New PIP powers in force from 8 July 2026
The Act of 11 March 2026 amending the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy, PIP) and certain other acts was published on 7 April 2026 (Dz.U. 2026 item 473). Most of its provisions entered into force after three months, that is on 8 July 2026. Several organisational provisions have applied since 8 April 2026 (Article 20 of the Act).
The most important change
The District Labour Inspector may, by way of a decision (decyzja), establish the existence of an employment relationship when a civil-law contract has been concluded or when a person actually performs work for remuneration in conditions in which, under Article 22 § 1 of the Labour Code (Kodeks pracy), an employment contract (umowa o pracę) should have been concluded (new Article 11(1)(7a) of the Act on the National Labour Inspectorate).
The decision is not made immediately. First, during an inspection, the labour inspector issues an instruction (polecenie) to remedy the violations. A decision is possible only if that instruction is not carried out. We describe this step by step in the guide How the PIP establishes an employment relationship: inspection, instruction and OIP decision step by step.
Other changes made by the same Act
- Individual interpretations by the Chief Labour Inspector on the nature of a contract, at the request of the inspected entity.
- The possibility of carrying out an inspection, or part of it, remotely in justified cases.
- Exchange of data between the PIP, ZUS (Social Insurance Institution) and the National Revenue Administration.
- Higher fines for petty offences against employees' rights: from PLN 2,000 to PLN 60,000 in basic cases.
Transitional provisions
Inspections started and not completed before 8 July 2026 are governed by the previous rules (Article 13 of the Act). The new rules cover civil-law contracts concluded earlier if they were still in force on the day the Act entered into force (Article 14). According to the PIP website, the inspector can deal with a civil-law or B2B contract when the person reporting it is still working on the day of the inspection.
The Act is the subject of a request by the President to the Constitutional Tribunal (case K 17/26). Until any judgment is issued, the provisions are in force. More about the proceedings before the Constitutional Tribunal.
Related guides
- How the PIP establishes an employment relationship: inspection, instruction and OIP decision step by step
- How to appeal against a District Labour Inspector's decision establishing an employment relationship
- Individual interpretation from the Chief Labour Inspector: how to ask whether a contract is an employment relationship