Polish employers have just six weeks to re-check every foreign payroll: the statutory minimum wage will rise to PLN 4,806 per month (PLN 31.40 per hour) on 1 January 2026, the Labour Ministry confirmed in a notice circulated on 20 November. Because Poland ties the eligibility of work permits and combined residence-and-work (‘Single’) permits to the national minimum, the change automatically lifts the threshold for thousands of pending and renewal cases.
City-specific rules add another layer of complexity. The notice updates the income that expatriates must earn to secure an Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) permit: Warsaw jumps to PLN 5,926.63, Kraków to PLN 5,084.37 and Wrocław to PLN 5,210.45. While the headline increase is a modest three percent, it comes on top of February’s hike in the EU Blue-Card benchmark to PLN 12,272.58, pushing total mobility costs higher than many HR budgets anticipated.
![Salary Floors for 2026 Work & Residence Permits Edge Higher]()
Multinationals are being urged to audit all offers, shadow-payroll arrangements and posted-worker allowances. Any application decided after 1 January will be tested against the higher amounts—even if the employment contract was signed months earlier. Consultants warn that benefits-in-kind, offshore payments and stock grants do not count toward the statutory floor: remuneration must be paid in zloty via a Polish payroll.
The government argues the adjustment keeps migrant pay in line with domestic wage growth and helps dispel the notion that foreign staff are a cheaper option. However, industry groups say the squeeze will narrow the salary gap between the Single-permit route and the more flexible—but costlier—EU Blue Card, nudging companies toward the latter. Employers in manufacturing hubs such as Łódź and Katowice, where margins are thin, face the toughest recalculations.
Practical next steps include re-budgeting 2026 assignment costs, flagging any offers that fall short of the new floor, and preparing template contract amendments. HR teams should also brief line managers that refusal rates tend to spike in the first quarter after a wage hike as inspectors test compliance.
City-specific rules add another layer of complexity. The notice updates the income that expatriates must earn to secure an Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) permit: Warsaw jumps to PLN 5,926.63, Kraków to PLN 5,084.37 and Wrocław to PLN 5,210.45. While the headline increase is a modest three percent, it comes on top of February’s hike in the EU Blue-Card benchmark to PLN 12,272.58, pushing total mobility costs higher than many HR budgets anticipated.
Multinationals are being urged to audit all offers, shadow-payroll arrangements and posted-worker allowances. Any application decided after 1 January will be tested against the higher amounts—even if the employment contract was signed months earlier. Consultants warn that benefits-in-kind, offshore payments and stock grants do not count toward the statutory floor: remuneration must be paid in zloty via a Polish payroll.
The government argues the adjustment keeps migrant pay in line with domestic wage growth and helps dispel the notion that foreign staff are a cheaper option. However, industry groups say the squeeze will narrow the salary gap between the Single-permit route and the more flexible—but costlier—EU Blue Card, nudging companies toward the latter. Employers in manufacturing hubs such as Łódź and Katowice, where margins are thin, face the toughest recalculations.
Practical next steps include re-budgeting 2026 assignment costs, flagging any offers that fall short of the new floor, and preparing template contract amendments. HR teams should also brief line managers that refusal rates tend to spike in the first quarter after a wage hike as inspectors test compliance.
