How To Get An Amazon Warehouse Referral Bonus

If you are already an Amazon employee, or you are looking to apply to Amazon, you can earn cash through the Amazon Employee Referral Program. Amazon's employee referral program is a common way for Amazon to recruit more employees and reward existing ones.

The referral program pays $125 to $500 to the employee who makes the referral. The person being referred does not receive any payment from the referral program, but you can coordinate with your referrer to split the payment.

This guide will explain everything you need to know about Amazon’s referral program, such as:

• How much you will get paid: This will be anywhere from $125 to $500 per person referred
• When you will be paid: After the new employee has worked for 60 days, but with some nuances
• Eligibility requirements: Most full time employees will qualify
• How to follow the referral process: How to make sure the referral program works like you expect, step by step

Who is eligible for Amazon’s employee referral program?

If you are a current employee and you have friends or family who you can refer to start working at Amazon, you will receive a bonus payment if they meet the requirements after they join. The best part is that the requirements to refer a friend and receive the bonus are minimal.

If you are referring someone to join (Referrer)…

In order to be eligible to receive the referral bonus, you should meet the following criteria:

• Your position should fall into one of the following codes:
  • F – Regular Full Time
  • H – Regular Part Time (20+ Hours)
  • RT – Regular Reduced Time (30+ Hours)
  • Q – Field Regular Part Time (20-29 hours)
  • M – Internal Staffing Solutions
  • S – Seasonal and Short Term
  • X – Regular Flex Time - < 20 Hours per week
• You are an L1-L7 associate.
• You are an active employee at the time of the referral and payout.
• You are not in a Recruiting position.
• You are not a participant in your referral’s application or interview process.

If you are the person being referred to join (Referral)…

In order to be an eligible applicant to earn your referrer bonus, you should meet the following criteria:

• You get hired to an eligible L1 role, like fulfillment center associate , sortation center associate , or delivery station associate .
• You remain employed by Amazon or Amazon subsidiary for a minimum of 60 or 90 days, depending on the site. Your Day 1 date marks the start of the referral period.
• You are not already in the recruiting process.
• You are not already employed by Amazon, an Amazon subsidiary, or Amazon contractor.

The referral does not have to be hired at your location to be eligible for the bonus.There is no limit to the amount of people that can be referred. Every successful referral brings the possibility of a bonus if the candidate is hired.

The basic qualifications for applying at Amazon…

Although referring someone to Amazon gives them a higher likelihood of being hired, it does not guarantee they will be hired. The applicant must go through the same recruiting process as all other employees and meet the basic qualifications to be hired. 

The basic qualifications to be hired at Amazon include:

• Being 18 years or older
• Having sufficient English language proficiency to be trained and take directions
• Ability to pass a drug test
• Ability to pass a background check
• Having a high school diploma or GED; this is not a requirement
• Ability to be standing or walking for long periods of time, as well as to lift up to 50 pounds, with or without accommodations

The referral is more likely to be hired if that have the following qualifications:

• An accredited degree or professional certification
• Job experience in a similar role
• Previous employment at Amazon in good standing without any problems

If you are not sure if you qualify for the above criteria, you can confirm your eligibility through HR by contacting them in person, calling the Employee Resource Center (ERC) at +1-888-892-7180, or using the A to Z app by following these instructions:

For the A to Z webpage on your computer:

1.  At the bottom of the page, click "My HR" 
2.  Click on the best option or "Something Else" and be taken immediately to live help options to submit your request. 

On the A to Z mobile app: 

1. Click "More"  
2. Click "Help and Support" 
3. Click "My HR | Contact Us" 
4. Click on the best option or "Something Else" and be taken immediately to live help options to submit your request.

Understanding the bonus amount and payout period

As of November 2023, the employee referral program pays out $125 per referral. In some cases, the amount can be $250, or $500 -  it depends on the hiring location’s need for new workers. Be sure to check with HR to find the most accurate referral bonus payout amount for your site.

Payment will be received automatically on the 60th day of employment by the referral. This will be applied to the following weeks’ paycheck and is taxed the same as the standard paycheck would be.

Emir Dzaferovic, a T1 FC associate, confirms this: “Amazon was prompt with both my referral bonus and seasonal bonus.”

How to start the referral process?

Ensuring a seamless process is crucial for securing the referral bonus. The Referrer (the current employee referring their friend) and Referral (the new candidate being referred) must coordinate the process: 

1. Amazon isn’t always hiring, so you should first check the hiring website to see if there are open roles in your area to which someone can be referred.
2. Then, the Referral should apply on the website to an open position they are interested in. 
3. The Referrer must provide the Referral with their Amazon Alias. Your Amazon Alias can be found on the top of your physical ID badge (for example, Jeff Bezos’ Amazon Alias is ‘jeff’).
4. In the hiring process, the Referral will be prompted to enter the Referrer’s name and their Amazon Aliasexactly as it appears on their badge
   1. Please note: the prompt asking for the name and Alias will only be presented when selecting the time slot for your New Hire Appointment. This is the step that comes after submitting your application and receiving a contingent offer. 
5. The Referral will go through the hiring process; if hired and they complete their first 60 days, the referral bonus will be paid out automatically to the Referrer.

Note that if the Referral does not complete their first 60 or 90 days of employment, the Referrer will not be paid their referral bonus. There are some situations which DO NOT impact eligibility, such as:

• Referral moving to a new site, or starting a new role at Amazon.
• If they are listed as “Inactive” on their 60th or 90th day, but not before the 60th or 90th day, you will still receive the referral bonus.

If the Referral is listed as “Inactive” before the 60th day but is actually still employed at Amazon, this may delay (possibly indefinitely) the referral bonus payout. In the event of this situation, please contact HR in person or through the A to Z web page or app, or call the Employee Resource Center (ERC) at +1-888-892-7180 to try and resolve the situation.

What to do if you do not receive the referral bonus?

In cases where the bonus is not received it is likely that one of the following has occurred: 

• The Referral did not enter the employee’s Amazon Alias. 
• The Referral entered the employee’s Amazon Alias incorrectly all when applying
• The Referral was not hired by Amazon or was not employed by Amazon for the required amount of time to be eligible for the bonus.

Employees should contact their building's HR or the Employee Resource Center (ERC) at +1-888-892-7180 for more information.

Does Amazon offer any other bonuses?

Along with Amazon’s Employee Referral Program, Amazon also provides the following additional bonuses:

• Sign-on bonus: These can be $1,000 to $3,000 in locations with a high demand for new workers.
• Performance bonus: This is uncommon but some locations may offer performance based bonuses, for exceeding job expectations or reaching a specific performance milestone.
• Seasonal bonuses: This is uncommon but may be offered during peak or holiday work period, depending on the location.
• Amazon Career Choice Program: Receive $5,250 for full-time employees or $2,625 for part-time employees to advance your education.
• Benefits and discounts: Full time employees can receive full benefits, access to exclusive employee discounts, and a 10% discount on products sold by Amazon.

Get started

Do you have a friend or family member ready to become an Amazonian? Get them to apply now to a position near you!