Types of Employment Contract in Slovakia: What You Need to Know

Slovakia has several forms of employment contract governing the relationship between employer and employee. The most common is the classic employment contract for an indefinite or a fixed term. There are also short-term agreements and a work agreement for students. Each type has its own features and level of social protection.

The classic employment contract – Pracovná zmluva

This is concluded for a fixed or an indefinite term, full-time (40 hours a week) or part-time. It gives the employee a social package, including the right to holiday, sick leave and pension contributions.
This type of contract covers the following categories of employment arrangement:

Pracovný pomer na dobu neurčitú (indefinite term)
If the employment contract does not state an exact duration of the work, the employment is for an indefinite term. This form offers the greatest stability and security, since it is not limited in time and can be ended only on certain conditions laid down by law.

Pracovný pomer na dobu určitú (fixed term)
A fixed-term contract can be concluded for a maximum of two years. It can also be extended no more than twice within those same two years. If a new contract is concluded between the same employer and employee within six months of the end of the previous fixed-term contract, this counts as a renewal.
Under the Slovak Labour Code, further extensions or new fixed-term contracts beyond two years are permitted only in the following cases:
– if the employee is temporarily replacing someone on maternity leave, on sick leave or carrying out public duties;
– if the number of employees needs to be temporarily increased for up to 8 months in the year;
– if the work is seasonal and lasts no more than 8 months in the year;
– if this is provided for by a collective agreement.

Pracovný pomer na kratší pracovný čas (part-time)
This is part-time work, where the employee works less than the usual 40 hours a week — half-time, for example, or three days a week. This arrangement often suits parents of small children, students, pensioners or people with disabilities. Pay in this case is calculated in proportion to the hours worked. The working days and hours are set by agreement between the parties.

Delené pracovné miesto
This is a special form of part-time work in which one post is shared between two or more people. They agree among themselves who will do the work and when. If no agreement is reached, the employer sets the schedule.

Domácka práca and Telepráca
Domácka práca is work carried out from home or another place agreed in advance and stated in the employment contract. Work done from home only occasionally does not count as home working.
Telepráca is also work from home or another place, but with the obligatory use of computers, the internet or other digital technologies.
It is important to know that some provisions of the Labour Code do not apply to employees working from home or remotely. In particular, they are not entitled to supplements for overtime, night work or work on public holidays.

Short-term agreements

In Slovakia an employer can also hire people under agreements intended mainly for temporary or part-time work. These forms of employment suit students, casual earnings, seasonal work or project work.
General rules for all short-term agreements:
– Maximum duration — up to 12 months.
– Working time must not exceed 12 hours a day (8 hours for minors).
– All agreements must be concluded in writing.

Dohoda o vykonaní práce – a type of short-term work agreement concluded for one calendar year, where working time must not exceed 350 hours over the period of the agreement.
This type of agreement is used for one-off work or work clearly limited in scope.
It suits freelancers, specialists working on a project basis or temporary help, for example when organising events.

Dohoda o pracovnej činnosti – a short-term agreement for one year with a maximum working time of 10 hours a week.
This option suits people looking for regular but time-limited work.
It is popular with pensioners, parents on parental leave and anyone wanting to earn extra without taking a full-time post.

Dohoda o brigádnickej práci študentov – a student casual work agreement.
This agreement is intended specifically for secondary school and university students who are under 26. It allows students to combine study and work without losing their student status.
The main conditions:
– the student must provide confirmation that they are studying;
– on average they may work no more than 20 hours a week, which is roughly 80 hours a month.

The probationary period

When you take up a job in Slovakia, the employment contract often mentions a skúšobná doba — that is the probationary period. It usually lasts 3 months, or up to 6 months for a managerial post.
If you have a fixed-term contract, the probationary period can be no more than half the length of the contract.
Important: the probationary period must be written into the employment contract, otherwise it is invalid.
During the probationary period you are a full employee. You have the same rights as after it ends: the right to safe working conditions, to the pay set out in the contract, and you must be registered in the social and health insurance systems.
You can also see a doctor during working hours and take short time off for family reasons.
However, during the probationary period you can be dismissed without any reason being given, with three days’ written notice. You, in turn, can end the working relationship quickly and without extra bureaucracy.
If dismissal does happen, the employer must issue a certificate confirming the end of the employment. Ending a probationary period in this way is treated simply as that and does not damage your reputation.
During the probationary period you are also entitled to holiday, but only to the part you have earned — roughly 1.66 days for each month worked (where a full working year gives 20 days). You can ask to take holiday in advance, by agreement with your employer.

Overtime, night shifts, weekend and public holiday work

The minimum monthly wage in Slovakia has been €816 since January 2025, and the minimum hourly rate €4.69. Here are the supplements employees in Slovakia are entitled to this year for overtime, night shifts and work at weekends and on public holidays.

Overtime
If you work overtime, you are entitled to a supplement of at least 25% of your average hourly earnings. For work involving increased risk, this rises to 35%. You can agree with your employer to take time off in lieu instead of payment.

Night shifts
Night work counts as 22:00 to 6:00. Such a shift earns 40% of the minimum hourly rate under normal working conditions, and 50% if the work is classed as hazardous.
Where night shifts are regular, the supplement may be up to 35%.

Weekend work
Work on Saturday and Sunday is paid differently.
For Saturday work, the supplement is 50% of the minimum hourly rate. If Saturday work is normal practice at the company, the supplement is set at no more than 45%.
For Sunday work the supplement is 100% of the minimum hourly rate. Where Sunday work is regular, it may be reduced to 90%.

