Your employer promised a bonus or a higher rate and then backed out. What can you do?

Author: inspekcja-pracy.pl editorial teamChecked: 15 October 2026

Short answer

It depends on what exactly was promised and on what basis. A bonus described in the contract, the remuneration rules or a collective agreement with specific, verifiable conditions is due to you once you meet those conditions, and you can claim it in the labour court. An award (nagroda) under Article 105 of the Labour Code (Kodeks pracy, KP) depends on the employer's discretion, so as a rule you have no claim to it until it has been granted. A higher rate that the parties agreed on applies to work performed after that change. For the future, the employer may withdraw it only with your consent or by a notice of change of terms (wypowiedzenie zmieniające) (Article 42 of the Labour Code).

This matter usually requires an individual legal assessment. The guide explains the rules, but the outcome depends on documents and circumstances. Before an important decision, consult a lawyer or a trade union, or use free PIP advice. PIP legal advice.

In this guide: A bonus under the pay rules vs a discretionary award, promises by email and at meetings, changing terms after the work is done, evidence, PIP and court.

Who this applies to

This guide concerns people employed on an employment contract (umowa o pracę) whose employer announced a bonus, an award or a rate increase and then refused to pay or changed the rules. If you work under a contract of mandate (umowa zlecenia), the Civil Code (Kodeks cywilny, KC) applies. See the guide Contract of mandate: I have not been paid. Where do I report it and how do I recover the money?

What to do

Establish the source of the promise. Check in turn:
- the employment contract and annexes; the contract specifies the pay with its components (Article 29 § 1(3) of the Labour Code),
- the remuneration rules, bonus rules or collective agreement (Article 77(2) of the Labour Code),
- written information, emails and messages from managers, company notices.
Assess whether it is a bonus or an award. The Labour Code does not define a bonus (premia). What matters is the content of the rules, not the name of the payment. According to an article by the National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy, PIP), we speak of a bonus when payment depends on objective, verifiable conditions, e.g. meeting a target or the absence of certain shortcomings. Once they are met, the employee has a claim. An award (Article 105 of the Labour Code) is a payment for exceptional results, granted at the employer's discretion. According to the same article, a payment called a "discretionary bonus" but paid systematically as part of pay may in fact be a bonus.
Check whether you met the conditions. Compare the criteria in the rules or contract with what you did. Sales reports, results summaries, periodic appraisals and correspondence will be useful.
Separate a promise from an agreement. A statement such as "we will think about a pay rise" is not yet a change to the contract. However, if the employer clearly proposed a new rate and you accepted it, an amending agreement may have been reached. A declaration of will may be expressed by any conduct, including in electronic form (Article 60 of the Civil Code in conjunction with Article 300 of the Labour Code). The Labour Code requires written form for a change to the terms of the contract (Article 29 § 4 of the Labour Code). The lack of a written document, however, mainly makes it harder to prove what was agreed.
Put agreements in writing. After the conversation, send your manager a short email, in Polish, for example: "Potwierdzam ustalenia z dzisiejszego spotkania: od 1 listopada stawka X zł, premia za Y według zasad Z" ("I confirm what we agreed at today's meeting: from 1 November a rate of PLN X, a bonus for Y according to rules Z"). Lack of objection does not settle the matter, but it is evidence. Keep messenger messages (screenshots with the date and sender).
Demand payment in writing. State the basis (a point in the rules, the annex, the email), the period, the amount and the payment deadline. You can prepare the demand in the demand for payment generator. In the event of delay, statutory interest for late payment is due (Article 481 of the Civil Code in conjunction with Article 300 of the Labour Code); you can calculate it in the interest calculator.
Choose the next route. You can file a complaint to the PIP, because the PIP inspects compliance with the provisions on remuneration (Article 10(1)(1) of the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate). The inspector may order (nakaz) payment of wages due (Article 11(7)). A dispute over whether the bonus is due at all is, however, decided by the labour court. As a rule, an employee filing a claim does not pay court fees (Article 96(1)(4) of the Act on Court Costs). See PIP, ZUS or labour court: who should you turn to with a problem at work?

