The Republic of Poland is a country located in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces, covering an area of 312,679 square kilometers with a largely temperate climate.
Poland borders Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, and Russia (the Kaliningrad exclave). Its northern border (440 km long) runs along the Baltic Sea coast.
*Please note that the official currency is the currency of remuneration when employed through WorkMotion in Poland.
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Capital :
Warsaw
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Currency :
Polish Złoty (PLN)
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Languages spoken :
Polish
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Population :
38.24 million (2021 est.)
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Minimum wage 2022 :
PLN 3,010 monthly
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Cost of Living index :
$$ (86 of 139 nations)
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Payroll Frequency :
Monthly
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VAT - standard rate :
23%
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GDP - real growth rate :
5.7% (2021 est.)
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The national holidays mentioned below are valid for the year 2023.
Work on Sundays and public holidays is allowed in situations listed exhaustively in the Labor Code, e.g. in the case of shift work, in transport, and during work which is necessary due to its social utility and the daily needs of the population.
The approximate time for sharing the contract with an employee in Poland is 4 business days assuming no special requests or changes to our standard employment contract. Any such requests or changes would need to undergo internal and external review, directly leading to a time delay.
NOTE: This number is subject to change and is only an estimation of the Contract Sharing Time. The estimated Contract Sharing Time begins from the moment that WorkMotion has received all required information from both the client and the employee.
The maximum normal working time is eight hours a day and 40 hours per week. The working time is calculated for a reference settlement period of up to four months, extendable to up to a year under certain conditions.
All workers are entitled to an uninterrupted daily rest of at least 11 hours and continuous weekly rest of at least 35 hours or 24 hours in certain cases.
If the daily working time is six hours or longer, a worker has the right to take a 15-minute break from work. An employer may introduce one break of a maximum of 60 minutes for meals or personal matters that are not included in the working time.
The weekly working time including overtime must not exceed an average of 48 hours in the assumed settlement period and 150 hours during the calendar year. Overtime is paid at the statutory rate of 200% of the employees’ regular pay if the work is performed at night, on Sundays, or non-working days. The payment rate is 150% of the employees’ regular income if work is performed at any other time. Overtime work is also compensated through paid time off.
The employment contract for a probation period (umowa o pracę na okres próbny), should not exceed three months. The contract for a probation period may be renewed with the same worker if the worker is to perform a different type of work or the same type of work upon the lapse of three years from the date of expiry of the previous employment contract.
WorkMotion usually applies a probationary period of three months in Poland.
The probation period is not mandatory in Poland. However, concluding an employment contract without probationary period is associated with risks. A probation period may only be waived if all of the conditions given below are met:
The period of termination notice for employment contracts for a probation period depends on the length of the probation period:
| Duration of Probation period | Notice Period |
| Less than 2 weeks | 3 working days |
| 2 weeks to 3 months | 1 week |
| More than 3 months | 2 weeks |
The period of termination notice for employment contracts for indefinite and fixed periods of time depends on the duration of employment with a given employer:
| Duration of employment | Notice Period |
| Less than 6 months | 2 weeks |
| 6 months – 3 years | 1 month |
| More than 3 years | 3 months |
Workers acquire the right to their first annual leave (equivalent to 1/12 of the annual leave available after completing one year of work) upon completing one month of work. The amount of annual leave is:
All workers are covered by compulsory sickness insurance. Sick pay is financed by the employer. It is payable to the employee for the first 33 days of incapacity for work in a calendar year (for the first 14 days, if the employee is aged 50). The right to sick pay is acquired by employees only after 30 days of uninterrupted insurance (the qualifying period).
Immediately upon using their maternity leave, a worker has the right to a parental leave of up to 32 weeks in the case of the birth of one child in one delivery, and up to 34 weeks in the case of the birth of two or more children in one delivery. Workers who have filed a motion with the guardianship court for instituting the adoption procedure or as a foster family are also eligible.
Female workers have the right to a maternity leave of 20 weeks for a child, increasing progressively up to 37 weeks for five or more children in a delivery.
The amount of the maternity allowance is 100% of the calculation basis for the period corresponding to the period of maternity leave. The payments are funded through employee contributions to the Social Security System (ZUS).
The length of paternity leave is equal to two weeks and the worker receives 100% payment of the average. It is funded through employee contributions to the Social Security System. It is also paid to foster and adoptive fathers.
Paid leave is provided for the following reasons:
| Leave | Days |
| Personal reasons like marriage, the birth of a child, the funeral of a family member. | 2 days |
| Wedding of a child or the death and funeral of a sibling, in-laws, grandparents, or a person dependent on the worker or under their direct care. | 1 day |
| Training leave to improve qualifications on the initiative of the employer or with the employer’s consent. | 6 to 21 days as per the qualifying exam. |
Unpaid leave is granted at the worker’s written request (the leave is not included in the employment period which is the basis for employee benefits). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the employer may, at the worker’s written consent, grant them unpaid leave.
The amount of childcare leave is up to 36 months before the child has reached the age of six years. In order to use the leave, a worker must have an employment duration of at least six months. While on childcare leave, workers are not entitled to any wages or benefits but are covered by retirement and health insurance which is paid by the employer.
The Social Insurance Institute (ZUS) collects all the social insurance contributions and forwards them to the appropriate institutions. Employer contributions to government funds cover retirement, disability, accident, and sickness insurance.
*Up to the cap of PLN 177, 660.
The health insurance contribution percentage is 9% and it is paid only by the employees. There are exceptions regarding the contributions for disabled, annuitants, and pensioners. The National Health Fund regulates the health benefits. Poland has a mixed system for public and private health care financing.
Contributions to pension insurance are financed in equal parts between the employer and the employee (9.76% of the contribution base each). Retirement schemes are mandatory in Poland for all workers.
Employee Capital Plans
Employee Capital Plans (Pracownicze Play Kapitałowe, PPK) are a long-term savings scheme in which the employee’s private savings are contributed to by the employee, employer and the state. The main objective of PPK is to provide its participants with funds for when they stop being professionally active. Funds accumulated in a PPK account can be withdrawn at any time.
An employer is obliged to enroll its employees for the PPK according to the following rules:
The employer is mandated to contribute 1.5% of the salary plus 2.5% voluntarily towards PPK.
The information contained in this Country Guide is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. The contents of this Country Guide contain general information and may not reflect current legal developments or address your situation. You should not act or refrain from acting on the basis of any content included in this Country Guide without seeking the advice or representation of a licensed attorney. WorkMotion Software GmbH disclaims all liability for actions you take or fail to take based on any content included in this Country Guide.
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