How Poland Changed the Rules for Sick Leave Payments from July 1

As of July 1, new rules for processing temporary disability assistance came into effect in Poland. The main change concerns the submission of documents: now most applications can be sent electronically, and digital documents will have the same legal force as paper ones. This is reported by In Poland.

Sick Leave in Poland: What's Changed Since July 1, 2026

The reform aims to simplify the processing of sick leave payments for both employees and employers.

At the same time, the procedure for granting assistance depends on the number of employees for whom the employer pays insurance contributions.

If the company has more than 20 insured employees, the employer determines the employee's right to sick leave and calculates their amount.

However, if there are 20 or fewer insured employees, the decision to grant assistance is made by the Polish Social Insurance Institution (ZUS), which also proceeds with the payment.

How to Submit a Sick Leave Application in Poland Now

Under the new rules, documents can be submitted not only in paper form but also electronically.

Employees can use:

• the employer's internal electronic system;

• corporate email;

• online HR services.

If ZUS is granting the payment, the application can be submitted through the eZUS platform or the official electronic address of the institution.

To confirm documents, the following can be used:

• qualified electronic signature;

• trusted profile (Profil Zaufany);

• personal electronic signature;

• signature used in the ZUS system.

If you are interested in working in Poland, we recommend exploring 350,000 job vacancies on the Layboard portal.

What This Means for Ukrainians Working in Poland

Another important change concerns the interaction of employers with ZUS.

If the employer is not a payer of sick leave, they can send documents received from employees to ZUS electronically, including in the form of scanned copies. Sending paper duplicates is no longer necessary.

ZUS emphasizes that all electronic documents, processed according to the new requirements, have the same legal force as paper originals with handwritten signatures.

Let us remind you that Polish workers are among the most loaded in the European Union. In 2025, the average working week in the country was 38 hours, significantly exceeding the EU average.