The Leistungszulage (performance bonus) in the ERA agreement
The Leistungszulage (performance bonus, LZ) is a percentage supplement paid on top of the base salary of a pay grade. It rewards individual performance and is a fixed part of the monthly pay – not a discretionary bonus.
How high is the Leistungszulage?
The LZ is calculated as a percentage of the base salary. A collectively agreed average value applies to the plant: the company-wide mean must sit regionally between roughly 6 and 15%. Individual employees can be above or below it; in aggregate the plant must meet the average. In North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, the maximum rate is around 20%, and the plant average must be at least half of that.
The overview below shows the benchmark values seeded in the calculator for each region:
| Regions | Leistungszulage (performance bonus) |
|---|---|
| Baden-Württemberg | 15 % |
| Bayern | 14 % |
| Berlin | 10 % |
| Hessen | 10 % |
| Niedersachsen | 10 % |
| NRW | 10 % |
| Osnabrück | 10 % |
| Pfalz | 10 % |
| Rheinland | 10 % |
| Saarland | 10 % |
| Sachsen | 10 % |
| Sachsen-Anhalt | 10 % |
| Thüringen | 10 % |
| Hamburg | 6 % |
| Schleswig-Holstein | 6 % |
Who does not receive a Leistungszulage?
Apprentices receive no Leistungszulage – their apprentice pay is governed separately by the agreement. The LZ also does not count towards every special payment: T-Zug B, for instance, is explicitly calculated without the Leistungszulage.
Work it out yourself
Because the Leistungszulage varies by plant, you can adjust it freely in the salary calculator and immediately see how it changes your annual salary. The base values per EG are in the pay scales.