M1zzrandom

Hello, I've done some research and I'm a little confused with the information I found as my situation is quite niche. I had a temporary contract with a company from July 2023 until January 2024. The emailed me today to confirm that I was eligible for their bonus which I will be receiving at the end of the month. When I was employed by them I was getting taxed at 40%. However, I have been out of work for 2 months as I am still looking for a job and I haven't yet found anything - all my research says that this bonus will be taxed at 40% too even though I'm not working, is this correct? Is there any way to reduce this to the normal 20% considering I am not working? Thanks,