How much will the minimum wage be in 2025?

On 12 September 2024, the Council of Ministers published a Regulation, which sets the minimum wage and the minimum hourly rate from 1 January 2025. Unlike in previous years, a single rate will apply throughout 2025.

Minimum wage higher than originally planned

Initially, when the draft regulation on the minimum wage for 2025 appeared, the government proposed a PLN 4626 minimum wage and a PLN 30.20 hourly rate.

Eventually, due to the high inflation forecast for 2025, which is expected to be up to 5%, it was decided to set a higher minimum wage and a higher hourly rate.

How much will the minimum wage increase?

From 1 January 2025, the minimum wage will increase to PLN 4666 gross, which is a PLN 366 increase on the rate from the second half of 2024 (PLN 4300) and a PLN 424 increase on the rate from the first half of 2024 (PLN 4242).

The government changed the minimum wage twice in 2024, but in 2025 it set a single, higher rate for the whole year. This means that PLN 4666 will apply from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025.

How much will the minimum hourly rate increase?

The Council of Ministers has also decided to increase the hourly rate. From 2025,it will amount to PLN 30.50, an increase of PLN 2.40 on the rate in force from 1 July 2024 (PLN 28.10) and PLN 2.80 on the rate from the first half of 2024 (PLN 27.70).

The PLN 30.50 rate will also apply throughout 2025.

Gross vs. net increases: how much will you really get in 2025?

The regulation indicates gross rates, but the net amount, paid after contributions and taxes, will be lower.

Compared to the second half of 2024, the employee will receive PLN 249.39 more on hand . Below is a table detailing the specifics:

What else will change?

The change in the amount of the minimum wage does not only affect how high the net salary of employees will be.

It also impacts other employment-related benefits, such as:

• remuneration for downtime,
• the amount of remuneration free of deductions,
• the allowance for night work
• the amount of the minimum compensation to which an employee is entitled for infringement of the principle of equal treatment or harassment towards him/her,
• the amount of the maximum severance pay in the case of collective redundancies pursuant to the provisions of the Act on Special Rules for Termination of Employment Relations with Employees for Reasons Not Attributable to Employees,
• remuneration for the time of non-performance of work in relation to the work time schedule in the adopted settlement period.

The government is preparing further changes to the minimum wage! What awaits us in 2026?

The amount of the minimum wage is set each year based on the principles of the Minimum Wage Act and negotiations with employee and employer representatives.

The government is working on changes to the Minimum Wage Act, which are not due to come into force until 1 January 2026. The main change is to make the minimum wage equal to the basic wage.

The way the minimum wage is set remains unchanged. If the price index exceeds 105%, the minimum wage will be updated twice a year. If the index is below 105%, the government will set a single minimum wage rate for the whole year.

The minimum wage is a guarantee and protection for all full-time employees in Poland, regardless of region or industry.

For more detailed information check out our Guide To Hiring Employees In Poland (2025) or if yo need additional information about upcoming changes in labour law, we encourage you to contact the specialists in our law firm’s labour law department at: [email protected].