If you live and work or have worked in Germany, you might have gotten a little extra cash along with your November salary, the ๐ช๐ฒ๐ถ๐ต๐ป๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐๐๐ด๐ฒ๐น๐ฑ or Christmas money.
While that sounds great, not everybody gets extra money. It is also not regulated whether an employer has to pay you, when or how much. It is a voluntary special payment (๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ต๐น๐๐ป๐ด).
Depending on the industry you work in, whether your company has a tariff commitment, how long you have worked there, and whether it is written in your work contract, you may receive no money at all or anywhere between 25-55% of your normal salary. It is normally paid with your November salary. (Most employees in Germany get paid once a month, at the beginning, the 15th or at the end of a month.)
In 2019, 53% of all employees received ๐ช๐ฒ๐ถ๐ต๐ป๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐๐๐ด๐ฒ๐น๐ฑ from their employers (72% in companies with tariff commitment) with a gross average of 2632 โฌ. This special payment by employers is taxed as income and if you leave the company the following year before March 31st, you might have to pay it back.
๐ช๐ฒ๐ถ๐ต๐ป๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐๐๐ด๐ฒ๐น๐ฑ is sometimes translated with โThirteenth Salaryโ. However, Germans also have the term ๐ญ๐ฏ. ๐๐ฒ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐ but itโs not the same as the ๐ช๐ฒ๐ถ๐ต๐ป๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐๐๐ด๐ฒ๐น๐ฑ. The latter is a voluntary special payment by the employer to help with Christmas expenses and to ensure loyalty among employees. It can be as high as a normal salary but doesnโt have to be.
The ๐ญ๐ฏ. ๐๐ฒ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐ is one monthโs salary, paid normally also in November and is a year-end bonus that the employee earned throughout the year. It is contractually regulated and you donโt have to pay it back if you leave the company by March the following year.
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