Contract for a specific work (umowa o dzieło)

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A Polish contract for a specific, verifiable result — a design, a text, software, an object: the work and its requirements, the deadline, a lump-sum fee in words, acceptance by protocol, remedying defects and warranty, the right to withdraw for delay, and transfer of copyright on the named fields of exploitation. It reminds a business client to report the contract to ZUS on the RUD form.

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Common questions

How does a contract for a specific work differ from a mandate contract in Poland?

A contract for a specific work concerns a concrete, verifiable result — a design, a text, software, an object — for whose defects the contractor answers under warranty, while a mandate covers diligent activity with no guaranteed outcome. A specific-work contract generally carries no social-security contributions and no minimum hourly rate. That is why ZUS and the courts look at what is actually done, not at the contract's name.

Does a contract for a specific work have to be reported to ZUS?

Yes, if the client is a contribution payer or signs it as part of a business: since 1 January 2021 it is reported on the RUD form within 7 days of signing. The report is for information and creates no duty to pay contributions. A private person ordering a work for their own needs reports nothing, and a contract with one's own employee follows different rules.

When can the client withdraw from a contract for a specific work?

At any time before the work is finished, paying the agreed fee less what the contractor saved (art. 644 of the Civil Code). Without paying — when the contractor is so late that the work will not be finished on time (art. 635), or does it defectively and does not change course despite a request (art. 636 § 1); the client may then also have someone else finish it at the contractor's expense.