When you work through a temporary work agency (agencja pracy tymczasowej), the agency is your employer: it signs your contract and pays your wages and ZUS (social security) contributions. The company where you actually work – the pracodawca użytkownik (user employer) – gives you tasks, is responsible for health and safety and records your working hours. The law guarantees you working conditions no worse than those of the company’s own staff, and on umowa o pracę (employment contract) also paid holiday and wages at least once a month.
Who is responsible for what: the agency or the user employer
The rules on temporary work are set by ustawa z dnia 9 lipca 2003 r. o zatrudnianiu pracowników tymczasowych (the Act on the Employment of Temporary Workers). Under it, the duties are split like this:
- The agency signs the contract, calculates and pays your wages, pays ZUS contributions and tax, pays for your holiday, and when the work ends issues a świadectwo pracy (employment certificate).
- The user employer directs your work, provides safe conditions, runs BHP (health and safety) training, issues workwear and footwear, records your working hours and agrees your holiday dates with the agency or with you.
The agency can’t send you to do particularly dangerous work, to replace a worker who is on strike, to work as an armed security guard, or to do the same type of work that was done by a company employee dismissed in the last 3 months for reasons not related to employees, if that work is in the same gmina (municipality). We describe how BHP training usually goes in our article about the first day in a warehouse.
What rights the law guarantees on umowa o pracę
- Equal treatment. Art. 15 of the act forbids treating you less favourably in working conditions and other terms of employment than the user employer’s employees in the same or a similar job. If the company breaks this rule, you can claim compensation from the agency.
- Holiday. Under art. 17 you are entitled to 2 days of paid holiday for each month you were placed with one or more user employers. If your contract ends and you haven’t used your holiday, the agency pays you the cash equivalent (ekwiwalent).
- Wages. Under art. 85 of the Kodeks pracy (Labour Code), wages are paid at least once a month, on a fixed day set in advance, no later than the 10th of the following month.
- Sick leave. On umowa o pracę you are compulsorily insured against sickness, so L4 sick leave is paid under the general rules.
- Time limit with one user employer. Under art. 20, the agency can place you with one company for at most 18 months in any 36 consecutive months. When you are covering for an absent employee, the limit can reach 36 months.
- Notice of termination. A contract with an agency is for a fixed term. It may allow early termination with short notice: 3 days if the contract is for up to 2 weeks, and one week if it is longer (art. 13 of the act).
If you are on umowa zlecenie
An agency can sign a civil-law contract with a temporary worker, such as umowa zlecenie (contract of mandate), but only when the nature of the work justifies it. The rules are then different:
- The minimum rate in 2026 is PLN 31.40 gross per hour. If the contract is for more than a month, you are paid at least once a month.
- Sick leave. For a zleceniobiorca (contractor under a contract of mandate), sickness insurance is voluntary: it only applies if the agency has also registered you for it. Ask about this before you sign.
- Holiday. Paid holiday under the Labour Code doesn’t apply on zlecenie unless the contract provides for it.
- The 18-in-36-months limit applies both to zlecenie and to a mix of zlecenie and umowa o pracę.
- Deductions. The law doesn’t rule out deducting charges or penalties from pay under zlecenie, as long as this isn’t a way of getting round the law. So read the contract clauses on accommodation, transport and penalties carefully.
What is guaranteed and what isn’t
| Question | Umowa o pracę | Umowa zlecenie |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum pay in 2026 | PLN 4,806 gross a month for full-time work | PLN 31.40 gross per hour |
| When you are paid | monthly, no later than the 10th of the following month | at least once a month if the contract is longer than a month |
| Paid holiday | 2 days for each month with the user employer | only if the contract provides for it |
| Sick leave | insurance is compulsory | only with voluntary chorobowe (sickness insurance) |
| Deductions, e.g. for accommodation | only with your written consent | under the terms of the contract |
| No more than 18 months with one user employer | yes | yes |
The law doesn’t guarantee that the user employer will take you on permanently, that you will get a set number of hours on zlecenie unless it is written into the contract, or that the agency will provide accommodation and transport. These are terms of a particular offer, so it’s worth having them in writing.
On umowa o pracę, deductions for accommodation or other costs are only allowed with your written consent, and the law protects part of your wages from deductions (kwota wolna od potrąceń).
Checklist before you sign a contract
- The agency is in the KRAZ register, and its entry includes praca tymczasowa (temporary work). We explain how to check this in our article about fake job offers.
- You know the type of contract (umowa o pracę or umowa zlecenie) and how long it lasts.
- The agency has told you in writing the type of work, working hours, place of work, pay, and the day and method of payment.
- The cost of accommodation and transport is written down, and you only consent to deductions of the agreed amount.
- The contract is in a language you understand, and you keep a copy.
- Nobody asks you for money to get the job or takes your passport.
- You know who your coordinator is and how to contact them.
- You keep your own record of hours worked to check them against your payslip.
What to do if your rights are breached
- Write to the agency coordinator. Describe the problem, with dates and amounts. A written request is easier to prove than a conversation.
- Keep evidence. Your contract, payslips, your own record of hours, and messages.
- File a complaint with PIP. Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy (the National Labour Inspectorate) accepts complaints in person at a district labour inspectorate, by post with a handwritten signature, by email with a file signed with a qualified, trusted or personal electronic signature, or through e-Doręczenia. There is no online complaint form. The complainant’s details are not disclosed without their written consent, and anonymous complaints are only dealt with in exceptional cases.
- Go to the labour court. A dispute over unpaid money can be taken to a sąd pracy (labour court).
How STARKO works
At STARKO you get a legal contract under Polish law, with insurance, and your wages paid into your bank account every month on a fixed day. Accommodation from PLN 500 a month is deducted from your wages, with nothing to pay upfront. We provide workwear, and your coordinator speaks Ukrainian and Russian and is available every day. Current offers are on the Jobs in Poland page.
Frequently asked questions
Who pays my wages if I work through an agency?
The temporary work agency pays your wages, because it is your employer. It also registers you with ZUS and pays the contributions, while the company where you work settles up with the agency.
Is an agency worker entitled to holiday?
Yes, if you are on umowa o pracę: the law gives you 2 days of holiday for each month you were placed with the user employer. On umowa zlecenie there is no paid holiday under the Labour Code unless the contract provides for it.
Is sick pay paid on umowa zlecenie?
Only if you have been registered for voluntary sickness insurance (ubezpieczenie chorobowe) and the required insurance period has passed. On umowa o pracę this insurance is compulsory.
Can an agency deduct accommodation from my wages?
On umowa o pracę, deductions for the employer, for example for accommodation, are only allowed with your written consent, and the law protects part of your wages from deductions. On umowa zlecenie such deductions depend on the terms of the contract, so read it carefully.
How long can I work through an agency at one company?
No more than 18 months in any 36 consecutive months with one user employer. The exception is covering for an absent employee, when the limit can reach 36 months.
Where can I complain about an employment agency in Poland?
First write to the agency coordinator. If that doesn’t help, file a complaint with Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy (PIP) in person, by post, or electronically with an electronic signature.