About half of the employees in Germany receive a Christmas bonus. According to a study published on Friday by the Economic and Social Science Institute (WSI), 52 percent of workers receive the special payment. The WSI further reported that a collective bargaining agreement significantly increases the chances, as there is no general entitlement to a Christmas bonus. Thus, 78 percent of employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement receive a Christmas bonus, compared to only 42 percent in establishments without such an agreement. Although the study showed differences between various employment groups that receive a Christmas bonus, the WSI states these differences are so small that they do not constitute factors for the special payment. A collective bargaining relationship is more decisive. Malte Lübker, salary expert at WSI, said that collective bargaining agreements are important not only at Christmas; typically, “the basic salaries in establishments bound by collective agreements are also higher.” The number of employees in establishments bound by collective agreements fell from 68 percent in 2000 to 49 percent in 2025. According to a survey by the Institute of Labour Market Research (IAB), this is because many newly founded companies do not join the employers’ association or limit themselves to a membership without binding collective agreements. Collective bonuses like the Christmas bonus would then not apply. The highest special payment is currently being transferred in the printing industry, where employees in the middle wage group in the collective agreement region Schleswig-Holstein/Hamburg receive over 5,366 euros. The Christmas bonus is particularly high at 4,235 euros in the Chemical Industry Nordrhein, the Energy Supply Nordrhein-Westfalen (4,231 euros), and the Confectionery Industry Baden-Württemberg (4,013 euros). Normally, the collective Christmas bonus is calculated as a fixed percentage of the monthly wage. Therefore, it automatically increases when trade unions and employers conclude a new wage collective agreement.
Mixed
