A revolution in seniority – new regulations come into force on January 1, 2026. Check if you will gain new rights!

At the beginning of 2026, an amendment to the regulations will come into force, completely changing the rules for calculating length of service. This is one of the biggest reforms in recent years, as it affects millions of Poles who have so far worked on civil law contracts, run their own businesses, or taken up employment abroad.

What is changing?

Until now, seniority has primarily included full-time employment and certain periods of uniformed service. This meant that people working on contract or as part of their own business – despite many years of experience – were treated as beginners under labor law.

The amendment introduces a new rule: length of service will cover almost all forms of professional activity. The period of employment will include, among others:

• running a business and cooperation in business activities,
• contracts of mandate, agency contracts, and other contracts for the provision of services,
• membership in production cooperatives and agricultural circles,
• periods of gainful employment abroad (including without a permanent position),
• periods of using the “start-up relief” when setting up a business,
• time of suspension of activity for the purpose of childcare,
• paid work of convicts (except for specific task contracts).

In addition, the regulations concerning uniformed services and KAS officers have been harmonized – periods of service will be included in the length of service, unless the officer was dismissed on disciplinary grounds.

When do the new regulations come into force?

• Public sector – from January 1, 2026.
• Private sector – from the first day of the month following the expiry of 6 months from the date of publication of the Act.

Employees will have 24 months to document their previous periods of employment. The evidence will be certificates issued by the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) in electronic form.

What does this mean in practice?

Longer employment history within the meaning of the Labor Code will translate into:

• Faster access to full vacation leave

Thanks to the inclusion of additional periods (e.g., contract work, business activity, or work abroad), these individuals will be able to reach the required length of service more quickly in order to obtain full entitlement to 26 days of vacation leave.

• Higher severance pay and seniority bonuses

The inclusion of these new periods of employment in the length of service will also affect the amount of severance pay (in the event of dismissal) and seniority bonuses. As a result, people working in various forms of employment will be able to count on higher benefits, which will improve their financial situation, especially in the event of termination of employment.

• Possibility of receiving jubilee awards

Thanks to the fact that periods such as running one’s own business or cooperation in business activity will be included in the length of service, people who have worked in such forms for a long time will be able to count on jubilee awards, which are usually granted after reaching a long period of service.

Fair treatment of different forms of employment:

Extending the list of periods of employment that count towards seniority to include civil law contracts and business activity is a step towards equalizing opportunities between full-time employees and those who were previously treated less favorably in terms of employee rights.