Pay ranges in recruitment — what you can require from an employer

Looking for a job and left guessing about the pay until the very end of the process? Since 24 December 2025 that is no longer allowed. The new art. 18(3ca) of the Kodeks pracy (Labour Code) gives every job applicant the right to information about the pay — a specific amount or a range — before the contract is concluded. It applies equally to candidates from Poland and from abroad.

What exactly the employer must provide

Under art. 18(3ca) of the Labour Code, a person applying for employment in a given position receives from the employer information about:

• the pay, its initial amount or its range — based on objective criteria that are neutral in terms of gender,
• the relevant provisions of the collective agreement (układ zbiorowy pracy) or the pay regulations (regulamin wynagradzania) — if the employer is covered by such an agreement or has such regulations.

The Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy (PIP, National Labour Inspectorate) explains that “pay” is understood broadly here: not only the basic salary, but all pay components and work-related benefits, whatever their name or form. The employer may state a single amount or a range — a minimum and a maximum.

When and how you should receive it

The information must reach you in paper or electronic form (an e-mail is enough) and early enough for you to read it.

• Best of all when the amount is already in the job advertisement. The provision does not explicitly require this, but it is the simplest way to comply.
• If it was not in the advertisement — or no advertisement was published at all — you should receive the information before the job interview.
• The absolute limit: before the employment contract is concluded. Signing a contract in which you see the figure for the first time is contrary to this provision.

What the employer may not do

The new rules also close two practices that were the norm in recruitment for years:

• Asking about your previous earnings. The employer may not require a candidate to disclose the pay received from their current or previous employers. If such a question comes up in an interview, you are under no obligation to answer — and it cannot be a reason to reject your application.
• Advertisements implying gender or age. The wording of the advertisement must be neutral. Phrases such as “a young, energetic person for the office” are not acceptable, because they signal preferences unrelated to performing the work.

The changes were introduced by the Act of 4 June 2025 amending the Labour Code (Dz.U. 2025 item 807), which implements EU Directive 2023/970 on pay transparency. This is the first stage — the directive provides for further obligations towards employees already on the payroll, including the right to information on average pay in comparable positions broken down by gender.

What this means for you

If you are job-hunting:

• You do not have to extract the figure by guesswork. You can simply write: please provide information on the pay for this position under art. 18(3ca) of the Kodeks pracy — and ask for a reply by e-mail.
• Keep that e-mail. If the contract later shows a lower figure than the one promised in recruitment, you will have a reference point for the conversation.
• Are you a foreign national? This provision works the same way regardless of citizenship and type of residence document. Ask for the information in writing, in Polish — the same amount must then match the contract and the documents filed in the work permit (zezwolenie na pracę) case.
• Note: art. 18(3ca) applies to employment under an umowa o pracę (employment contract). Under an umowa zlecenia (civil-law contract) you do not have this claim, but you are guaranteed the minimum hourly rate — in 2026 it is PLN 31.40 gross per hour.
• If you believe pay in the same position is differentiated without an objective reason, an employee is entitled to compensation of no less than the minimum wage (art. 18(3d) of the Labour Code). You can also file a complaint with PIP.

If you are recruiting:

• Set the range before publishing the advertisement and base it on objective criteria: scope of duties, required experience, responsibility. You must be able to justify those criteria.
• Remove the question about previous earnings from recruitment forms and interview scripts.
• Review advertisement templates for neutral language, including job titles.
• Keep a documentary trail: when and in what form the candidate received the pay information.

Transparent ranges shorten recruitment for both sides — the candidate does not waste time on an offer below their expectations, and the employer does not interview people it cannot afford to hire. If you have been refused a figure, or asked about your previous earnings — write to us.

Legal basis: Act of 26 June 1974 — Kodeks pracy (Labour Code), consolidated text Dz.U. 2025 item 277 as amended, art. 18(3ca) and art. 18(3d); Act of 4 June 2025 amending the Labour Code (Dz.U. 2025 item 807), in force since 24 December 2025; Directive (EU) 2023/970; position of the Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy “Czy pracodawca ma obowiązek poinformować kandydata o wynagrodzeniu na danym stanowisku?”; Regulation of the Council of Ministers of 11 September 2025 (Dz.U. 2025 item 1242). Legal status as at 23 September 2026.