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Mortgage for professional athletes in Poland: how does the bank count a club contract?

How Polish banks treat a club contract, performance bonuses, a sports scholarship (stypendium sportowe) and an athlete’s own company in a mortgage application.

KredytPolska editorial team
Updated:

In short

A professional athlete gets a mortgage in Poland on terms close to those for contract workers: the bank counts the fixed part of the pay from the club contract and checks how long the contract still runs and whether earlier ones were extended. Performance bonuses may be left out or averaged over a longer period. The Minister of Sport’s scholarship lasts up to 24 months and can be suspended, so the bank treats it as income with an end date. An athlete who invoices through their own company is assessed like a business owner.

Which contract you have

A “contract” in sport can mean an employment contract with the club, a civil-law contract with the club or an agreement between the club and the athlete’s own company. Without a company, pay from a club contract is usually taxed as income from personally performed activity, and the club issues a PIT-11. According to a resolution of the Supreme Administrative Court of 22 June 2015 (II FPS 1/15), an athlete’s income can be business income if the activity meets the statutory criteria. The bank first checks which form you have, because it decides the documents and how the income is counted.

How banks count an athlete’s income

The fixed pay from the contract counts most: the bank checks the end date of the contract, the termination terms and the history of earlier contracts. Bonuses for results, prize money and sponsorship deals are variable, so a bank may leave them out or, when they are regular, average them over 12 months. Income from a club abroad is accepted by only some banks, usually with a higher down payment and depending on the country and currency.

Sports scholarship

The Minister of Sport may grant a scholarship to a member of the national team for up to 24 months, and may suspend or withdraw it, for example when the athlete cannot practise sport for more than 6 months. Its base is the minimum wage (4,806 zł gross in 2026) and it cannot exceed 5.5 times that amount, i.e. 26,433 zł. Local governments may also fund scholarships under their own resolutions. For a bank this is income with an end date.

A short career and a long loan

The bank assesses income on the day of the application, not over the whole career. A career is usually shorter than a 25–30 year mortgage, so choose an instalment you can afford after it ends and use surplus from good contracts for the down payment or overpayments. With life and income-loss insurance, check whether the policy excludes professional sport and injuries.

The full description in Polish, with a borrowing capacity calculator set for an athlete: Kredyt hipoteczny dla sportowca zawodowego.

Frequently asked questions

Can a professional athlete on a club contract get a mortgage in Poland?

Yes, if the contract has been running for a few months and does not end soon after the application. The bank counts the fixed pay from the contract and, with a short time at the club, looks at earlier contracts and the continuity of the career.

Will the bank count performance bonuses?

Bonuses depend on results, so a bank may leave them out. When they have been paid regularly for a longer time, some banks average them over 12 months.

How much is the Minister of Sport’s scholarship in 2026?

Its base is the minimum wage of 4,806 zł gross and it cannot exceed 5.5 times that amount, i.e. 26,433 zł. The exact amount is set in the minister’s decision depending on the sporting result.

Sources

  1. Sport Act, consolidated text Journal of Laws 2024 item 1488, arts. 31 and 32 (Polish)
  2. Regulation on the minimum wage in 2026, Journal of Laws 2025 item 1242 (Polish)
This guide describes general rules and typical bank practice as of October 2026. Details

It is not legal or tax advice and not a bank offer. Each bank sets its own criteria, and the lending decision is always made by the bank.

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