Am I owed a bonus if I was terminated before the payout date in Canada?
Often yes. The Supreme Court of Canada in Matthews v. Ocean Nutrition (2020) held that a wrongfully dismissed employee is entitled to bonus amounts that would have been earned during the reasonable notice period, unless the bonus plan contains clear, unambiguous language removing that entitlement. An active-employment requirement alone is frequently not enough.
Are earned commissions payable after I leave?
Yes. Commissions you fully earned before termination (where you completed everything required to earn them) are wages under provincial employment standards legislation and must be paid, typically on or shortly after your final pay. Disputed trailing commissions on deals that close after departure depend on your contract.
How is a pro-rated bonus calculated?
A pro-rated discretionary or target bonus is generally the annual bonus amount multiplied by the fraction of the bonus year you worked (plus the notice period, in a wrongful dismissal claim). For example, a $20,000 target bonus for someone employed 7 of 12 months is roughly $11,667.
Can an employer refuse to pay commission I already earned?
No. Withholding fully earned commission is an unlawful deduction from wages under employment standards law. You can file an employment standards complaint or sue. Employers may only avoid payment where the contract genuinely makes the commission unearned or conditional and that condition was not met.