Exceptions and caveats

Changing the rules after the work is done. Pay is due for work performed (Article 80 of the Labour Code), and an employee cannot waive the right to pay (Article 84 of the Labour Code). If certain bonus conditions applied in a given period and you met them, a later change to the rules should not take away your bonus for that period. Less favourable provisions of the remuneration rules are introduced for employees by a notice of change of terms under Article 42 of the Labour Code (Article 16(5) of the Act on Collective Labour Agreements, applied accordingly under Article 77(2) § 5 of the Labour Code), and the notice takes effect only after the notice period expires. The express prohibition on giving retroactive effect to less favourable provisions (Article 16(3) of that Act) concerns collective agreements; Article 77(2) § 5 of the Labour Code does not refer to it directly. Assessing a particular change requires analysing its content and dates.

Change for the future. Less favourable pay rules are introduced by agreement or by a notice of change of terms under Article 42 of the Labour Code. Contract terms less favourable than labour law provisions are invalid (Article 18 § 2 of the Labour Code). Details in the guide Your boss wants to cut your pay and replace it with a bonus. Do you have to agree?

An award already granted. According to the PIP article, the employer cannot unilaterally withdraw a statement granting an award, and leaving out one person when rewarding a group with similar results may breach the principle of equal treatment. The Code gives the right to equal pay for equal work or work of equal value, covering all components regardless of their name (Article 18(3c) § 1-2 of the Labour Code).

Recordings of conversations. The court assesses the admissibility and credibility of such evidence in the particular case. Before you record a conversation or use a recording, talk to a lawyer. Do not take away company documents you are not entitled to, and do not disclose other employees' data.

Employer's liability. Unjustifiably reducing pay or failing to pay it on time is a petty offence under Article 282 § 1(1) of the Labour Code (fine of PLN 2,000 to PLN 60,000).

When to see a lawyer. When the rules contain subjective criteria ("according to the manager's assessment"), when the promise was only oral, when the rules were changed during the settlement period, or when a large amount or several years back are involved.

Example

Assumptions: the bonus rules provide for a quarterly bonus of 10% of basic pay for the team meeting its sales target, with no reservation that it is discretionary. The team met the target in Q3 2026. The bonus payment date under the rules is 10 October 2026. In mid-October the employer announces that "there will be no bonus this year" and changes the rules.

The conditions in the rules were met in Q3, when the previous rules applied. The employee has the team's results in a report and an email of congratulations from the manager.
The employee sends a demand for payment with a 7-day deadline and claims interest from 11 October 2026.
When the deadline passes without payment, they may file a complaint with the PIP or a claim with the labour court. They do not pay a court fee.
The claim becomes time-barred 3 years from the due date (Article 291 § 1 of the Labour Code), i.e. in October 2029.

If the rules provided only that the employer "may grant an award for exceptional achievements", there would, as a rule, be no claim.

Documents and deadlines

What	Significance	Legal basis
Contract and annexes	amount and components of pay	Article 29 § 1(3), § 4 of the Labour Code
Remuneration or bonus rules	bonus conditions; enter into force 2 weeks after being announced	Article 77(2) § 6 of the Labour Code
Emails, messengers, meeting notes	evidence of the promise and its acceptance	Article 60 of the Civil Code in conjunction with Article 300 of the Labour Code
Demand for payment	documents the claim, does not interrupt the limitation period	Article 295 § 1 of the Labour Code
Limitation period	3 years from the due date	Article 291 § 1 of the Labour Code
Claim	labour court competent for the employer or the place of work	Article 461 § 1 of the Code of Civil Procedure (KPC)

Frequently asked questions

My boss promised a bonus at a meeting, but there is nothing in writing. Does it count?

It may count if you prove that it was a specific commitment and not just an announcement. Testimony from other participants, an email summarising the meeting and later correspondence will help. Without evidence, the case is difficult.

Can the employer refuse to pay a bonus because "there is no budget"?

If the bonus is set out in the rules and you met the conditions, a lack of funds does not, as a rule, release the employer from paying. It is different when the rules themselves make the bonus depend, for example, on a financial result of the company that was not achieved.

After a complaint to the PIP, will the employer find out it was me?

The PIP does not reveal that an inspection is taking place following a complaint, unless you give written consent. In a case concerning one person, however, the employer may guess. More in the guide Will the employer find out who filed a complaint with the PIP?

Useful tools

Related guides

Sources (documents in Polish)

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

Change history

15 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).