The Polish Ministry of Justice has drafted regulations to increase salaries for prosecutor assistants and senior assistants, effective retroactively to January 1, 2026.
Pay Increases for Prosecutor’s Office Staff in 2026
The Ministry of Justice is preparing changes to increase salaries for assistants and senior assistants in the prosecutor’s office. The changes aim to align pay regulations with the assumptions of the 2026 budget law, which anticipates wage growth in the public sector.
Current Salary Ranges as a Barrier to Increases
Currently, basic salaries for these positions fall within the following ranges, uniformly across all organizational units of the prosecutor’s office, regardless of level.
New Regulations to Facilitate Pay Raises
A problem arose with the enactment of the 2026 budget law, which provides for a 3% increase in salaries in the public sector. Maintaining current pay limits would make it impossible to grant full increases, especially for those at the upper end of the salary scale.
To address these limitations, a new regulation is proposed to raise both the lower and upper limits of basic salaries. The project establishes new ranges as follows:
Salary Scale Comparison
The 3% increase will fully reflect the wage growth rate specified in the budget law. Importantly, the new regulations will be effective retroactively from January 1, 2026.
Salary Comparison Table
Position
Assistant Prosecutor
Senior Assistant Prosecutor
Differentiation of Salaries and Professional Qualifications
The project maintains a distinction in salaries between assistant and senior assistant prosecutors, justified by the scope of requirements for both positions. To move to higher pay scales (above 8,240 zł), a senior assistant prosecutor must meet additional requirements stipulated by law. Mere seniority is insufficient; professional merit and ethical conduct are crucial.
Uniform Salary Ranges Across Prosecutor’s Office Units
The project author decided to maintain uniform salary ranges regardless of the level of the prosecutor’s office organizational unit. Differentiating pay based on location – for example, higher salaries in central units and lower in regional ones – could lead to unjustified disparities.
Similar Changes for Judge’s Assistants
A similar direction of change has already been implemented for judge’s assistants. A new regulation regulating their basic salary was published in the Journal of Laws on March 17th. According to the adopted provisions, the following pay scales have been established:
This regulation – similarly to the case of prosecutor assistants – provides for the application of new rates retroactively from January 1, 2026. The introduction of similar solutions in both professional groups confirms the legislator’s desire to maintain consistency in the wage system within the justice system and to adapt it to the assumptions of the 2026 budget law.
