Not all periods of work under umowa zlecenie count toward work record in Poland

\From 2026, important changes to labour law have come into force in Poland. Periods of work under umowa zlecenie and other civil-law contracts are now taken into account when calculating staż pracy. For many migrants who have worked in Poland for years on the basis of exactly these types of contracts, this may mean a real increase in annual leave entitlement, new allowances, and better working conditions.

However, there are important nuances: not every period of work under umowa zlecenie is automatically included in the work record. There are conditions, exceptions, and situations where the new rules may not produce the expected result. The Gremi Personal Editorial team breaks down the key points that everyone living and working in Poland needs to know.

What staż pracy is and why it matters

Staż pracy is the total length of professional activity taken into account when calculating a number of important employment rights. Most significantly, it affects annual paid leave entitlement: with a work record of less than 10 years - 20 working days; with a record of 10 or more years - 26 working days. The difference is substantial and felt in everyday life. In addition to leave, staż pracy affects:

• seniority pay supplements - in many companies and all public institutions;
• jubilee awards - one-off payments upon reaching 10, 15, 20 or more years of service;
• notice period for dismissal - from 2 weeks (for a record of up to 6 months) to 3 months (for more than 3 years);
• certain internal employer bonuses tied to length of service.

Until 2026, only official employment - periods of work under umowa o pracę - was counted toward the work record. Those who had worked for years under umowa zlecenie were effectively "accumulating" zero official staż pracy - regardless of the actual duration of work. The new rules were intended to correct this injustice.

What changed from 2026

On 16 October 2025, the President of Poland signed a law introducing substantial amendments to the Labour Code. The core idea of the reform - to equalise the rights of those working under civil-law contracts with employees engaged under umowa o pracę.

The key condition of the new law: a given period is counted toward the work record only when contributions to ZUS for pension and disability insurance were paid for it. If contributions were not paid - the period is not included in the work record, even if umowa zlecenie was signed and performed.

This is an important detail. Not all persons working under umowa zlecenie are subject to mandatory social insurance. For example, students under 26 years of age, or those who simultaneously hold a primary place of employment with earnings no lower than the minimum wage, may be exempt from mandatory ZUS contributions. In such cases, their period of work under umowa zlecenie will not be counted toward the new work record.

When the new rules came into force

The changes were introduced in stages:

• From 1 January 2026 - for the public sector: civil servants, teachers, healthcare workers, employees of budget-funded institutions.
• From 1 May 2026 - for the private sector, meaning all other employers. The new law has retroactive effect: periods of work under umowa zlecenie before 2026 may also be counted toward the work record - but only after submitting the relevant documents to the employer. The mere fact of past work - without documentary confirmation - is not a basis for inclusion.

Which periods are now included in staż pracy

The law expands the list of types of activity counted toward the work record well beyond umowa zlecenie alone. The following may now be included:

• Umowa zlecenie and contracts for the provision of services - provided ZUS contributions were paid.
• Running a sole-trader business (JDG) - if pension and disability insurance contributions were paid.
• Cooperation in the running of a business.
• Umowa agencyjna.
• Membership in agricultural production cooperatives.
• Work abroad - subject to proper documentary confirmation.
• Suspension of business activity in connection with childcare - if ZUS contributions were paid.

For each of these cases, documentary confirmation is required. The mere fact of performing work without documents is not a basis for inclusion in the work record.

What remains outside staż pracy

Alongside the changes, there are also clear exclusions - categories of employment that continue not to be counted when calculating staż pracy:

• Umowa o dzieło - regardless of duration and the amounts paid, such contracts have still not been included in the list. This matters for those who performed project-based work on exactly this type of contract.
• Periods without ZUS contributions - if for any reason contributions for a period of work under umowa zlecenie were not paid, that period does not count toward the new work record.
• Pension record - the new rules do not change the method of calculating a pension in any way. The pension record is calculated solely on the basis of insurance periods with ZUS, not on staż pracy as understood under the Labour Code. In other words, a longer staż pracy does not automatically mean a higher pension.

The most important nuance: working under several contracts simultaneously

This is the key point of the new rules that is often overlooked.

If a person was working simultaneously under both umowa o pracę and umowa zlecenie at the same time - those two periods are not added together. The law explicitly states: when different types of professional activity are performed in parallel, only one period is counted toward the work record, with no doubling.

PIP clarified this as follows: if for two years an employee simultaneously held umowa o pracę and umowa zlecenie - they will be credited with two years of staż pracy, not four. Working in several jobs at the same time does not accelerate the accumulation of staż pracy.

How to confirm a period of work under umowa zlecenie

For the relevant periods to be counted toward the work record, several steps must be taken. **First step **- obtain from ZUS a certificate of insurance history (zaświadczenie o przebiegu ubezpieczeń). It confirms which periods contributions were paid for and by whom. The certificate can be obtained:

• through the Profil Zaufany online portal on the official ZUS website;
• in person at any ZUS branch;
• through the mObywatel app.

Second step - submit the certificate and other supporting documents to your current employer. Upon receiving the documents, the employer is obliged to recalculate the leave entitlement and other rights dependent on the work record.

Document submission deadlines:

• For the public sector: 24 months from 1 January 2026, i.e. by 1 January 2028.
• For the private sector: 24 months from 1 May 2026, i.e. by 1 May 2028. If documents are not submitted within this deadline, the periods will not be credited to the work record. The new rules do not take effect automatically - action must be initiated by the employee themselves.

Practical tips from Gremi Personal

Start by checking your ZUS contributions. Through Profil Zaufany on the ZUS website or through mObywatel, you can review your entire insurance history in Poland. If confirmed contributions appear for periods of work under umowa zlecenie - you are entitled to have those periods counted toward your work record.

Do not delay with the documents. The deadline is 24 months. The sooner you submit the certificate to your employer, the sooner your leave and allowances will be recalculated.

Analyse your situation regarding parallel contracts. If you simultaneously held umowa o pracę and umowa zlecenie - the new rules will not increase your staż pracy for those parallel periods.

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