How do you give notice on an employment contract as an employee and what happens next?

Author: inspekcja-pracy.pl editorial teamChecked: 16 October 2026

Short answer

You can give notice on your employment contract (umowa o pracę) at any time. You submit a letter with your handwritten signature to the employer (Article 30 § 3 of the Labour Code, Kodeks pracy), without giving a reason and without any information on appeal rights: those obligations apply only to the employer. The contract ends on expiry of the notice period, which depends on your length of service with that employer: 2 weeks, 1 month or 3 months (Article 36 § 1 of the Labour Code). If the employer has seriously breached its basic obligations towards you, e.g. it does not pay your wages, you can terminate the contract without notice and claim compensation (Article 55 § 1(1) of the Labour Code).

In this guide: Written form, no reason required, service, notice period, leave and sick leave during notice, termination without notice through the employer's fault, benefit.

Who this applies to

Employees with an employment contract (for an indefinite period, a fixed term or a trial period) who want to end their employment themselves. For a contract of mandate (umowa zlecenia) the rules are different: see How do you terminate a contract of mandate and what has to be settled?.

What to do

Count the notice period. For a contract for an indefinite period and a fixed-term contract: 2 weeks if you have worked for this employer for less than 6 months, 1 month for at least 6 months, 3 months for at least 3 years (Article 36 § 1 of the Labour Code). For a trial period: 3 working days, 1 week or 2 weeks (Article 34 of the Labour Code). A period in weeks ends on a Saturday, in months on the last day of the month (Article 30 § 2(1) of the Labour Code). Details and examples with dates: How long is the notice period for an employment contract and on what day does the contract end?; you can calculate the date in the calculator.
Prepare the letter. The Code requires the statement of notice to be made in writing (Article 30 § 3 of the Labour Code). The written form is satisfied by a document with your handwritten signature (Article 78 § 1 of the Civil Code, KC, in conjunction with Article 300 of the Labour Code) or a file signed with a qualified electronic signature (Article 78(1) KC). An ordinary e-mail or a scan without such a signature does not satisfy the written form. In the letter, give the date, the parties, the identification of the contract, the statement of termination by notice observing the notice period (Article 30 § 1(2) of the Labour Code), the length of the period and the termination date. You do not have to write why you are leaving: the obligation to state the reason (Article 30 § 4 of the Labour Code) and to inform about the right to appeal (Article 30 § 5 of the Labour Code) applies exclusively to the employer's statement. You can fill in a ready-made template in the notice of termination generator.
Serve the letter and secure proof. The notice is submitted at the moment it reached the employer in such a way that it could read its content (Article 61 § 1 KC in conjunction with Article 300 of the Labour Code). Hand over the letter in two copies and ask for the note "otrzymałem" (received) with the date on your copy, or send it by registered post with acknowledgement of receipt. The notice period runs from the day of service.
Work until the end of the period. The contract continues until expiry of the notice period (Article 32 § 2 of the Labour Code). The employer may unilaterally release you from the obligation to perform work while keeping your pay (Article 36(2) of the Labour Code); you can ask for this, but you cannot demand it. It may also grant you annual leave, and then you are obliged to use it (Article 167(1) of the Labour Code). For leave not used by the termination date, payment in lieu is due (Article 171 of the Labour Code); see Payment in lieu of unused leave: when you are entitled to it, how to calculate it and when it must be paid.
If you want to leave sooner, propose an earlier date. After notice has been given, the parties may agree an earlier termination date; the mode remains unchanged, it is still a termination by notice (Article 36 § 6 of the Labour Code). The alternative is a termination by mutual agreement with any date, but then the employment certificate will show a different mode and the effects on unemployment benefit will be different.
Collect your employment certificate. The employer issues it on the day the employment relationship ends (Article 97 § 1 of the Labour Code). It enters the mode and legal basis of termination and the party that gave notice (§ 2(1)(4) of the regulation on the employment certificate). You can have an error in the entry corrected within 14 days (Article 97 § 2(1) of the Labour Code). See Your employer has not issued your employment certificate. What next?.

When the employer seriously breaches its obligations

If the employer has committed a serious breach of its basic obligations towards you, you can terminate the contract without notice (Article 55 § 1(1) of the Labour Code). A typical example is not paying wages on time; see Your employer did not pay your wages on time. What can you do?. The rules:

A letter stating the reason. The statement must be in writing and state the reason (Article 55 § 2 of the Labour Code). The contract ends on the day of service.
One-month deadline. The statement may not be made after 1 month has passed from the day you learned of the circumstance justifying termination (Article 55 § 2 in conjunction with Article 52 § 2 of the Labour Code). State that date in the letter, e.g. the day the wages should have arrived.
Compensation. You are entitled to compensation equal to pay for the notice period; for a fixed-term contract, for the time the contract was to last, but no more than for the notice period (Article 55 § 1(1) of the Labour Code). In the event of a dispute, you claim it before the labour court.
Effects as with notice given by the employer. Termination in this mode has the effects that the provisions attach to notice given by the employer (Article 55 § 3 of the Labour Code), which matters among other things for unemployment benefit.
Risk. If the termination turns out to be unjustified, the employer may claim compensation from you in the same amount; the labour court rules on it (Articles 61(1) and 61(2) § 1 of the Labour Code), and the effects under Article 55 § 3 of the Labour Code then do not apply (Article 61(2) § 2 of the Labour Code). Gather evidence of the breach before you submit the statement.

