Poland truck driver salary 2026: net pay, diety and ZUS explained

A truck driver in Poland earns a survey median of about 9,000 PLN net per month in 2026, and a separate Interia report puts international drivers above domestic ones. The 9,000 PLN figure comes from a 2025 survey of 777 drivers by Truckers Life, which trans.info reported on 2026-01-23 . The legal floor sits far lower, at 4,806 PLN gross from 2026-01-01, and the final take-home depends on three layers: the minimum wage, the 20 EUR per day tax-free allowance, and the 60 EUR per day allowance that reduces social contributions. This guide explains each layer, what changes in 2027, and how to read an offer.

How much does a truck driver earn in Poland in 2026?

The best available numbers are net monthly medians from two separately attributed reports, and Interia's split puts international drivers about 1,600 PLN above domestic ones. All of them are self-reported, so treat them as a guide to the market and not as official statistics.

The Truckers Life report puts the average at 8,838 PLN, which is 13% above its 2023 edition, according to trans.info. The same report says non-European routes pay a median of about 10,000 PLN, roughly 12% more than EU routes and about 50% more than local transport. The split between international, domestic and local work comes from Interia , which reported international pay at about 9,100 PLN net, domestic at about 7,500 PLN and local at about 6,500 PLN.

Two limits apply. The sample is self-selected, and the fieldwork period is not stated. The sources also say "net" without describing the contract structure, so a gross figure cannot be derived from them. Commercial salary portals publish wider ranges that contradict each other and show no method, so we did not use them. For how these numbers compare with Germany and the Netherlands in EUR, see Poland vs Western Europe truck driver salary .

What is the legal minimum wage for a driver in Poland, and what changes in 2027?

The minimum monthly wage is 4,806 PLN gross from 2026-01-01, and the minimum for civil-law contracts (umowa zlecenie, a mandate contract) is 31.40 PLN per hour, according to Infor . The amounts come from a Council of Ministers regulation of 2025-09-11. Infor calculates net pay on the minimum at 3,605.85 PLN for a full-time employee over 26 who has filed a PIT-2 form, works for one employer and does not take part in the PPK pension scheme.

The deductions on that minimum are listed below, using Infor's figures.

• Pension contribution 9.76%: 469.07 PLN
• Disability contribution 1.50%: 72.09 PLN
• Sickness contribution 2.45%: 117.75 PLN
• Health contribution 9%: 373.24 PLN
• Income tax advance: 168 PLN

Employee social contributions total 658.91 PLN, and 4,806.00 minus 658.91, 373.24 and 168 leaves 3,605.85 PLN.

In 2027 the minimum rises to 4,950 PLN gross per month (144 PLN more, about 3%) and 32.30 PLN per hour for civil-law contracts, from 2027-01-01. xyz.pl reported the amounts on 2026-09-15 . The government set them by regulation, since the Social Dialogue Council did not agree on figures. Most drivers are paid far above this floor: the survey median of 9,000 PLN net is about two and a half times the net minimum. For the 2027 picture across countries, read truck driver minimum wage in Europe for 2027 .

How do daily allowances work for international and domestic drivers?

International drivers and domestic drivers on a delegation fall under different rules. Diety (daily allowances, the Polish equivalent of per diem) follow one regime for international road transport and another for domestic business trips.

International drivers: 20 EUR tax-free and 60 EUR for contributions

A driver doing international road transport under a Polish employment or mandate contract is not on a business trip. Article 26f of the working-time Act, added by the Act of 2023-07-28 on the posting of drivers , says so directly. The consequence is that no statutory diet exists for these drivers, and pay is whatever the contract sets.

Two allowances replaced the old diet logic, and both count days spent abroad.

• Income tax (PIT): income is exempt up to the equivalent of 20 EUR per day abroad. The exemption also covers documented overnight accommodation, travel to the start point of the transport by means other than the vehicle, other necessary documented expenses, and use of sanitary facilities.
• Social contributions (ZUS): an amount equal to 60 EUR per day abroad is left out of the contribution base, but only for drivers whose monthly income is higher than the average wage. The resulting base cannot fall below the average wage. The same four reimbursement items are excluded.

On a month with 20 days abroad, the tax-free part can reach 400 EUR and the contribution-free part 1,200 EUR. That is our arithmetic on the Act's daily rates, not a figure from a source. We do not convert these to PLN because we have no verified exchange rate, so use the rate your employer applies.

The rules are in force since August 2023, per the PIT.pl summary of 2023-08-28 . Two pieces of older content still circulate and are out of date. One says the tax-free share is 30% of the foreign diet rate, which was the rule before the change. The other calls the so-called virtual diet a draft, but it became law in 2023.

A flat lodging allowance is not a listed exempt item for international drivers. Carriers pay documented lodging or build it into the pay, so ask your accountant how your employer treats it.

Which days count as days abroad

Days of annual leave, sick leave and unpaid leave do not count as days abroad under article 26h. Stays abroad shorter than 12 hours reduce the amount to one third (up to eight hours) or one half (over eight and up to 12 hours).

Domestic drivers on a delegation

A domestic driver sent on a business trip under the Labour Code gets the domestic diet of 45 PLN per day, unchanged since 2023-01-01 and still in force in 2026, according to PIT.pl (2026-02-24). The lodging flat rate is 67.50 PLN (150% of the diet) and the travel flat rate is 9.00 PLN. A one-day trip under eight hours earns no diet, and eight to 12 hours earns 50%. On a multi-day trip, a started last day earns 50% up to eight hours and the full diet above that.

