In Poland, paid leave is 20 or 26 days a year, and it depends not only on years worked but also on education: schooling adds years to your record. Work out your days and the value of unused ones.
An estimate for an umowa o pracę. The cash amount for unused days (ekwiwalent) is approximate: the exact “współczynnik ekwiwalentu” is set by the state each year, so the final figure is calculated by a księgowa (accountant). There's no paid leave under the Labor Code on an umowa zlecenia.
Your whole work history, including work abroad (if you have proof).
Education adds years to your record — but levels don't stack: only the highest one counts.
If you don't work the full year, leave accrues proportionally — 1/12 per month worked.
Only needed to estimate the payout for unused days.
Leave is counted in days but used in hours: 1 day = 8 hours. On a rotating shift schedule, days get “used up” unevenly.
—days a year
based on your record and employment fraction
Counted record——
Norm by record—
Adjusted for employment fraction—
Proportionally for 12 mo.—
In hours (×8)—
Value of 1 day (gross)approximate—
Payout for unused days——
This is gross. The take-home amount from the payout will be lower after ZUS and tax — work it out in the gross↔net calculator.
20 or 26 days — what it depends on
The length of paid leave on an umowa o pracę depends on your total work record: under 10 years — 20 days a year, 10+ years — 26 days. The key thing most newcomers don't know: education counts toward your record too. Higher education adds 8 years, post-secondary school 6, vocational secondary 5, general secondary 4, basic vocational 3.
Education years don't stack — only the highest level counts. So someone with higher education and two years of work already has 10 years of “leave record” and the right to 26 days.
Proration and part-time work
If you don't work the full year, leave accrues proportionally: 1/12 of the norm for each month worked. On a part-time position, the norm shrinks proportionally too (half the days on a 1/2 position).
FAQ
Can you skip taking leave and get paid instead?
No. Cash instead of leave (ekwiwalent) is only paid upon termination, for unused days. While you're employed, leave must be taken.
Does unused leave expire?
Unused leave carries over to the next year — it should be used by September 30. The right to it doesn't disappear immediately: the claim expires under the general statute-of-limitations rules.
What about an umowa zlecenia?
There's no paid leave under the Labor Code there — it isn't an employment contract. Sometimes the parties write “days off” into the contract itself, but that's not the same as urlop.
Want a job with proper paid leave?
Залиште контакт — підберемо вакансію на umowa o pracę з офіційною відпусткою і лікарняними. 0 € з кандидата.
