Termination of the contract is a natural element of changing the place of employment, but also a necessary circumstance when ending cooperation with an employee. It is worth recalling that terminating an employment contract is a unilateral declaration of will. This means that one of the parties requests the termination of the existing employment relationship after the expiry of the notice period.
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It is worth remembering that termination of the contract does not require the consent of both parties to the agreement. And it can be done by both the employer and the employee. When terminating cooperation, an employee is entitled to a notice period, but its length depends on several factors, including: type of contract and length of service.
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For contracts for a trial period the notice period is:
- 3 business days (in the case of a trial, i.e. performing duties during a trial period, up to 2 weeks),
- 1 week (over 2 weeks)
- 2 weeks (with a 3-month trial period).
The first day of notice is considered to be the business day following the day of delivery of the notice
Notice period for an employment contract 2026 – how much is it and what does it depend on?
In the case of fixed-term and indefinite-term employment contracts, the notice period in 2026 is:
- 2 weeks (experience less than 6 months),
- 1 month (at least 6 months of experience),
- 3 months (at least 3 years of experience).
As “Dziennik Gazeta Prawna” reminds, notice periods counted in weeks always end on Saturday, and in months – on the last day of the month. For example, if an employee with less than half a year of service was given notice of termination on Tuesday, January 7, 2026, then the two-week notice period will end on Saturday, January 24, 2026.
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As “Dziennik Gazeta Prawna” adds, an employee is entitled to paid days off to look for a job, in the amount of:
- two days with notice up to 1 month
- three days with three months' notice.
However, it is worth remembering that to use them, you need to submit an application – they are not granted automatically.
Termination of an employment contract by mutual consent of the parties. Here the employee has the last word
In addition to the statutory notice periods that employees are entitled to, there is a variant in which the duration of professional duties is determined individually. It is about terminating the contract by mutual consent of the parties, which allows the employment relationship to end at any mutually agreed date.
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In this variant, statutory notice periods are omitted and the employee may leave even overnight. This is the fastest way of separation, which also requires the consent of the employee and the employer. This option does not impose strict deadlines, unlike unilateral termination.
