New obligation for employers. Fines from PLN 1,500 to PLN 45,000
Author: AN • Source: Rynek Zdrowia • Published: 03 June 2025 18:59 • Updated: 03 June 2025 18:59
The government is preparing changes to the rules for paying the minimum wage. The new law is to clearly define when an employer must pay wages. The bill is being prepared by the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy - the regulations may affect millions of employees.
The draft amendment to the act on minimum wages was presented last year, but is still being processed. The document adapts the regulations to the EU directive on minimum wages. The proposed changes assume significant changes in the principles of modifying the amount of the national minimum wage, but also regulate payments.
The project includes changes to the minimum hourly rate. This concerns the date of payment of remuneration.
- In accordance with art. 18 sec. 7 of the draft, the payment of remuneration shall be made immediately after its full amount has been determined, but no later than within 10 days of the following calendar month - it was indicated in the justification for the regulations.
The Ministry of Labour admits that currently this deadline is usually met.
- The problem of not ensuring payment of remuneration in the amount of the minimum hourly rate with a monthly frequency concerns primarily the first month of the contract for the provision of services. When the contract is in force, e.g. from 1 January of a given year, the first payment usually takes place around 10 February, and the next ones on 10 March, 10 April - explains MRPiPS.
Another important change introduced in the regulations is the tightening of penalties for underestimating wages .
In connection with this, a provision was introduced to the regulations that "whoever, being an entrepreneur or acting on behalf of an entrepreneur or another organizational unit, pays the person accepting the order or providing the services remuneration for each hour of performing the order or providing the services in an amount lower than the applicable minimum hourly rate or does not pay the person accepting the order or providing the services remuneration for each hour of performing the order or providing the services, shall be subject to a fine from PLN 1,500 to PLN 45,000".
It should be added that the directive on the minimum wage should be implemented by 15 November 2024. In June 2025, the regulations are still at the processing stage.
Copyrighted material - reprint rules are specified in the regulations .
rynekzdrowia
