All “workers” under employment contracts are entitled to annual paid vacation. An employee will typically receive vacation days with every month that passes (1/12 of the total vacation to which they are entitled after one year of work. An employee gains the right to the next vacation in each subsequent calendar year.
Paid time off is obliged to be offered by the employer, under the following “vacation entitlement” terms:
- 20 days paid time off – if the employee has been working for less than 10 years
- 26 days paid time off- if the employee has been working for at least 10 years
Vacation entitlement begins after time spent in education, depending on the type of school finished, for example:
- basic vocational school – length of course but not more than three years
- secondary vocational school – length of course but not more than five years
- secondary school of general education – four years
- vocational college – six years
- higher education institution – eight years
The above periods cannot be added together.
Unused annual leave days can be transferred to the following year but must be taken by September 30 of the following year. It is forbidden to pay employees for not taking their leave, except upon termination of employment.
Sick leave:
Employees are entitled to sick leave provided they present a medical certificate before 1 week has passed since their leave. Sick leave is paid at 80%-100% of the allowance basis if the illness occurs during pregnancy or is caused by an accident on the way to or from work. Up to 33 days of sick leave per calendar year, the employer must pay 80% of the salary. From day 34, sickness benefits are paid by the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS).
Parental leave:
Parents are entitled to a maternity and paternity benefit paid by the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS). Female employees are entitled to the maternity leave periods linked to the number of children born/adopted as follows:
- 20 weeks for the birth of one child/adoption of one child
- 31 weeks for two children,
- 33 weeks for three children,
- 35 weeks for four children
- 37 weeks for five or more children.
Maternity leave:
The Social Insurance Institution covers all maternity pay at 100% of the employee’s regular salary rate. Maternity leave cannot start earlier than six weeks before the due date but can start later or even after birth and continue straight after. Employees should take a minimum of 14 weeks of maternity leave after childbirth before returning to work, and they have the option to transfer any untaken leave beyond 14 weeks to the child’s father. The 33 weeks of maternity leave can be used by both parents and can be divided into no more than 4 periods. Adoption leave may be used by both the adoptive father and the adoptive mother. However, under the Labor Code, the leave can’t be taken simultaneously by both parents.
Paternity leave:
Fathers are entitled to two weeks of paid paternity leave within the first 24 months after the child’s birth or from the date of adoption before the child is seven years old. An employee can take the leave in a maximum of two installments of one week each, and Social Security pays the leave at a rate of 100.00% of the employee’s regular salary.
Other types of Paid Time Off (Leave)
include Disability, Special Events, Military, Childcare, Wedding, Grandchild, and Bereavement, which are further detailed here.