Employment and Salary Certificate: What It's Used For and When to Order Certified Translation

An employment and salary certificate is a document often required by various institutions as proof of financial stability and professional status. Employers are obligated to issue it upon employee request. It gains particular importance in international contexts, such as when applying for a loan from a foreign bank or handling formalities related to work abroad. In such cases, certified translation of the salary certificate becomes essential.

What is a salary certificate and how long is it valid?

An employment and salary certificate is an official document issued by an employer at the employee's request. It confirms the fact of employment of a given person in the company and the amount of their remuneration. The employer cannot refuse to issue such a certificate, and the procedure for obtaining it should be simple and quick for the employee.

The validity of a salary certificate is usually determined by the institution that requires it. Most commonly, it's a period of one to three months from the date of issue. After this time, the document may lose its currency and it may be necessary to obtain a new one.

For people running their own business, the equivalent of such a certificate may be, for example, an extract from the Central Registration and Information on Business Activity (CEIDG) or other documents confirming company income.

What is a salary certificate most commonly used for?

A salary certificate is required in many situations, mainly where it's necessary to document one's financial capacity or employment status. The most common cases include:

• Applying for a loan or credit: Banks and other financial institutions require this document to assess the client's creditworthiness.
• Installment purchases: Stores often ask for a salary certificate when selling on installments.
• Court cases: For example, in divorce proceedings, alimony cases, where the amount of earnings affects the determination of benefits.
• Kindergarten or school recruitment: Sometimes, in case of limited places, children of working parents may have priority.
• Formalities related to apartment rental.
• Visa or immigration procedures when traveling abroad.

What should an employment and salary certificate contain?

Although there is no single, legally imposed template for a salary certificate, this document should contain certain key information to be credible for the institution to which it's submitted. Usually these are:

• Employee data: name and surname, personal identification number, residential address, possibly ID number and series.
• Employer data: company name, address, tax identification number, business registration number.
• Employment information: position held, type of employment contract (fixed-term/permanent), employment dimension, date of employment commencement.
• Salary information: usually average monthly gross or net salary from the last 3 or 6 months.
• Information about any salary encumbrances (e.g., bailiff seizures).
• Information whether the workplace is not in liquidation or bankruptcy.
• Date and place of certificate issue.
• Company stamp and signature of person authorized to issue the certificate (e.g., employer, HR department head).

When is certified translation of salary certificate necessary?

Certified translation of salary certificate becomes essential when this document is to be presented to official bodies, banks, or other institutions in a country where Polish (or the language in which the original was prepared) is not the official language. The most common situations are:

• Applying for a loan or credit from a foreign bank: If you work in Poland and want to take a loan abroad, the bank will require a translated certificate of Polish earnings.
• Working abroad and formalities in Poland: If you work abroad and obtain a salary certificate there (e.g., in English, German), and you need it for official purposes in Poland (e.g., for a Polish bank, court), its certified translation into Polish will be necessary.
• Visa and immigration procedures: When applying for a visa or residence permit in another country, proof of financial stability is crucial.
• International court cases (e.g., regarding alimony from a person working abroad).
• Applying for certain social benefits abroad.

If the document is to be presented to an institution such as a bank or court, ordinary translation is not sufficient. A translation certified by a sworn translator is required, e.g., certified German translator, if the original is in that language.

How to professionally translate a salary certificate online?

A salary certificate is a document containing financial data, so its translation requires precision and confidentiality. The Sworny.com platform enables quick and secure ordering of certified translation of salary certificate online.

1. Prepare a scan or clear photo of your certificate.
2. Send the file through the secure form on Sworny.com, specifying the target language.
3. You'll receive offers from experienced sworn translators.
4. Choose the most favorable offer, make online payment, and the translator will start work.
5. You'll receive the finished, authenticated translation in electronic form (scan) and, upon request, in paper version.

Sworny.com cooperates with sworn translators of many languages, so you can easily translate salary certificates from Germany, UK, Ireland, Norway, and many other countries. In addition to salary certificates, we also translate other documents, such as powers of attorney, purchase agreements, or birth certificates.