Which documents to prepare for a PIP inspection? A list with the legal basis

Who this applies to

Employers who expect an inspection or want to check their records, and businesses without employees that use the work of people on civil-law contracts or B2B. The latter are subject to inspection in the area of health and safety, legality of employment and contracts concluded in conditions typical of an employment contract (Article 13(1) of the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate). The list is not closed: the inspector decides what is needed in a given inspection. The course of an inspection and the inspector's powers are described in the guide PIP inspection: whom it concerns, what the inspector can check and how it works.

What to do

1. Establish whom the inspection concerns. Make a list of people who work or have worked for you, with the basis of their engagement: employment contract (umowa o pracę), contract of mandate (umowa zlecenia), contract for specific work (umowa o dzieło), B2B. The inspector may also request information from former employees and co-workers (Article 23(1)(3)).
2. Prepare the documents from the list below, divided into employees and people on other contracts.
3. Appoint a person to present them. Documents must be presented without delay (Article 27 of the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate).
4. Prepare data for the report. The report contains, among other things, the company's name, address and REGON or NIP number, the person representing the company, the date the business started and the date that person took up the position (Article 31(2)(1), (3) and (4)).
5. Collect documents from previous inspections. The report contains information on the implementation of earlier PIP decisions and post-inspection recommendations (Article 31(2)(6)). Prepare the orders (nakaz), post-inspection recommendations (wystąpienie) and your replies.

Employee documents and contracts

• Employment contracts or written confirmation of their terms. The contract is concluded in writing. If it was not concluded in writing, the employer confirms the arrangements in writing before allowing the person to work (Article 29 § 2 of the Labour Code).
• Employee records and personnel files, on paper or in electronic form (Article 94(9a) of the Labour Code). They are kept for the period of employment and 10 years from the end of the year in which the employment relationship ended, unless separate provisions require a longer period (Article 94(9b) of the Labour Code). The records of former employees may also be inspected.
• Civil-law contracts and documents related to their performance. The inspector may request them under Article 23(1)(5) of the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate. The PIP checks payment of the minimum hourly rate (Article 10(1)(15b)) and whether the contract should be an employment contract (Article 13(1), Article 22 § 1 of the Labour Code).
• Social insurance registration documents. The inspector inspects the legality of employment (Article 10(1)(3) of the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate). Registration for insurance is made within 7 days of the obligation arising (Article 36(4) of the Act on the Social Insurance System).

Working time and pay

• Working time records for each employee, kept for the purpose of correctly determining pay (Article 149 § 1 of the Labour Code). Working hours are not recorded for employees on task-based working time, those managing the workplace, and those receiving a lump sum for overtime or night work (Article 149 § 2 of the Labour Code).
• The document setting working time systems and schedules and settlement periods: a collective agreement, the work rules, or an announcement if the company has no collective agreement and does not have to have work rules (Article 150 § 1 of the Labour Code).
• Documents on payment of wages and other benefits. Wages fall within the scope of PIP inspections (Article 10(1)(1)), and the inspector may request any documents related to the performance of work (Article 23(1)(5)). Wages payable once a month are paid no later than within the first 10 days of the following month (Article 85 of the Labour Code).

Work rules, if applicable

• Work rules must be introduced by an employer with at least 50 employees, unless these matters are governed by a collective agreement (Article 104 § 1(1) of the Labour Code). With 20-49 employees, work rules are mandatory if the company trade union requests them (Article 104 § 3). With fewer employees they are voluntary (Article 104 § 2).
• Pay rules are set by an employer with at least 50 employees not covered by a collective agreement (Article 77(2) § 1 of the Labour Code). With 20-49 employees they are mandatory at the request of the company trade union (Article 77(2) § 1(2)). Below 50 employees they may be introduced voluntarily (Article 77(2) § 1(1)).

