Higher fines for breaching employee rights and a year to switch contracts voluntarily
Since 8 July 2026 Labour Code fines have doubled, and firms have until 8 July 2027 to turn sham civil contracts into employment contracts without a penalty.
The reform of the Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy (PIP — National Labour Inspectorate) is not only about the new decision confirming an employment relationship. Since 8 July 2026 the most common offences against employee rights carry fines twice as high, and an inspector’s on-the-spot fine can reach PLN 5,000. At the same time, the act gives employers 12 months to put their contracts in order themselves — without a penalty.
Labour Code fines — the new ranges
The same act raised the minimum and maximum fines in the Kodeks pracy (Labour Code). This applies, among others, to the following violations:
| Violation | Until 7 July 2026 | Since 8 July 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Civil-law contract instead of an employment contract, no written confirmation of the contract before work starts, breaching working-time rules (art. 281 § 1) | PLN 1,000–30,000 | PLN 2,000–60,000 |
| Not paying wages on time, not granting leave, not issuing the świadectwo pracy (employment certificate) (art. 282 § 1) | PLN 1,000–30,000 | PLN 2,000–60,000 |
| Not complying with health and safety (BHP) rules (art. 283 § 1) | PLN 1,000–30,000 | PLN 2,000–60,000 |
| Violations concerning an employee who is a child-support debtor (art. 281 § 2, art. 282 § 3) | PLN 1,500–45,000 | PLN 3,000–90,000 |
A new offence has also been added: breaking the ban on treating an employee worse because of a PIP decision confirming an employment relationship — e.g. dismissing them in retaliation.
An inspector’s fine: up to PLN 5,000
Fines within the ranges in the table are imposed by a court. On the spot, the inspector can issue a mandat (fixed penalty notice) — and these limits have gone up too:
- a standard PIP fixed penalty: up to PLN 5,000 (previously up to PLN 2,000),
- where someone has already been punished at least twice for an offence against employee rights and commits another within two years: up to PLN 10,000 (previously up to PLN 5,000). The same rule applies to repeat offences concerning temporary work, the minimum wage and the Sunday trading ban.
A year to put contracts in order voluntarily
The act contains a transitional provision worth knowing. A company that before 8 July 2026 concluded a civil-law contract under conditions of regular employment and within 12 months of that date, i.e. by 8 July 2027, concludes an employment contract with that person on its own initiative is not liable for the offence of concluding a civil-law contract instead of an employment contract (art. 281 § 1 point 1 of the Labour Code).
Important: this protection applies only to that single offence. It does not remove other obligations — such as paying outstanding wages or complying with working-time rules.
A PIP interpretation before an inspection
A company that is unsure whether a given arrangement is already an employment relationship can apply to the Chief Labour Inspector for an interpretacja indywidualna (individual interpretation). Key rules:
- fee: PLN 40, paid together with the application,
- deadline: without undue delay, no later than 30 days from filing a complete application,
- the application describes the facts or the planned cooperation and the applicant’s own position,
- the interpretation offers no protection if an inspection shows that reality differs from the description in the application.
The interpretation is requested by an entity subject to PIP inspection, i.e. mainly an employer or business — not the person doing the work.
What this means for you
If you are an employee or work on a civil-law contract:
- The higher fines do not go to you — but they make it more likely that the employer pays arrears or grants leave sooner after a PIP intervention.
- If you believe your civil-law contract is in fact a regular job, you can file a complaint with the PIP. It is free, and at your request the inspector will not reveal that the inspection results from your report.
If you are an employer:
- By 8 July 2027, review civil-law and B2B contracts concluded before 8 July 2026. Where the work looks like a regular job, switching the contract on your own initiative protects you from a fine for having concluded the sham contract.
- Employing foreigners on civil-law contracts? Switching to an employment contract with the same entity does not require a new zezwolenie na pracę (work permit) or a new oświadczenie (declaration) — but the other conditions in the document must match.
- In doubtful cases, consider an individual interpretation for PLN 40. If you want to put your contracts in order or move to temporary work through an agency — write to us.
Legal basis: Act of 11 March 2026 amending the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate and certain other acts (Dz.U. 2026 item 473) — art. 1 (art. 14b of the Act on the PIP), art. 3 (art. 281–283 of the Labour Code), art. 6 (art. 96 § 1a–1bc of the Code of Procedure in Petty Offence Cases), art. 8, art. 16, art. 20; Labour Code (consolidated text Dz.U. 2025 item 277 as amended); Code of Procedure in Petty Offence Cases (consolidated text Dz.U. 2025 item 860 as amended). Legal status as of 24 September 2026.