Audi Car

Porsche, Bosch & Co pay these success bonuses

First Corona, then the semiconductor shortage, now the Ukraine war. Which companies have still paid bonuses to their employees in 2021? And at what level?

To describe 2021 as a “crisis year” for the automotive industry would be easy: first Corona, then the semiconductor shortage. And neither is over yet. But despite all the prophecies of doom, some OEMs did quite well last year and made record profits. While numerous suppliers have had to fight for their survival, car manufacturers are focusing on high-margin models.

According to an EY study, the world’s 16 largest manufacturers were able to increase their operating profits by 11.4 percent to a new record high in the third quarter of 2021. And this despite the fact that sales figures fell by 16 percent. Have the companies here involved their employees in the good results for the year 2021? This much can already be revealed: It looks very different.

We list the success bonuses of German industrial companies, car manufacturers, and some of their suppliers for the years since 2015. Almost always at the forefront: Porsche with its exceptionally high bonus. But suppliers also delighted their employees – at least in the past – with high participation payments.

Because payments vary from year to year, companies are ranked alphabetically and not by the amount of the employee bonus. In addition, some companies do not publish any concrete figures but calculate the annual special payment as a percentage of the respective salary.

Premiums during the corona crisis are tax-free
Bonuses for employees are tax- and social security-free during the corona crisis up to an amount of 1,500 euros. This emerges from a communication from the Federal Ministry of Finance. This is intended to reward work performance during the pandemic.

The tax exemption applies not only to special payments in so-called systemically important professions but also to premium payments in other professions. As a period, the Authority sets the payment between 1 March 2020 and 31 March 2022. The premium may be paid in the form of money or as another benefit.