T-Zug A, T-Zug B and T-Zug T simply explained

The Tarifliches Zusatzgeld (T-Zug) is an annual special payment in the ERA agreement. It comes in three forms with different bases and payout rules.

T-Zug A – convertible into free days

T-Zug A equals 27.5% of the monthly base salary including the Leistungszulage and overtime pay. Employees with children, relatives in need of care, or on shift work can convert T-Zug A into free days instead of taking the cash. You make that choice in the salary calculator with a single click.

Eight or six free days?

The shorthand is usually “eight free days” — in reality the number depends on the reason for the conversion and on how often you have used it before (figures for a five-day week, otherwise pro-rated):

• Shift work: 8 free days — every year again, with no cap on how often.
• Childcare (child up to the age of 8): twice 8 free days per child, followed by three times 6 free days.
• Care of relatives: twice 8 free days per care case, likewise followed by three times 6 free days.

The six-day tier arrived with the collective agreement of November 2024: anyone who had already used up the two rounds of 8 days for a child or a care case previously got nothing more and can now apply three more times for 6 days. The same round also removed the exclusion of part-time employees and shift workers on reduced hours.

Two limits remain: entitlements cannot be combined — there are never more than 8 free days in one calendar year, not even with two children or with care duties and shift work. And there are preconditions, for example at least 5 years with the company and 3 years in shift work for the shift-based entitlement. The application is due by 31 October for the following year, unless the company has agreed a different deadline.

The number of days makes no difference to the calculator: converted T-Zug A is simply not paid out and drops out of the annual gross at €0.

T-Zug B – a percentage of the Eckentgelt

T-Zug B does not depend on your individual salary but on the Eckentgelt of your region – calculated without the Leistungszulage and overtime pay. Its percentage has grown considerably over the years:

The employer may defer the T-Zug B payout by up to two months in agreement with the works council.

T-Zug T – the transformation payment

The Transformationsgeld (T-Zug T) equals 18.4% of the monthly base salary including the Leistungszulage and overtime pay. It was introduced amid the structural transformation of the industry.

All special payments at a glance

The table below summarises the currently valid special payments with their amount, payment month and calculation basis:

How all these extras affect your personal annual salary is shown directly in the salary calculator. The values per year come from the pay scales and the bargaining rounds.