Work on public holidays
For work on official public holidays the supplement is 100% of average hourly earnings.
For people working under an agreement, the minimum supplement is €4.69 an hour.
If a public holiday falls on a Sunday, you are entitled to both supplements at once.

Holiday, sick leave and parental leave

In Slovakia the right to holiday is governed by the Labour Code and depends on factors such as the employee’s age, the length of the employment contract and working time.
The minimum holiday entitlement is 4 weeks a year (20 days). An employee who has reached the age of 33 or who cares for a child is entitled to 5 weeks (25 days).
For part-time work the number of holiday days is proportionate to working time. With a four-day week, for example, four weeks of holiday comes to 16 working days.
Employees on an open-ended contract receive their full annual holiday at the start of the year. For those on a fixed-term contract, holiday accrues gradually: every 21 days worked gives 1/12 of the annual entitlement. Full holiday becomes available after 60 days worked.
The employer must give the employee the chance to take their holiday within the calendar year. The employee must be given at least 14 days’ notice of when holiday starts.

As for medical appointments, every employee in Slovakia is entitled, within a calendar year, to 7 days off for their own medical appointments and 7 days to accompany a family member to the doctor.
You must give the employer a certificate from the doctor (the so-called priepustka). If the visit takes the whole day, the certificate must be marked „celý deň“.
When accompanying a family member, the certificate states your name and is marked „doprovod RP“ (accompanying a relative).
If you fall ill, the doctor issues an electronic sick note (PN-ka). If you are caring for a sick family member, an OČR-ka (care leave) is issued instead.
In both cases you must inform your employer when the PN-ka or OČR-ka starts and ends.
Wage compensation for illness and for caring for a relative is as follows:
– days 1–3 of a PN-ka (sickness) – 25% of the daily assessment base (DVZ). You can find the DVZ on the payslip (výplatná páska) issued by your employer.
– from day 4 – 55% of the DVZ.
Where you are absent because of an OČR-ka (caring for a relative), the employer pays sickness benefit at 55% of the DVZ.
Compensation is paid for all calendar days, including weekends and public holidays.

Women are entitled to maternity leave (materská dovolenka) of 34 weeks, or 43 weeks in the case of a multiple birth.
Fathers, incidentally, can also take parental leave of this kind — 28 weeks.
Once maternity leave ends, parents can take parental leave (rodičovská dovolenka) until the child is three, or six in the case of complications with the child’s health.

Taxes and deductions

Working in Slovakia, you have to pay income tax, as well as social and health insurance contributions. Pension contributions are part of social insurance.
The employment contract normally states the gross salary — the amount before tax and compulsory contributions are deducted. Net salary is what the employee actually receives after all deductions. On top of that, the employer also pays compulsory contributions for you.
So from your gross salary you pay social contributions (13.4%) and health insurance (5%). The health insurance rate rose from 4% to 5% on 1 January 2026; in total the employee pays 14.4%.
Social contributions consist of:
– pension insurance (old age and disability) — 7%,
– unemployment insurance — 1%,
– sickness insurance — 1.4%.
In addition, income tax is deducted (after the tax-free allowance):
– 19% on a tax base of up to €43,983.32;
– 25% on the part of the base from €43,983.33 to €60,349.21;
– 30% on the part of the base from €60,349.22 to €75,010.32;
– 35% on the part of the base above €75,010.32.
From 2026 there are four tax bands instead of the previous two.
The employer, in turn, pays social contributions of 25.2% and health insurance of 11% for you.

What is the tax-free part of the tax base?
It is the amount on which no income tax is charged. In 2026 the tax-free part is €497.23 a month (€5,966.73 a year). This means that if your salary does not exceed that amount, no income tax is charged on it at all. If your salary is higher, tax is charged only on the difference between your income and that amount.
You can work out your net salary yourself using an online calculator .

Terminating an employment contract

An employment contract can be terminated by agreement between the parties, at the employee’s initiative or at the employer’s.
Where the employer terminates it, the employee is entitled to at least one month’s notice and, in some cases, to severance pay.
If you are dismissed, it is advisable to obtain written notice of termination and to check that compensation and payments have been calculated correctly.
The notice period depends on the type of contract. A fixed-term contract simply comes to an end. Short-term agreements can be ended by agreement or with 15 days’ notice.
During the probationary period, notice must be given at least 3 days before employment ends.

Official sources on this topic: the National Labour Inspectorate and the Slovak trade licensing register.

Under any contract, pay cannot be lower than the minimum wage in Slovakia in 2026.

Any of these contracts carries the right to paid holiday — work out how many days of holiday you are entitled to in 2026.

If the employer ends the contract because of redundancy, you may be entitled to severance pay — from one to five average monthly salaries.

The type of contract also determines which social contributions are paid for you and how that affects your pension.

For how much of your salary goes on tax and contributions, see our article on the taxation of employees.

Citizens of non-EU countries must arrange residence with the right to work before signing a contract — for how that works, see the article work permits in Slovakia.

Unemployment benefit and the conditions for receiving it

If you lose your job, you may be able to claim unemployment benefit (dávka v nezamestnanosti). The payment is 50% of the daily assessment base (DVZ), which is worked out from your average salary over the two years before you registered as unemployed.

To receive the benefit you must:
– have permanent residence or citizenship in Slovakia;
– be registered with the labour office;
– have at least 730 days of insurance in the last four years.
The benefit is paid for six months. During that period it is advisable to look for work actively and stay in touch with the labour office so as not to lose your entitlement.