see more from Career

From $100 to $20,000: Here Are 17 Companies Offering Sign-On Bonuses

Robert Bruce

by Robert Bruce

Senior Writer

Alaska Airlines planes sit on the tarmac at sunrise.
Alaska Airlines planes are parked at gates with Mount Rainier in the background at sunrise, on March 1, 2021, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle. Alaska Airlines provides a $2,000 sign on bonus for ground support technicians, a ramp service agent with a $1,000 bonus and a warehouse agent with a $2,000 bonus. Ted S. Warren/AP Photo

Amid a tight labor market, many employers continue to look for ways to counter staffing shortages and lure potential hires back into the workforce.

While some use creative benefits or work-from-home options as hiring draws, others hope to attract employees quickly with immediate cash in the form of a signing bonus.

Many notable large corporations are offering signing bonuses — from $100 to $5,000 as a shift manager at McDonald’s to $5,000 as a retail sales consultant at AT&T or $10,000 for a facilities maintenance technician with United Airlines.

The amount of the hiring bonuses varies greatly across each company and does change from time to time. But a quick browse through a corporation’s career page can show you what’s available. Here’s what we found.

17 Companies Offering Jobs With Hiring Bonuses

Some of the most notable companies offering hiring bonuses include:

  1. AT&T
  2. United Airlines
  3. Amazon
  4. Sysco
  5. McDonald’s
  6. CVS
  7. Walmart
  8. Marriott
  9. Wegmans
  10. FedEx
  11. Banfield Pet Hospital
  12. Alaska Airlines
  13. Verizon
  14. Omni
  15. Comcast
  16. Transit systems
  17. Local and state governments

AT&T

The communications giant has thousands of available positions at all times, and many come with a nice hiring bonus. Some examples include a $5,000 retention bonus for automotive equipment technicians, retail sales consultants, and installation technicians.

United Airlines

United Airlines is currently offering significant sign-on bonuses even for lower-paying jobs — such as up to $10,000 for a facilities maintenance technician. Other positions that come with sign-on bonuses are $10,000 for a machine tool maintenance repair technician (T-Skill) and a $10,000 bonus with up to a $25,000 relocation incentive for ground service equipment technicians. 

Amazon

The retail giant regularly offers many positions with sign-on bonuses. Current opportunities include 80 shifts for a fulfillment center warehouse associate that pays up to a $3,000 bonus in Washington. Other available positions offer bonuses that range from $1,000 to $3,000.

Sysco

The food service company also offers quite a few signing bonuses with its jobs. Sysco’s career page shows a master diesel fleet mechanic technician job with a $7,500 bonus, as well as a CDL delivery truck driver position that offers up to a $15,000 bonus.

McDonald’s

Working for the Golden Arches can come with a financial boost if you apply for the right positions in the right places. Many jobs offer $100 to $5,000 sign-on bonuses, including department managers, shift managers, maintenance crew, and morning prep team members.

CVS

CVS offers an array of jobs with bonuses — including $7,500 for an automation mechanic and $1,000 for pharmacy technicians. (Pro tip: Use “bonus” as your search term on the jobs page.)

Walmart

Walmart sometimes gives bonuses to new hires including eye-popping bonuses for pharmacists. Some current hiring bonuses include $5,000 for a pharmacy technician, $5,000 for optician single license roles and $10,000 for a truck driver.

Marriott

The hospitality industry has been desperate for workers since the pandemic, and Marriott is no exception. The giant hotel company has positions throughout the world that offer sign-on bonuses — like $5,000 for a senior sous chef, $1,000 for a steward, and $1,000 for a night auditor.

A photo of a Wegmans store. It's an exterior photo of the building with a giant clock coming out of the roof. Wegmans is one of many companies that offer sign on bonuses to employees.
Adobe Stock

Wegmans

This grocery store chain with 109 locations, many of which are in the Northeast, is currently offering large sign-on bonuses of $10,000 and $5,000 for CDL Class A truck drivers. It also has a variety of positions offering $500 bonuses, such as roles for warehouse workers and cashiers.

FedEx

The global delivery company has also recently jumped on the signing bonus bandwagon. Jobs with sign-on bonuses include $1,000 for road drivers. There are also bonuses for retail customer service associates of $250 to $1,000 for lead retail customer service associate roles.

Banfield Pet Hospital

Banfield Pet Hospital, often located inside PetSmart, offers location-based sign-on bonuses as well as relocation support to their veterinarians. As an added perk, it also offers a student debt relief program for doctors — so there are plenty of perks for freshly graduated vets.

Alaska Airlines

United isn’t the only airline getting on the sign-on bonus bandwagon. Alaska Airlines offers some opportunities as well for potential candidates who live in the Northwest. Positions include a station agent with a $1,000 bonus and ramp service agents with either a $1,000 or $2,000 bonus.

Sometimes it's easier to just set your own schedule and answer to... well, yourself. These are our favorite work-from-home companies that let you set your own schedule.

Verizon

Verizon currently has hundreds of positions across the country with pretty nice signing bonuses. It offers $2,500 for a variety of positions, such as retail sales associates bilingual in Spanish.

Omni

Another hotel chain with quite a few jobs with sign-on bonuses is Omni Hotels & Resorts. Omni runs the gamut from $250 for the ski school attendant to $500 for room attendants. Executive stewards can capture a $1,000 sign-on bonus, and lobby attendants can get up to $1,000.

Comcast

The telecommunications corporate giant has plenty of opportunities across the country. It currently has signing bonuses for Xfinity retail sales professionals ($2,000), installation technicians ($3,000), and part-time Xfinity retail sales consultants ($1,500).

A female bus driver drives a bus in a city.
Getty Images

Local Transit Systems

Transit companies across the country are in need of bus drivers. Transdev in Fairfax, VA, is offering a $2,500 bonus to new drivers, the Regional Transportation Program in Portland is looking for a CDL bus driver and will pay a bonus of $250, and ABC Transit Inc. in Harmony, PA, is looking for a school bus/van driver and will provide a $1,000 sign-on bonus and an additional $1,000 after you get your CDL.

Local and State Governments

Governments are also posting many positions with sign-on bonuses. Amador County in California is offering $7,500 bonuses to deputy sheriffs and correctional officers. There is also a posting with a $15,000 bonus for deputy district attorney IVs. There are $2,000 bonuses for new police officers in Idaho Springs, CO, and there are $2,500 bonuses for track maintainers in Gresham, OR.

A bonus spot on our bonuses list: the Army

The U.S. Army has decided to boost its bonuses and now offers up to $50,000 for full-time recruits enlisting to work with it. There is also a potential $40,000 Quick Ship Bonus, which is granted to those who report to Basic Training within 30 days of enlistment when they’re entering certain types of in-demand roles. Some of the roles also come with their own signing bonuses, meaning you could combine all three for a major boost starting on the first day of service.

Robert Bruce is a senior staff writer at The Penny Hoarder covering earning, saving and managing money. He has written about personal finance for more than a decade.