Poland Public Holidays: 2026 Dates, Pay Rules & Holiday Work

If you hire in Poland, public holidays affect working time, substitute days off, premium-pay calculations, and audit-ready records. Get those pieces lined up early, and payroll gets much easier to run.

2026 Poland public holiday calendar

Poland has 14 statutory public holidays in 2026, and that total now includes Christmas Eve. Your annual holiday calendar needs to reflect the current law, not an outdated template from a prior year.

What counts as a public holiday in Poland

The calendar above reflects statutory public holidays that are non-working days by default. That is the starting point. You should assume employees are off unless a lawful exception applies.

Paid days off 

In practice, the rule most teams use is simple: if the public holiday falls on a day the employee would normally work, they get a paid day off.

That does not always mean an extra day appears automatically in every schedule. It means the holiday reduces working time in the relevant period. Your team still needs to check the employee’s working time system, their rota, and the settlement period before finalizing pay.

If you want to see a broader look at leave expectations, check out our guide to paid vacation days by country.

When employees can work on a public holiday

Public holidays are generally days off, but there are exceptions. Some industries, roles, and operating models can still require work on a holiday, especially where business continuity matters or the law allows work on Sundays and public holidays.

The practical point for your team is this: holiday work should not be treated as routine. It needs to be scheduled carefully, documented properly, and checked against local restrictions before payroll closes. 

What you owe if someone works on a public holiday

This is the part your payroll team needs to apply consistently. In Poland, holiday work is not usually handled by paying the normal hourly rate and calling it done.

Substitute day off within the settlement period

The main rule is time off in lieu. If someone works on a public holiday, the employer should give another day off within the settlement period.

That substitute day off is the first thing your team should look for. It is the default way holiday work is balanced under Polish working-time rules.

100% premium pay if time off is not granted

If you cannot give the substitute day off by the end of the settlement period, the employee is entitled to additional pay at a 100% rate for each hour worked on the public holiday.

That means premium pay is the back-up rule, not the opening move. If your payroll process jumps straight to extra pay without checking whether time off in lieu should have been granted first, you can end up with the wrong treatment.

Overtime on holidays

Holiday work can also create additional overtime. If the employee works beyond the daily standard, those extra hours can trigger overtime, and overtime performed on Sundays and public holidays can carry a 100% allowance.

Your payroll team needs to ask two questions. First, was a substitute day off granted in time? Second, did the employee work beyond the daily standard? Both need to be reflected in payroll. 

Poland’s rules on working days and days off work and settlement of working time are useful reference points while you’re building your payroll process.

Holiday situations that often trip up HR and payroll teams

These are the edge cases that tend to create confusion.

When a public holiday falls on Sunday

If a public holiday falls on a Sunday, Sunday rules apply. Usually, there is no extra substitute day off just because the holiday landed on a Sunday.

That is why holidays like Easter Sunday and Pentecost do not usually create an additional substitute day off for a standard Monday to Friday employee.

When a public holiday falls on Saturday

This is the one that matters most in practice. If a public holiday falls on a Saturday and Saturday is already a non-working day in the employee’s schedule, employers generally need to give a substitute day off within the settlement period so the employee still gets the right number of rest days.

In 2026, that issue comes up twice: Assumption of Mary on August 15 and Second Day of Christmas on December 26. Those are exactly the kinds of dates your payroll team should flag early in the year.

When holiday work overlaps with trade restrictions

There is one more wrinkle for commercial establishments. Poland has separate restrictions for certain work in trade on Sundays and public holidays, so retail-related schedules need a closer look before you finalize staffing.

Poland holiday compliance checklist for employers

Make this part of your annual payroll setup.

• Keep your holiday calendar current for Poland each year.
• Confirm each employee’s working time system and settlement period.
• Plan staffing early for roles where holiday work is permitted.
• Document the substitute day off and when it will be taken.
• Track hours carefully if holiday work runs longer than the daily standard.
• Make sure pay slips clearly show any 100% premium components.

Payroll and HR records to keep for Poland holiday audits

Good records make audits much less painful.

• Holiday schedule and local policy note for Poland.
• Work schedule showing whether the holiday was a planned workday.
• Approval and documentation for holiday work.
• Substitute day off date, or premium-pay calculation if time off was not possible.

FAQs

Are public holidays in Poland paid?

Yes. In practice, if the holiday falls on a day the employee would normally work, it is treated as a paid day off.

Do you have to give an extra day off if a public holiday falls on Saturday?

Usually, yes. For employees on a standard five-day week, a holiday that lands on Saturday generally means you need to designate a substitute day off within the settlement period.

What happens if an employee works on a public holiday in Poland?

Your first step is usually to grant another day off within the settlement period. If that cannot happen, the employee is entitled to a 100% premium for each hour worked on the holiday.

Is there extra pay for working on a public holiday in Poland?

Yes, but not always in the same way. The main rule is substitute time off. Extra 100% pay applies if time off cannot be granted by the end of the settlement period, and overtime beyond the daily standard can trigger additional premium treatment.

How an Employer of Record (EOR) can help

An employer of record is a third party that legally employs your team member in Poland on your behalf. This allows you to hire without establishing a local entity, avoiding the hidden costs of entity establishment. 

The EOR handles salary offers, employment contracts, payroll, tax withholding, statutory benefits, and all ongoing compliance. You manage the day-to-day work normally while the EOR takes care of just about everything else.

For employers testing the market or those who need to scale quickly, an EOR is usually the right choice. You get to reduce risk, move faster, and know all local laws and regulations will be followed.

Public holidays in Poland perfected

If you’ve made it this far, you’ve got your sights set on Poland. Maybe you’ve even found the perfect talent. There’s a lot that needs to be taken care of before you can start hiring—researching taxes, finding experts in local labor law, finding a payroll processor, and more. It takes a lot of time and a lot of money. Wouldn’t it be great if there were an easier way?

With Pebl, there is.

Our EOR platform allows you to hire, pay, and manage employees in 185+ countries around the world without setting up your own local entity. That means your new talent starts in days, not months. We handle it all: onboarding, benefits, salary benchmarking, payroll, and compliance with all local regulations. Every public holiday, overtime or double time pay the law requires, we make sure it happens. All you have to do is stay focused on leading your team.

When you’re ready to do things the easy way, let us know.

This information does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal or tax advice and is for general informational purposes only. The intent of this document is solely to provide general and preliminary information for private use. Do not rely on it as an alternative to legal, financial, taxation, or accountancy advice from an appropriately qualified professional. The content in this guide is provided “as is,” and no representations are made that the content is error-free. 

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