A draft regulation dated 2026-01-14 would raise the domestic diet from 45 PLN to 60 PLN, the lodging flat rate to 90 PLN and the travel flat rate to 12 PLN. It is only a draft. One secondary report placed it at the consultation stage on 2026-10-12 and not yet published in the Dziennik Ustaw (Poland's official gazette). We could not check the government legislative tracker, so treat 45 PLN as the rate in force and confirm before relying on 60 PLN.

A domestic driver who starts and ends each day at the base without a formal delegation gets no diet at all, only fixed pay. That is our reading of the rules, and we found no source measuring how common it is.

Why do ZUS contributions shape the offers drivers see?

Contributions to ZUS (Poland's Social Insurance Institution) are the reason offers often arrive as a fixed net sum or as "minimum wage plus diety", because the contribution base rises with the pay. The employee social contributions add up to 13.71% (9.76% pension, 1.50% disability and 2.45% sickness). On the 4,806 PLN minimum that is 658.91 PLN, while on a base at the 9,420 PLN forecast average wage it would be about 1,291 PLN. The 9,420 PLN figure is the forecast average wage in the 2026 budget, and the second calculation is ours.

Carriers feel the same pressure on their side. Infor Kadry reports that carriers pay on average 313 PLN more per international driver per month in 2026, though it does not show how that estimate was built. It also quotes Eurowag, which puts the rise in contributions at 2,689 PLN per driver per month since 2022, from about 1,263 PLN to about 3,952 PLN for a minimum-wage driver.

The 60 EUR rule has a catch. Because it works only when monthly income is above the average wage, a driver on a low gross pay plus a large allowance share cannot use the full exclusion. Any source that calls the 60 EUR "always ZUS-free" is wrong, and the wording of article 26g says why. The floor also follows the average wage, so it changes each year. No survey we found measures how many carriers pay a fixed net amount versus minimum plus diety, so ask which one you are being offered.

When does a Polish driver earn host-country pay under the Mobility Package?

A driver employed in Poland is paid under host-country rules on some operations. The EU Mobility Package puts cross-trade and cabotage operations under the posting rules of the country where the work happens, through Directive (EU) 2020/1057, which the European Commission Mobility Package page lists with its posting Q&A. Cabotage means a foreign carrier performing domestic transport inside another EU member state, and cross-trade means a haul between two foreign countries that never touches the carrier's home state.

Per the Polish implementing summaries, such as the PIT.pl summary , bilateral transport between EU states or between an EU state and a third country is exempt from posting within limits, and so is transit. A cross-trade leg inside the EU triggers posting in that country. Polish carriers file posting declarations in the EU's IMI system.

Posted pay is the full remuneration of the host state, which can exceed its statutory minimum when a sector agreement applies. The minimum wage alone is not the whole rule. For the full set of posting, cabotage and return rules, read the Mobility Package guide .

What can a Ukrainian or other non-EU driver expect to earn in Poland?

A Ukrainian or other non-EU driver employed by a Polish carrier falls under the same pay rules as a Polish colleague. The Act speaks of a "kierowca" (driver), not a nationality, so the allowances attach to the contract and the days abroad, not to the passport. That is our reading of the text, and we found no source that states it for Ukrainians specifically.

We also found no pay data split by nationality, and the 777-driver survey does not provide one. Expect the same three layers and the same range of net offers, and compare them using the checklist below. For permits, the declaration route, fees and the CUKR card, see the Poland work permit guide for truck drivers . For the driving licence side, the Code 95 guide for Ukrainian drivers in Poland covers the qualification.

How do you read a Polish driver job offer before you sign?

Start with whether the amount is net or gross and whether it is quoted per month or per day, because Polish offers mix both. These checks come from the rules above, and none replaces advice from an accountant.

1. Ask whether the amount is net or gross, and whether it covers the whole month.
2. Ask how much is base salary and how much is allowance, since the allowance share changes both tax and contributions.
3. Ask how days abroad are counted, and whether leave, sick days and stays under 12 hours reduce them.
4. Check whether your expected income is above the average wage, which decides whether the 60 EUR exclusion works.
5. Ask whether lodging is reimbursed on documents or built into the rate.
6. Ask which of your routes involve cross-trade or cabotage, because those trigger host-country pay.
7. Get the contract type in writing: employment or mandate.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum wage for a truck driver in Poland in 2026?

The minimum is 4,806 PLN gross per month, which Infor calculates as 3,605.85 PLN net under standard conditions. For civil-law contracts the minimum is 31.40 PLN per hour. In 2027 it rises to 4,950 PLN gross and 32.30 PLN per hour.

How much do international truck drivers earn net in Poland?

Interia, which credits PITD as its source, puts the international median at about 9,100 PLN net per month, with non-European routes at about 10,000 PLN. The sample is self-selected, so the numbers describe the market loosely.

Do international drivers get a business-trip diet?

No. Under article 26f an international driver is not on a business trip. The 20 EUR tax-free and 60 EUR contribution-free allowances apply instead, and pay is set by the contract.

Is the 60 EUR per day always free of ZUS contributions?

No. The exclusion works only when monthly income is higher than the average wage, and the base cannot fall below the average wage after the exclusion.

Is the domestic diet 60 PLN now?

The rate in force is 45 PLN per day. A draft dated 2026-01-14 proposes 60 PLN, but we could not confirm that it was adopted, so check the current regulation.

Do Ukrainian drivers earn the same as Polish drivers?

The pay rules are the same, because they attach to the contract and the days abroad. No source we found gives pay data by nationality.

To keep a record of documents and days abroad on the road, try the Driver Assistant app , which helps with the records but gives no tax advice.