Relocation Package and Sign-On Bonus Benchmarks: What Employers Typically Offer

Companies could pick more than one band, so the bars overlap. The takeaway is spread: $10,000-$12,499 is the most common answer, yet 17% of companies go to $25,000 or more.

A cost-of-living raise (52%) edges out a relocation or sign-on bonus (49%). A raise keeps paying every year, so it is often worth more than a one-time check.

Bigger employers are a bit more likely to offer a bonus: 53% of large companies versus 44% of small ones. At a small company, ask anyway, but expect more pushback.

Nearly half of moves (47%) were fully covered, while 12% got nothing. Only 19% were paid as a flat lump sum, even though companies say employees prefer them.

Selling a house is where real money moves. Only 33% of companies pay home sale costs, so homeowners should ask about this item by name.

Renters do best on temporary housing (41%) and lease cancellation (35%). If you are breaking a lease, that line item matters more than a bigger lump sum.

Typical lump-sum relocation payment ranges, 2024 vs 2025 (% of companies, check all that apply)

Source: Atlas Van Lines, Atlas Corporate Relocation Survey 2026 - Appendix A (full results tables). Download as image

What employers pay to move under their most common domestic policy, 2025 (% of companies)

Source: Atlas Van Lines, Atlas Corporate Relocation Survey 2026 - Appendix A (full results tables). Download as image

How long relocated employees stay with the company after relocating, 2025 (company-reported share of relocated employees)

Source: Atlas Van Lines, Atlas Corporate Relocation Survey 2026 - Appendix A (full results tables). Download as image

What is the average relocation package in 2026?

There is no single average, because companies pay in different ways. Some write one check. Some reimburse receipts. Some hire the movers directly and never hand you cash at all.

For lump sums, the most common band in 2025 was $10,000-$12,499, picked by 26% of companies, the same top band as the two prior years. But the spread is real. 17% of companies offered $25,000 or more, and 6% offered no lump sum at all.

Full coverage is also common. Companies said 47% of their relocations were fully covered or reimbursed, 23% were partly reimbursed, and 12% were not reimbursed. So if you are offered nothing, you are in a minority, and it is fair to ask why.

What does a relocation package usually include?

Look past the headline number and check what the company will actually move. Under the most common domestic policies in 2025, 39% of companies paid to move a car, 32% paid for packing, and 30% paid to move pets. Only 15% allowed unlimited weight.

Company size shows up here too. 56% of large companies paid for full packing, against 26% of small ones. At the other end, 23% of small companies offered nothing beyond a lump sum, or nothing at all.

Say you have two cars, a dog and a three-bedroom house. A policy that covers one car and a weight limit could leave you paying for the second car and the extra load yourself. Ask for the policy document, not just the summary in the offer email, and match it against what you own.

Lump sum or reimbursement: which is better for you?

78% of companies agreed their employees prefer lump sums. It is easy to see why. You get cash, you spend it how you like, and if you move cheaply, you keep the difference.

The catch is that a lump sum caps the company's risk and shifts it to you. If the movers cost more than quoted, or you need an extra month of temporary housing, that comes out of your pocket.

A quick test: price the move before you accept. Get one moving quote, look up a month of furnished rent in the new city, and add travel and any lease-break fee. If that total is above the offered lump sum, ask for the difference or for the company to pay the big items directly.

Reimbursement works better when costs are hard to predict, like selling a house or moving a family across the country. Just check what counts as an eligible expense and how fast you get paid back.

How much relocation or sign-on bonus should I ask for?

49% of companies used a relocation or sign-on bonus to encourage moves in 2025, down from 53% in 2024. Large companies were the most likely to offer one at 53%, medium-sized companies at 52%, and small companies at 44%.

Anchor your ask to your real costs, not to a round number you heard somewhere. If your move costs more than the lump sum, the gap is your opening request. If the company will not raise the bonus, try a different line item.

The cost-of-living raise is often the stronger ask. 52% of companies offered one in 2025, down from 61% in 2024. Moving from a cheaper city to an expensive one with no salary change can wipe out a bonus within the first year.

• Ask for a cost-of-living adjustment if rent or home prices are clearly higher in the new city.
• Ask for temporary housing by the month, not a fixed dollar amount.
• Ask the company to cover the tax on the payment (a gross-up) if the lump sum is meant to cover real costs.
• Ask for any bonus in writing, with the payment date stated.

Is relocation money taxable?

For most workers, yes. Federal law now permanently ends the income exclusion for moving expense reimbursements, except for active-duty military moving under orders and certain intelligence community employees. IRS guidance treats bonuses and payments for nondeductible moving expenses as supplemental wages.

That means employers can withhold federal income tax at a flat 22% on those payments in 2026, and Social Security, Medicare and any state tax come out on top of that. A lump sum that looks generous on the offer letter can shrink a lot by the time it hits your bank account.

This is why a tax gross-up matters. Only 21% of companies said they pay the federal tax liability for relocating homeowners. If the offer is silent on taxes, assume you pay them, and ask whether the number is before or after tax.

Do I have to pay back relocation if I quit?

Often, yes. Many relocation and sign-on bonuses come with a repayment agreement. If you leave, or get fired for cause, before a set date, you owe some or all of the money back.

Employers have a reason for this. Companies reported that 13% of relocated employees left in less than a year, while 24% stayed five years or more. The repayment clause is how they protect that bet.

What you can negotiate is the shape of the clause. A fair version shrinks the amount you owe month by month, and says you owe nothing if you are laid off or let go without cause. A one-sided version makes the full amount due no matter why you leave, sometimes with the gross-up added on top.

Read the clause before you sign the offer, not after the movers have come. Once you have moved, your bargaining power is close to zero.

Sources and method

Every number on this page comes from the sources below, each opened and read on or before October 18, 2026. A second, independent review checked every figure against its source and corrected anything that did not match. Figures that could not be confirmed were left out.

1. Atlas Van Lines, Atlas Corporate Relocation Survey 2026 (59th Annual) - Survey Booklet (2026 edition (59th annual; fielded January 5-16, 2026; covers 2025))
2. Atlas Van Lines, Atlas Corporate Relocation Survey 2026 - Appendix A (full results tables) (2026 edition (59th annual))
3. Internal Revenue Service, Publication 15 (2026), (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide (2026 edition, For use in 2026)