Got no bonus this year but company says 'good performance', normal?

From my experience, AWS and variable bonus are two different things and companies here treat them separately. AWS is contractual-ish and almost everyone gets it. Variable bonus depends on both company profit and your department's pool, so it's common for departments to differ a lot even with the same rating. Before you get angry, ask your manager calmly how the bonus pool was decided for your team and how your rating maps to payout. Sometimes 'meets expectations' is deliberately the band that gets a small bonus, and you need 'exceeds' to unlock more. Get clarity on what 'exceeds' actually requires. If the answer is unfair or unclear year after year, that's a signal to look outside. Raise it as a question, not an accusation.

I had this exact situation and learned that bonus is discretionary unless your contract states otherwise. Check your employment letter and any bonus policy. If it says 'discretionary', legally they can give zero even with a decent rating, so complaining won't force a payout. What I did was ask for a private review conversation and requested clear, measurable targets for next year tied to bonus. I also negotiated a mid-year check-in so there were no surprises. Honestly, if your peers consistently get 2 to 3 months and you get zero for the same effort, the market may value you more elsewhere. Use the next appraisal cycle to decide. Keep records of your contributions so you have leverage.