What happens after you file a complaint with the PIP, and what to do if there is no reply?
Short answer
According to the National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy, PIP), an employee complaint should be handled without undue delay, no later than within one month of its receipt. Handling the complaint means that the inspector assesses the matter. If the inspector decides that an inspection is needed, the PIP will inform you in writing of its date. The employer does not have to be notified in advance, because inspectors may inspect without prior notice (Article 24(1) of the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate). After the inspection, the inspector notifies you in writing of how the complaint was dealt with. If no reply arrives, the Code of Administrative Procedure (KPA) provides for a reminder (ponaglenie).
In this guide: The one-month deadline, assessment of the complaint, inspection without notice to the employer, written outcome. What to do if the PIP does not reply on time.
Who this applies to
This guide is for people who have filed a complaint with a District Labour Inspectorate (OIP) and are waiting for it to be dealt with. We describe how to file a complaint in the guide How do you file a complaint to the National Labour Inspectorate?
What to do
- Note the date you filed the complaint. You count one month from the day the PIP received it. Keep the proof of posting, sending the email or delivery via e-Doręczenia.
- Respond to requests. If the PIP cannot establish what the complaint concerns, it may ask you for explanations or to supplement it. The 2002 regulation allows 7 days from receipt of the request for this, failing which the complaint is left unexamined (§ 8(2)). If the subject of the inspection requires the complaint to be disclosed, the inspector may also ask you in writing for consent. See Will the employer find out who filed a complaint with the PIP?
- Watch your post. According to the PIP:
- you will receive a letter about the date of the inspection, if one proves necessary,
- after the inspection ends, the inspector notifies you of how the complaint was dealt with in writing, on paper or electronically.
- Read the reply. The notification of how the complaint was dealt with states the authority, how the complaint was dealt with and the person who signed it. If the complaint was rejected, the notification should contain a statement of factual and legal reasons (Article 238 § 1 of the Code of Administrative Procedure).
- If a month passes without a reply, check whether you received a notice of delay. Where a complaint is not dealt with on time, Article 237 § 4 of the Code of Administrative Procedure refers to Articles 36-38 of that Code. Under Article 36 § 1 of the Code of Administrative Procedure, the authority gives notice that the matter was not dealt with on time, states the reasons and a new deadline, and informs you of the right to file a reminder.
- Consider a reminder. The rules in Article 37 of the Code of Administrative Procedure:
- a reminder may be filed when the matter has not been dealt with on time (inaction) or is taking longer than necessary (excessive length),
- the reminder must contain a statement of reasons,
- it is filed with the higher-level authority, through the authority handling the matter,
- a reminder filed before the deadline expires is left unexamined,
- the authority handling the matter forwards the reminder within 7 days, and the higher-level authority examines it within 7 days.
The Act on the National Labour Inspectorate does not expressly name the higher-level authority above the District Labour Inspector. However, the Chief Labour Inspector directs the activities of the district inspectors (Article 18(1)(1) of the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate) and examines appeals against their decisions (Article 18(1)(2)). Therefore, address the reminder to the Chief Labour Inspectorate (GIP), and send it through the District Labour Inspectorate that is handling the complaint.
- Do not wait with court deadlines. Do not assume that a complaint to the PIP will suspend court deadlines or interrupt the limitation period. Article 295 § 1 of the Labour Code (Kodeks pracy, KP) links the interruption of the limitation period to an action before a body appointed to resolve disputes or enforce claims, and the PIP is not a court. The exception is the start, by the District Labour Inspector, of proceedings to establish an employment relationship, which by law interrupts the limitation period for employee claims (Article 33a(8) of the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate). You have 21 days to appeal against a notice of termination (Article 264 § 1 of the Labour Code), and claims arising from an employment relationship become time-barred after 3 years (Article 291 § 1 of the Labour Code).
Exceptions and caveats
- Status of the one-month deadline. The one-month deadline is given by the PIP and by Article 237 § 1 of the Code of Administrative Procedure. However, that Code mainly governs complaints about the actions of authorities (Article 227 of the Code of Administrative Procedure). No provision says expressly that an employee's complaint about an employer is such a complaint. The PIP applies the one-month deadline in practice. The same caveat applies to the reminder under Article 37 of the Code of Administrative Procedure: the provision refers to a "party", and it is applied to complaints by way of the reference in Article 237 § 4 of the Code of Administrative Procedure.
