead of being spread across the year. To model it accurately, enter it as its own job in Boldin and set it to pay in the month you expect to receive it. You can enter it yourself, or let Boldin AI make the entries for you.

How it works

  • Enter each bonus as its own job, separate from your salary. That way you can change or remove it in a scenario without touching your base pay.

  • Set the start and stop to the same month and year, which is the month you expect to be paid. Boldin puts the full amount in that month.

  • Add one entry for each year you expect a bonus. Don't use a single entry with a date range. Because work income is entered monthly, it would pay the full bonus every month across the whole range.

GOOD TO KNOW
Use the year the bonus is paid, not the year you earned it. If you earn a 2026 bonus but it's paid in February 2027, enter it in 2027. That's the year it counts as taxable income.

For a one-time bonus

Enter it with Boldin AI

COPY THIS PROMPT INTO BOLDIN AI
In Income > Work, add a job called "[Company] Bonus [year]" for [me / my partner] with a pre-tax income of $[amount]. Set the start and stop to [month year] and the growth rate to 0%. Show me the entry before saving.

Enter it yourself

  1. Go to My Plan > Income and open the Work section.

  2. Press Add Job + and select who receives the bonus.

  3. Give it a descriptive name that includes the year, for example "ACE Bonus 2027."

  4. Enter the full bonus amount in the Pre-Tax Income field.

  5. Set the Start and Stop to the same month and year you expect to be paid.

  6. Set the growth rate to 0.00%.

  7. Press Save.

For an annual bonus

Add one entry for each year you expect a bonus. If your bonus changes from year to year, for example if it's a percentage of a growing salary, enter each year's expected amount.

Enter it with Boldin AI

COPY THIS PROMPT INTO BOLDIN AI
Please add my annual bonus to my plan:
1. In Income > Work, add a separate job for each bonus below for [me / my partner]. Name each one "[Company] Bonus [year]."
[Month year] – $[amount]
[Month year] – $[amount]
[Month year] – $[amount]
2. Set the start and stop on each entry to the same month and year listed.
3. Set the growth rate to 0% on each entry.
Before saving, show me all the entries.

Enter it yourself

Follow the one-time bonus steps above, then repeat them for each year you expect a bonus.

TIP
If you expect bonuses for many years, Boldin AI can add them all at once from a single list. That's faster than entering them one at a time.

Check your work

Open Insights > Income and Expenses and look at your income in the years you entered. Each bonus should appear in full in the year it's paid. If an amount shows up much larger than expected or repeats every month, you probably have a single entry with a date range. Replace it with one entry per year, each with the same start and stop month.

Still have questions?

  • Ask Boldin AI.

  • Use Support Chat by clicking your initials in the upper right corner of your plan.

  • Consider a coaching session or a Boldin Advisors engagement.

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