--- title: "BMW Ready to Pay Up to €600k for Voluntary Resignations — Surge of Applications Crashes Corporate Portal" description: "BMW offered employees voluntary resignation for large compensation packages — in some cases up to €600k. A surge of applications crashed the corporate portal, and intake was suspended." date: 2026-10-17T11:00:53.654Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/bmw-voluntary-resignation-up-to-600k-portal-crashes tags: [bmw, layoffs, severance-pay, germany, automotive-industry] author: "Darya Fomina" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # BMW Ready to Pay Up to €600k for Voluntary Resignations — Surge of Applications Crashes Corporate Portal ![Red BMW electric vehicle driving along a coastal road against a sunset background](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/17/bmw-dobrovolnoe-uvolnenie-do-600-tys-evro-portal-upal/bmw-dobrovolnoe-uvolnenie-do-600-tys-evro-portal-upal-1.webp) ## Key Points - BMW launched a voluntary redundancy program with large severance packages. - A surge of applications led to a corporate portal crash, and application intake is suspended. - The automaker plans to cut up to 8,000 jobs, primarily in Germany. - Approximately €1 billion is allocated for compensation in 2026, with even more for 2027. - Payouts depend on age, service length, and salary; older workers get up to ~€50k per year of service, totaling up to €600k. German automaker BMW has launched a voluntary redundancy program offering substantial severance packages. According to the German newspaper Bild, interest in participation was so high that the company's corporate portal could not handle the load, forcing management to temporarily suspend applications. As the publication notes, demand for the program exceeded management's expectations, although the exact number of applicants and the date for resuming applications have not been disclosed. ### Scale of Upcoming Redundancies The voluntary resignation program is part of a broader optimization plan: BMW intends to cut up to 8,000 jobs, primarily at production facilities in Germany. The automaker has allocated approximately €1 billion for compensation payments in 2026, and according to Bild, plans to direct an even larger sum to 2027. Thus, the company is budgeting a two-year workforce restructuring program. ### What Determines Compensation Amounts Severance pay is calculated individually and depends on the employee's age, length of service, and salary level. According to Bild, payouts for older workers can reach approximately €50,000 for each year of service. In individual cases, the total compensation can reach up to €600,000, making the program one of the most generous staff reduction tools in the automotive industry. ### Portal Fails Under Surge of Applications A key fact pointed out by Bild is the technical overload of the corporate portal: the number of requests was so large that the system could not cope, and application intake was temporarily suspended. The automaker is not publishing either the exact number of participants or the timeline for resuming intake, leaving room for various estimates regarding the actual scale of the brain drain. ### Context: Transformation Amid the Electric Vehicle Race The decision on large-scale cuts comes against the backdrop of BMW's active transformation toward electric vehicles. It was previously reported that the BMW i3 50L model traveled over 1,200 km on a single charge, highlighting the company's technological focus. Combining record electric vehicle performance with the simultaneous reduction of up to 8,000 positions shows that the concern is reallocating resources: part of the budget is going not only into development but also into compensating departing employees. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [BMW готова платить по 50 тыс. евро за каждый год стажа работникам, готовым уволиться: желающих оказалось так много, что упал корпоративный портал](https://www.ixbt.com/news/2026/10/16/bmw-gotova-platit-po-50-tys-evro-za-kazdyi-god-staza-rabotnikam-gotovym-uvolitsia-zelaiushhix-okazalos-tak-mnogo-cto-upal-korporativnyi-portal.html) - Primary source (Bild retelling): voluntary redundancy program, portal crash, up to 8k positions, ~€1 billion for 2026, payouts up to ~€50k per year of service and up to €600k total. ## FAQ ### What is the BMW program? It is an offer for employees to voluntarily resign in exchange for large severance packages, the size of which depends on age, service length, and salary. ### How much can an employee receive? According to Bild, payouts for older workers can reach approximately €50,000 for each year of service, and total compensation can reach up to €600,000 in individual cases. ### How many jobs does BMW plan to cut? Up to 8,000 jobs, primarily in Germany; about €1 billion is allocated for compensation in 2026, and an even larger sum for 2027. ### Why has application intake been suspended? The corporate portal could not handle the surge of requests, so application intake was temporarily stopped; the exact number of participants and resumption date are not reported.