The second basis is a medical certificate stating that the work is harmful to your health, when the employer has not transferred you to other work within the deadline (Article 55 § 1 of the Labour Code).

Exceptions and caveats

Oral notice or notice by e-mail. The Code says that notice "should be given in writing", but does not reserve this form on pain of nullity (Article 73 § 1 KC in conjunction with Article 300 of the Labour Code). Such notice is effective, though defective, but without a letter it is hard to prove the date of submission.
Sick leave during the notice period. The Code does not provide for illness to suspend the running of the notice period; the contract ends on its expiry (Article 32 § 2 of the Labour Code). The prohibition in Article 41 of the Labour Code protects the employee against notice from the employer during a justified absence; it does not concern your notice. After employment ends, sickness benefit is paid by ZUS (Social Insurance Institution); see sickness benefit after employment ends.
Withdrawing the notice. After service, you can withdraw it only with the employer's consent (Article 61 § 1 KC in conjunction with Article 300 of the Labour Code). See withdrawing a notice of termination.
Unemployment benefit. Under Article 219(1) of the Act on the labour market and employment services, benefit is not payable to a person who terminated their last employment relationship by notice. The exceptions are termination of the contract because of a change of place of residence and termination without notice through the employer's fault under Article 55 § 1 or 1(1) of the Labour Code. After a termination by mutual agreement, benefit is payable after 90 days from registration (Article 220(1)(5) of that Act). The district (powiat) labour office decides on benefit, so ask there before you give notice.
Compensation for the employer. The Labour Code does not provide for compensation for the employer for ordinary notice given by the employee. The claim under Article 61(1) of the Labour Code concerns only unjustified termination without notice under Article 55 § 1(1) of the Labour Code.

Example

Assumptions: an employee has worked for the same employer for 2 years on a contract for an indefinite period. He has found a new job starting 1 December 2026. He hands over his notice in person on Wednesday 21 October 2026 and receives an acknowledgement of receipt.

His length of service is at least 6 months and less than 3 years, so the notice period is 1 month. It ends on the last day of the month: the contract ends on 30 November 2026. If the employee had handed over the letter only on 2 November, the contract would last until 31 December 2026, and leaving earlier would require the employer's consent (Article 36 § 6 of the Labour Code) or a termination by mutual agreement.

Variant: the same employee has not received his wages for September or October. On 10 November he submits a written statement terminating the contract without notice (Article 55 § 1(1) of the Labour Code), indicating the unpaid wages and their due dates. The contract ends on the day of service. The employee claims the outstanding wages and compensation for 1 month, i.e. for the notice period; he prepares the demand in the demand for payment generator, and in the event of a dispute files a claim with the labour court.

Documents and deadlines

What	Rule or deadline	Legal basis
Form of the notice	in writing, handwritten signature or qualified signature	Article 30 § 3 of the Labour Code; Articles 78 and 78(1) KC
Moment of submission	when the employer could read the content	Article 61 § 1 KC in conjunction with Article 300 of the Labour Code
Notice period	2 weeks / 1 month / 3 months; for a trial period 3 working days / 1 week / 2 weeks; end on a Saturday or on the last day of the month	Article 36 § 1, Article 34, Article 30 § 2(1) of the Labour Code
Termination without notice through the employer's fault	letter stating the reason, up to 1 month from learning of the breach	Article 55 § 1(1)-2, Article 52 § 2 of the Labour Code
Compensation for the employee	pay for the notice period (for a fixed-term contract until the end of the contract, no more than for the notice period)	Article 55 § 1(1) of the Labour Code
Risk of compensation for the employer	as above, the labour court rules	Articles 61(1) and 61(2) of the Labour Code
Employment certificate	on the day the employment relationship ends; correction within 14 days	Article 97 § 1 and § 2(1) of the Labour Code

Keep a copy of the notice with the acknowledgement of receipt or proof of posting, correspondence about an earlier date or release from work, and the employment certificate.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to give a reason for my notice?

No. The obligation to state the reason applies exclusively to the employer's statement (Article 30 § 4 of the Labour Code). You have to give a reason only when you terminate the contract without notice through the employer's fault (Article 55 § 2 of the Labour Code).

Can the employer refuse to accept my notice?

You do not need its consent. The notice is submitted at the moment it reached the employer in such a way that it could read its content (Article 61 § 1 KC). If it refuses to acknowledge receipt, send it by registered post with acknowledgement of receipt.

What if I want to leave immediately and the employer has not breached anything?

Without a valid basis under Article 55 of the Labour Code, what remains is a termination by mutual agreement or notice with an earlier date agreed (Article 36 § 6 of the Labour Code). Both require the employer's consent. Simply abandoning the job does not terminate the contract and may be treated as a serious breach of basic employee obligations (Article 52 § 1(1) of the Labour Code), and the mode of termination will go into the employment certificate.

Useful tools

Related guides

Sources (documents in Polish)

Sources checked on 16 October 2026. Law as at 16 October 2026.

Change history

16 October 2026: First publication.

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This guide is for information only. The current legal provisions and the information of the National Labour Inspectorate apply. An independent information website. We are not the National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy).