Microsoft Service Award program

Learn about the Global Service Award program and how we celebrate employee service milestones.

Microsoft recognizes employees celebrating their tenure milestones after every five years (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 etc.) of employment in the following ways:

Customized webpage and message. Employees will receive a customized webpage on their anniversary date that includes a note of congratulations from their manager. This will arrive from MSFT-ServiceAwards@biworldwide.com and will provide a personalized URL link directing you to your Celebration Page.
- Note The manager will receive an email one month prior to the employee's service anniversary month providing links to submit congratulations. Managers will also receive a link MSFT-ServiceAwards@biworldwide.com to a customized online recognition certificate that they can then print or send by email to present to the employee on the anniversary date.
Choice of recognition award. At each five-year milestone, employees have the option to choose either an anniversary crystal, a cash award or a donation to charity through the GIVE portal (US only). The cash amount will be equal to USD 20 per year of service (or USD 100 for a five-year award, for example). The donation amounts will include the match, which will be equal to USD 20 per year of service + USD 20 match (or USD 100 + USD 100 = USD 200 for a five-year award, for example). Crystals are available through the 40-year milestone. Please allow up to 3 months for customization and shipping and delivery after the order is placed.
Morale events. For milestones of 20 years or more, managers can plan a custom, local morale event for their direct report. Starting at anniversaries of 20 years (and continuing at five-year increments), managers are provided with instructions in an email from Global Benefit Awards and Recognition <gblawd@microsoft.com> on how to expense up to USD 500 to a central HR budget for planning that employee's recognition experience or celebrate, which gives the flexibility to create a celebration that is most inclusive and meaningful for their direct report.
Recognition. At the 25-year milestone of service with Microsoft, the employee will also have their name engraved on an art wall in building 33 on Redmond's campus. HR will reach out in January or July to eligible employees to share the process and timelines.

For more information about the Service Award program in general, please contact AskHR.

Note: Service awards that are not delivered by the termination date will be deemed unrecoverable.

Employee Service Awards are given based on the employee's service date, which may differ from their hire date. Service dates are determined by the amount of time the employee is classified as regular headcount.

Break in service: Service dates are adjusted when there is a break in service. If there is a break in service and the employee is rehired, then prior service is bridged, and the service date is adjusted to reflect the prior service.
Mergers and acquisitions: If an employee comes to Microsoft as part of a merger or acquisition, their Microsoft Employee Service Award eligibility is calculated from the employee's actual Microsoft hire date. Service with the former company is recognized only for purposes of vacation accrual and eligibility for and level of severance benefits. Service within a limited integrated company (e.g. LinkedIn, GitHub, etc.) is not recognized for the Microsoft Service Award.

Puget Sound employees are able to drop off unwanted Service Anniversary Crystal towers (5, 10, 15, 20 year awards) in good condition. Interoffice mail is prohibited at this time. This is a pilot program that will allow us to gauge employee interest to potentially expand the program. Learn more here.

Previously selected awards cannot be replaced or traded for an alternate option, including crystal sculptures, cash, or charitable contributions (US only).

Current and past employees may purchase a crystal sculpture from a previous milestone from Bamko. Your Microsoft service tenure will be confirmed with AskHR. You may also use this website to self-purchase replacement crystal sculptures that have been broken or chipped.

FAQs

What is the Global Service Award program?

Once you reach a five-year milestone (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, etc.) you have the option to choose an anniversary gift of:

A traditional crystal, available through the 35-year milestone.
A cash gift, based on years of service ($20 USD per year of service), paid through your payroll (read below for tax implications).
(US only) A charitable contribution through the Give program, accessible via My Giving Portal.

You will also receive a personalized Celebration Page on your anniversary date.

I've reached a five-year milestone. How does the program work for me?

For each five-year milestone anniversary, you will receive a custom webpage on your actual anniversary date. This will arrive from MSFT-ServiceAwards@biworldwide.comand will provide a personalized URL link directing you to your Celebration Page. There, you will see an invitation to choose a crystal, a cash gift, or a charitable contribution (US only) in honor of your anniversary.

What is the Celebration Page?

When will I receive my chosen award?

For crystal awards, you can expect delivery 4-6 weeks after making your selection. The crystal will be delivered to your Microsoft office via Microsoft Mailing Services. If you have a home office, Microsoft Mailing Services will contact you for further instructions.
Cash service awards will be added to your paycheck within 1-2 pay periods after the end of the month when you've made your choice.
Charitable donation service awards (US only) will be acknowledged via an email from the Giving Program Support, sent from microsoftgive@benevity.com, the month following when you've made your choice. At that time, you can log into your Giving Portal to direct your donation. To donate, follow these easy steps:
1. Go to the Giving Portal.
2. Click Search to find an eligible organization.
3. Select Donate Now.
4. Enter your one-time donation details and choose Giving Account Balance as the payment method.

How long will I have to choose my award?

I can't find the email to my Celebration Page so I can order my service award. What do I do?

I'm in the US and I've chosen the charitable donation award. How long do I have to direct the donation to the charity of my choice in the Giving Portal?

Once the award amount is seeded into your Giving Account in the Giving Portal (the month following when you made your choice), the Service Award will remain in your Giving Account until you direct it to the charity of your choice. If you leave Microsoft prior to donating your award, Microsoft will donate the award a nonprofit organization on your behalf.

Can I submit for a matching gift if I opt to donate my award?

As a non-US employee, can I select the option to donate my recognition gift to a charity?

Not at this time. Microsoft HR partners with Microsoft Philanthropies to offer the charitable donation option. This option utilizes the Employee Giving Program site, which is only accessible to US-based employees. In the future, the charitable donation option may be offered in additional countries, but in the meantime, all employees are welcome to choose the cash award option and donate to the charity of their choice upon receipt.

Will Microsoft cover the taxes on my cash award?

I chose the charitable donation for my award. Why do I see this award reflected on my paycheck?

IRS regulations require taxation on the value of cash and donation awards. This is considered imputed income, which will be reflected in your paycheck. However, Microsoft effectively covers taxes on the award via a gross up. The charitable donation amount will be added as taxable earnings as part of "Adjustment to Earnings", grossed up for taxes, and then subtracted back out under "After Tax Deductions"—so the net impact to your paycheck from taxes is $0.

I chose charitable donation, but I no longer want to donate my gift. Can I get a refund?

I chose the charitable donation for my Service Award, but I retired from Microsoft and I never donated my Service Award in the Giving Portal to the charity of my choice. What happens to it?

I chose the charitable donation for my Service Award. Do I have to donate the award amount to one organization or can I split between multiple organizations?

If I choose the charitable donation option, what organizations are eligible to receive the donation?

I do not get paid in USD. If I choose the cash gift, how is the USD value converted to my currency?

I previously celebrated my service anniversary milestone and received a crystal. Can I return my crystal and receive cash or donate to charity instead?

What if I no longer want my service award crystal(s)?

Puget Sound employees are able to drop off unwanted Service Anniversary Crystal towers (5, 10, 15, 20 year awards) in good condition. If you have the original roller carrier case for the higher tenure awards, feel free to drop that off as well. The towers will be buffed and put back into inventory. Interoffice mail is prohibited. This is a pilot program that will allow us to gauge employee interest to potentially expand the program. Learn more here.

For employees outside the Puget Sound, please leverage local community programs for responsible discard guidelines. The tower material is 100% lead free crystal. The base has a trace amount of epoxy coating. You could also check with your colleagues if anyone needs a replacement. We’ve heard some employees use the crystals in their gardens as art.