On-call allowance calculator

An on-call (standby) allowance is a salary component paid for remaining available for work outside normal hours — e.g. carrying a duty phone or being callable at any time. It is separate from overtime pay.

Typical formula: hourly rate = base salary / 168 (average monthly hours); allowance = hourly rate × on-call hours × percentage rate. The percentage depends on the employment contract or pay regulations.

On-call hours are the periods during which an employee must be reachable and ready to work but is not actually working. The number comes from the work schedule and pay regulations.

Yes — the on-call supplement is income from employment and is subject to PIT income tax and ZUS social contributions, just like other salary components.

Common rates range from 20% to 50% of the hourly rate. The exact rate should come from the employment contract, pay regulations or collective agreement. The calculator defaults to 20%.

Overtime is actual work beyond the agreed hours — paid per hour plus an overtime premium (50% or 100%). On-call (standby) is the availability itself; payment is a flat supplement regardless of whether work is actually performed.

Polish Labour Code does not mandate a specific on-call payment for home standby. The obligation and amount depend on internal pay regulations, the employment contract or a collective agreement. On-site standby is counted as working time.

At PLN 5,000/month and 168 average monthly hours, the hourly rate is about PLN 29.76. Enter your salary into the calculator for the exact figure.

168 is the commonly used average monthly hours figure (40 h/week × 52 weeks / 12 months ≈ 173 h, commonly rounded to 168 h). Some employers use the nominal hours from the work schedule.

All amounts are gross — before ZUS contributions, the health contribution and PIT advance. To find the net amount, use the gross-to-net salary calculator with the combined gross salary.