Polish authorities have confirmed that the national minimum wage will climb to PLN 4,806 per month and PLN 31.40 per hour from 1 January 2026, a move that automatically resets the floor salary for most foreign employees holding standard Work Permits or combined Work-and-Residence (Single) Permits. The update—published on 19 November—also raises existing city-specific benchmarks for Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) permits, with Warsaw now at PLN 5,926.63 and Kraków at PLN 5,084.37, among others.
While the headline increases are modest (≈3 %), they come on top of a February 2025 jump in the EU Blue-Card threshold to PLN 12,272.58. The government stresses that benefits, allowances or foreign-currency payments cannot be counted toward the new minima; salaries must be paid in zloty through a Polish payroll.
![Poland Raises 2026 Minimum-Salary Thresholds for Work & Single Permits]()
For employers, the immediate task is to audit all pending and renewal applications. Offers issued earlier but decided after 1 January will be judged against the higher figures. HR teams should re-budget assignment costs for 2026, especially where compensation is pegged close to the statutory floor. Failure to align can lead to permit rejection or later revocation during labour-office inspections.
Foreign assignees should also note that comparable-salary tests remain in force: pay must not undercut what local peers earn for similar roles. Multinationals accustomed to pan-EU salary bands may need Poland-specific adjustments to pass scrutiny.
Strategically, the rise signals Warsaw’s intent to keep foreign-worker wages in step with fast-rising domestic pay, limiting perceptions that migrants are cheaper labour. Companies relying on large volumes of third-country nationals—especially in IT outsourcing, logistics and manufacturing—should model longer-term cost curves and explore higher-skilled immigration channels (e.g., Blue Card) that carry their own but more predictable salary rules.
While the headline increases are modest (≈3 %), they come on top of a February 2025 jump in the EU Blue-Card threshold to PLN 12,272.58. The government stresses that benefits, allowances or foreign-currency payments cannot be counted toward the new minima; salaries must be paid in zloty through a Polish payroll.
For employers, the immediate task is to audit all pending and renewal applications. Offers issued earlier but decided after 1 January will be judged against the higher figures. HR teams should re-budget assignment costs for 2026, especially where compensation is pegged close to the statutory floor. Failure to align can lead to permit rejection or later revocation during labour-office inspections.
Foreign assignees should also note that comparable-salary tests remain in force: pay must not undercut what local peers earn for similar roles. Multinationals accustomed to pan-EU salary bands may need Poland-specific adjustments to pass scrutiny.
Strategically, the rise signals Warsaw’s intent to keep foreign-worker wages in step with fast-rising domestic pay, limiting perceptions that migrants are cheaper labour. Companies relying on large volumes of third-country nationals—especially in IT outsourcing, logistics and manufacturing—should model longer-term cost curves and explore higher-skilled immigration channels (e.g., Blue Card) that carry their own but more predictable salary rules.
