How to pay international contractors in Poland [2025]

With Poland's diverse and talented workforce, it's no wonder so many global companies choose to hire contractors in Poland. But when it’s time to pay them, what steps do you need to take to comply with all of Poland's dauntingly complex labor and tax laws?

Before you receive your first invoice, read on to learn what you need to know to correctly classify contractors, onboard them, cover social security requirements, and pay them according to Polish and European Union labor laws. We broke it down step by step.

Step #1: Classify your workers

Classifying Polish workers correctly is crucial. Misclassifying employees as contractors can result in fines, back taxes, and other harsh penalties. 

Under Polish and European Union law, certain criteria can help distinguish between dependent work and contract work. An independent contractor is self-employed, offers their services on a contract basis, determines their own hours, and method of work, and can work for more than one client. They do not receive benefits and they file and pay their own taxes. Compensation is not based on Poland’s minimum wage and is not paid monthly. 

Step #2: Determine the best way to pay your contractors

The first thing to do before you can pay contractors in Poland is to determine how you'll pay them. With the rise of global workforces and remote work, employers now have more choices than ever for making international payments to contractors. Here are some options:

• Bank wires. You can open a Polish bank account and use it to deposit funds into Polish contractors' accounts or use your bank to send a global wire transfer to pay a Polish contractor. You may need to be officially registered as a business or legal entity in Poland to open an account.

• International money orders. This long-standing payment method can be slow—especially because the employer needs to physically purchase the money order, and the contractor needs to physically deposit it upon receipt. Money orders can also come with fees and bad exchange rates.

• Digital wallets or payment platforms. Note that not all digital payment platforms are available in Poland (for example, Venmo only works within the US) though some employers use platforms like Wise to transfer money across borders. Remember that exchange rates can change from day to day, making it difficult to predict your outgoings.

• Global payroll services. Typically, contractors aren't included in payroll, since they aren't subject to the same withholdings as employees—instead, they invoice for their services, which goes through accounts payable for many companies.  

Step #3: Use global payroll software to process payments 

As you saw in Step #2, there are multiple ways to pay contractors in Poland. But the fastest and simplest way is paying contractors through global payroll software.

With Rippling, you can pay contractors across the world in one system. Here’s a preview of how Rippling’s global payroll system works:

Step #4: Calculate and file your tax forms

While employers aren't required to withhold and pay taxes for contractors in Poland, they may have to file additional paperwork. Labor laws are always changing and it’s easy to miss something that’s required.  While employers aren’t required to withhold and pay taxes for contractors in Poland, the IRS requires you to report any money you pay to foreign independent contractors.

Effortlessly manage contractors around the world

It's never been easier to grow your global workforce. With Rippling, you can pay international contractors in Poland and around the world in one system.

Frequently asked questions about running payroll for contractors in Poland