You should insist that the "pay it back to them": 1. only applies if you quit, not if they fire you 2. be pro-rata -- i.e. if you quit after 9 months, you o

You should insist that the "pay it back to them": 1. only applies if you quit, not if they fire you 2. be pro-rata -- i.e. if you quit after 9 months, you only pay back (12-9)/12 = 1/4 of the bonus With the above, you can also ask (not necessarily insist), that they pay you the bonus now, or by the next paycheck.