Employment contract in Poland: Template, Key Clauses and Local Law (2026)

What a Polish employment contract is, and the law behind it An employment contract in Poland (umowa o prace) is governed by the Labour Code (Kodeks pracy), a protective statute that sets a floor the parties cannot drop below. This is different from a civil-law arrangement such as a mandate contract (umowa zlecenie) or a contract for a specific task (umowa o dzielo), which fall under the Civil Code and give the worker far fewer protections. Where the day-to-day relationship has the features of employment, directed work at set hours and a fixed place, Polish authorities can treat it as an employment contract whatever the paperwork says. The Labour Code fixes the main terms: written form, the types of contract, probation limits, notice periods, working time and leave. On top of that, amendments in 2023 implemented the EU Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions Directive, which added an information duty and tightened probation and fixed-term rules. This article is general guidance, not legal advice. Have a Polish employment lawyer review a contract before you rely on it. ## What Polish law requires in 2026 - Written form and language. The contract must be in writing, and confirmed in writing at the latest before the employee starts work. For work performed in Poland with an employee, Polish is required under the Act on the Polish Language, so a bilingual contract is common where a foreign party is involved.

• Mandatory content. The contract must state the parties, the type of contract, the date it starts, the place of work, the job and duties, the remuneration and its components, and the working time. For fixed-term and probation contracts it must also state the duration.
• Probation. A probation contract (umowa na okres probny) is capped at three months and must be a separate contract, not a clause inside another type. Where it runs for less than three months the employer should indicate the planned type and length of the follow-on contract.
• Notice during probation. Notice is short: three working days where probation does not exceed two weeks, one week where it exceeds two weeks, and two weeks where probation is the full three months.
• Notice after probation. For an indefinite or fixed-term contract, statutory notice depends on length of service: two weeks for under six months, one month for at least six months, and three months for at least three years. Termination must be in writing and, for an indefinite contract, give a real reason.
• Fixed-term limits. A fixed-term contract, or a chain of them, is generally capped at 33 months and three contracts; beyond that it is treated as indefinite.
• Information duty. Since the 2023 amendments the employer must give the employee a separate written information document covering working time, rest, overtime, leave, notice and more, within set deadlines.
• Tax and contributions. Pay is subject to personal income tax (PIT) and social security contributions (ZUS), withheld and paid by the employer. ## Polish employment contract template Copy the block below and fill the bracketed fields. Keep it in Polish, or bilingual, and sign before the start date. ``` EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT (UMOWA O PRACE) Made on [DATE] in [place] BETWEEN: [EMPLOYER NAME], [registered office, NIP / KRS number] ("Employer") AND [EMPLOYEE NAME], [address, PESEL] ("Employee") 1. TYPE AND TERM OF CONTRACT This is a contract for [an indefinite period / a fixed term to [DATE] / a probation period of [up to 3 months]]. Work starts on [DATE]. 2. POSITION AND PLACE OF WORK Position: [job title]. Duties: [summary]. Place of work: [address or area]. 3. WORKING TIME Full time [or part time, state fraction], [average 40 hours per week in the applicable settlement period]. 4. REMUNERATION Gross salary of [amount] PLN per month, payable by [date], plus [bonus or allowances]. Not below the statutory minimum wage. 5. LEAVE Paid annual leave per the Labour Code [20 or 26 days by length of service]. 6. NOTICE Either party may terminate on the statutory notice set by the Labour Code for the contract type and length of service, in writing. 7. CONFIDENTIALITY AND OTHER TERMS The Employee keeps the Employer's information confidential. [Any non-compete is a separate agreement under the Labour Code.] 8. INFORMATION DUTY The Employer will provide the separate written information required by the Labour Code within the statutory deadline. Signed: Employer ____________ Employee ____________ Name / date Name / date

- **Remuneration (clause 4).** State the gross figure and its components clearly. Pay cannot fall below the national minimum wage, which is revised regularly, so check the current figure before signing.
- **Notice (clause 6).** Rather than restating the statutory bands, tie notice to the Labour Code so the clause stays correct if service lengthens. Remember termination must be in writing and, for an indefinite contract, give a genuine reason.
- **Non-compete.** A non-compete during or after employment is a separate agreement under the Labour Code, and a post-employment non-compete requires compensation to the employee. Do not fold it silently into the main contract. ## Red flags to avoid - Using a civil-law mandate or task contract to disguise what is really employment, which authorities can reclassify.
- Probation written as a clause inside an indefinite contract instead of a separate probation contract.
- Missing mandatory content, such as the place of work or the components of pay.
- Overlooking the 33-month and three-contract fixed-term cap, which converts the relationship to indefinite.
- An English-only contract where Polish is required for work performed in Poland.
- Forgetting the separate written information document now required after the 2023 amendments. ## Where a contract workspace helps A template gives you a workable Polish employment contract. The ongoing work is everything around it: using the right contract type, keeping probation as a separate contract, watching the 33-month fixed-term cap, issuing the information document on time, and tracking notice windows and renewal dates across a team. Drafting or reviewing an employment contract, checking it against the Labour Code, editing a clause in plain language and tracking term, notice and fixed-term limits can sit in one AI contract workspace tuned to how your company hires. [Adira](https://adiralaw.com) is built around that shape: it drafts from a template, models the contract as linked clauses so it can flag a probation clause in the wrong place or a fixed-term chain nearing the cap, lets you edit by instruction, and keeps key dates on one timeline. Adira is India-first today, and deeper Poland-specific coverage is on its roadmap rather than a settled claim, so use it for drafting and review and keep a Polish employment lawyer for the local-law call. The template above is enough to start a fair contract on its own. Last verified October 2026.