Under an employment contract, the salary reaches the account indicated by the employee, including a bank abroad, while under a contract of mandate (umowa zlecenie) the payment method is set by the contract. In practice, it is most convenient to receive your salary on an account with a Polish bank and send money home yourself, choosing the cheapest way to transfer it.

Salary paid to a foreign account: which account can receive your pay

Under an employment contract, the Labour Code (Kodeks pracy) refers to a payment account indicated by the employee and does not limit it to a bank in Poland. Instead of a transfer, the employee may submit a request, on paper or electronic, for payment into their own hands. Under a contract of mandate, the payment method is set by the contract. It is best to give the account number right away when signing the contract, and to inform the coordinator about any change to it.

Salary in a foreign currency is not the same as a transfer abroad

The Labour Code does not impose a currency for the wage: since 2009 the salary can be set and paid in zloty or in a foreign currency. Under a contract of mandate, the currency of pay is set by the contract. These are two different decisions: the currency the salary is calculated in, and the country of the bank the transfer goes to. When the obligation is expressed in a foreign currency but the payout lands on an account in zloty, the employer may as a rule settle it at the average NBP exchange rate from the day the payment became due. This rule is derived from art. 358 of the Civil Code (Kodeks cywilny); in practice it is best to record the rate and the conversion date in the contract, unless the contract reserves exclusively a foreign currency.

Why a Polish bank account is convenient

For a salary expressed in zloty, a Polish bank account means no currency conversion: the money does not pass through any currency exchange or through a bank on the other side of the border, and you decide yourself when and how cheaply to send it onward. It also makes easier matters that cannot be handled without an account in Poland: renting an apartment, paying subscriptions, a tax refund from the tax office. How to open such an account and which documents banks accept is described in the text about a bank account in Poland for a foreigner.

How to send money home cheaply

When your salary lands on an account in Poland, you send money to your family yourself, whenever you want and in whatever amount you choose. The cost of such a transfer is made up of the fee of your bank or transfer service, the receiving bank's fee on the other side of the border, and the exchange rate (spread). Before sending, compare price lists and check the recipient's account currency, because you lose least on the spread when the account is held in the currency of the transfer. Many transfer services show, before you send, the amount the recipient will actually receive, which makes it easier to compare with a bank transfer. If you send money regularly, also check whether your bank has a cheaper option for international transfers or a currency account from which the transfer goes out without extra conversion. Ways of sending money and their costs are described in more detail in the text about sending money abroad.

Frequently asked questions

### Does the employee have to have a Polish bank account to receive their wage?
No. Under an employment contract, the Labour Code refers to a payment account indicated by the employee, with no limitation to a bank in Poland, or to payment into their own hands upon the employee's request, while under a contract of mandate the payment method is set by the contract. A Polish bank account is, however, the most convenient, because a salary in zloty arrives without currency conversion.

### How to send wages to family abroad cheaply?
The simplest way is to receive your salary on an account with a Polish bank and send money home yourself. Before the transfer, compare the fee of your bank or service, the receiving bank's fee, and the exchange rate.

### What to do when the receiving bank on the other side deducts an extra fee?
Check the price list of the bank where the recipient's account is held, because it is that bank that charges this fee. You lose less when the recipient's account is held in the currency of the transfer.

### At what exchange rate is a wage in a foreign currency converted if it lands on an account in zloty?
Usually at the average NBP exchange rate from the day the payment became due, unless the contract expressly reserves payout exclusively in the foreign currency.

This text is for information only and describes general regulations. It is not tax or legal advice.
This text describes the general rules. What you are entitled to depends on your type of contract: an employment contract (umowa o pracę) or a contract of mandate (umowa zlecenie). Your own contract and payslip are what count.