Health and safety

• Occupational risk assessment and its documentation, as well as information for employees about the risk (Article 226 of the Labour Code).
• Medical referrals and certificates. An employee may not be allowed to work without a valid certificate stating there are no contraindications (Article 229 § 4 of the Labour Code). Pre-employment, periodic and follow-up checks are carried out on the basis of the employer's referral (Article 229 § 4a). Exceptions from pre-employment checks are in Article 229 § 1(1).
• Health and safety training documents: initial training before being allowed to work and periodic training (Article 237(3) § 2 of the Labour Code). Periodic training is not required in administrative and office positions at employers whose activity group has a risk category no higher than three, unless the risk assessment indicates otherwise (Article 237(3) § 2(2)). The employer also completes health and safety training (Article 237(3) § 2(1)).
• Results of tests and measurements of harmful factors, if such factors are present (Article 227 § 1(2) of the Labour Code).
• Register of accidents at work (Article 234 § 3 of the Labour Code) and post-accident documentation, kept for 10 years (Article 234 § 3(1)).
• Technical documentation of the construction, alteration or start-up of the workplace, machinery and processes, and the results of expert reports, if they are relevant to the inspection (Article 23(1)(4) of the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate).

According to the PIP website, the inspector may also look at personal protective equipment, work clothing and footwear, overtime, work on Sundays and public holidays, and leave.

Exceptions and caveats

• The number of employees determines the work rules. The thresholds of 20 and 50 refer to employees. The provisions on work rules do not mention people on civil-law contracts.
• Data protection is not grounds for refusal. According to the PIP, data protection provisions do not allow you to refuse the inspector the information requested, because the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate expressly gives the inspector the right to personnel files and documents.
• Trade secrets. At your request, the report contains a note on information covered by trade secrets (Article 31(2)(14) of the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate).
• Missing records are a petty offence. Failing to keep employee records, failing to store them for the required period, or leaving them in conditions that risk their destruction is a petty offence under Article 281 § 1(6)-(7) of the Labour Code.
• The list does not replace sector-specific rules. Some sectors have additional record-keeping obligations that this guide does not cover.

Example

Assumptions: a service company employs 35 people on employment contracts and 6 people on contracts of mandate. It has no collective agreement or trade union.

The company does not have to have work rules or pay rules, because it has fewer than 50 employees and there has been no request from a trade union. However, it must set its working time systems and schedules and settlement periods in an announcement (Article 150 § 1 of the Labour Code). It prepares: the personnel files of the 35 employees, working time records, payment documents, medical certificates, health and safety training documents, occupational risk assessment documentation, and the 6 contracts of mandate with documents on their performance and payment.

Documents and deadlines

Frequently asked questions

Can I provide the documents electronically?

Yes. The Act on the National Labour Inspectorate refers to submitting documents on paper or in electronic form (Article 23(1)(5)). In a remote inspection, activities may be carried out by means of electronic communication (Article 26(5)).

What if a document is missing?

Do not create backdated documents. Tell the inspector what is missing and why. The inspector may order health and safety shortcomings to be remedied within a set time and describe other violations in post-inspection recommendations. See PIP report, order, post-inspection recommendations, instruction and decision: how do they differ?

Where can I find more on training and medical checks?

In the guide Employee medical checks and health and safety training: which are mandatory, who pays and when do they take place? The rules for recording overtime are described in the guide Overtime: when is it allowed, how much does the employer pay for it and how do you document it?

Related guides

• PIP inspection: whom it concerns, what the inspector can check and how it works
• PIP report, order, post-inspection recommendations, instruction and decision: how do they differ?
• Employee medical checks and health and safety training: which are mandatory, who pays and when do they take place?
• Overtime: when is it allowed, how much does the employer pay for it and how do you document it?

Sources (documents in Polish)

• Kodeks pracy, t.j. Dz.U. 2026 poz. 1245
• Ustawa o Państwowej Inspekcji Pracy, tekst ujednolicony ISAP (stan 2026-07-31)
• Ustawa o systemie ubezpieczeń społecznych, tekst ujednolicony ISAP (stan 2026-07-28)
• PIP: Jak przygotować się do kontroli?

Sources checked on 15 October 2026. Law as at 15 October 2026.

Change history

• 15 October 2026: First publication.