- An inspection is not mandatory. According to the PIP, handling a complaint is independent of inspection activities. The inspector assesses the legal and factual situation. An inspection takes place if it proves necessary.
- Without notice. Article 24(1) of the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate allows inspectors to inspect without prior notice, at any time of the day or night. This is a power, not an obligation, and it concerns the employer. The PIP may notify you of the date.
- Repeated complaint. If the complaint was found to be unfounded and you repeat it without new circumstances, the authority may maintain its position without notifying you again (Article 239 § 1 of the Code of Administrative Procedure). A new complaint makes sense when new facts have emerged.
- Complaint about the OIP's work. If your objections concern how the inspector or the inspectorate acted, rather than the employer, you can file a complaint about the activities of the authority or of a PIP employee. According to the PIP, such a complaint must contain your first name and surname, address and subject, and if sent by email it does not need an electronic signature. The PIP website does not state to whom such a complaint should be addressed. The logical choice is the GIP, which directs the activities of the district inspectors, but no provision we checked confirms this expressly. If the addressee is wrong, Article 231 § 1 of the Code of Administrative Procedure requires the complaint to be forwarded to the competent authority within 7 days or the competent authority to be indicated.
- What the inspector can do at the employer. The result of an inspection may include, for example, an order (nakaz), post-inspection recommendations (wystąpienie) or an instruction (polecenie). We describe them in the guide PIP report, order, post-inspection recommendations, instruction and decision: how do they differ?, and the course of an inspection in the guide PIP inspection: whom it concerns, what the inspector can check and how it works.
Example
Assumptions: an employee sent a complaint on 1 September 2026, and the OIP received it on 3 September. The complaint concerns unpaid wages. On 15 October 2026 the employee has no reply and no notice of delay.
One month from receipt of the complaint expired on 3 October. The employee writes a reminder to the Chief Labour Inspector, briefly explaining that a month has passed since the complaint was received without a reply, and gives the date of the complaint and the employer's details. She sends the reminder to the OIP handling the matter. At the same time she checks whether she should bring a claim before the labour court, because she cannot assume that the complaint to the PIP interrupted the limitation period for her wages.
Documents and deadlines
| Stage | Deadline | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Handling of the complaint | up to one month from receipt | PIP website; Article 237 § 1 of the Code of Administrative Procedure (see caveat) |
| Supplementing an unclear complaint | 7 days from the request | § 8(2) of the 2002 regulation |
| Notice of delay | when the deadline is exceeded | Article 36 § 1 of the Code of Administrative Procedure |
| Forwarding the reminder | up to 7 days | Article 37 § 4 of the Code of Administrative Procedure |
| Examination of the reminder | 7 days | Article 37 § 5 of the Code of Administrative Procedure |
| Forwarding of the complaint by a non-competent authority | up to 7 days | Article 231 § 1 of the Code of Administrative Procedure |
Frequently asked questions
Will the inspector call me before the inspection?
According to the PIP, the complainant is notified in writing of the date of the inspection, if one proves necessary. The PIP website does not mention contact by phone.
Will I receive a copy of the inspection report?
The PIP website refers to written notification of how the complaint was dealt with. It does not mention giving the inspection report to the complainant.
Will the PIP recover my money for me?
The inspector may order the employer to pay the wages due, and such an order is immediately enforceable (Article 11(7) of the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate). However, this does not replace a claim before the labour court.
Useful tools
Related guides
- How do you file a complaint to the National Labour Inspectorate?
- Will the employer find out who filed a complaint with the PIP?
- 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?
Sources (documents in Polish)
- PIP, Jak złożyć skargę?
- Kodeks postępowania administracyjnego, tekst ujednolicony ISAP
- Ustawa o Państwowej Inspekcji Pracy, tekst ujednolicony ISAP
- Kodeks pracy, t.j. Dz.U. 2026 poz. 1245
- Rozporządzenie RM z 8.01.2002 w sprawie skarg i wniosków, Dz.U. 2002 nr 5 poz. 46
Sources checked on 15 October 2026. Law as at 15 October 2026.
Change history
- 15 October 2026: First publication.
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).