Renovations without invoices and holiday repair work: Poland’s gray economy is thriving

Nearly one-third of Poles who use renovation and repair services most often settle with contractors without receiving any document, according to a survey whose results were obtained by Rzeczpospolita.

Overall, 27.8% of respondents said they most often paid renovation specialists without any documentation. Among people who had actually used such services, the figure rose to 32.6%. Meanwhile, 58.7% said they had received some kind of document, but only 26.9% clearly identified it as a receipt or invoice. Another 11.8% said a document was issued only after they asked for one.

The researchers said the absence of paperwork often does not even become part of the conversation between the customer and the contractor. Paweł Szumlański of Fachurra.pl said the result mainly showed how diverse the market is and how payment arrangements are not always agreed in advance or treated as a standard part of the service.

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The result mainly shows that this service market is highly diverse, and that the method of settlement is not always agreed in advance or treated as a fixed part of the service.

Szumlański cautioned against treating the 32.6% figure as proof that the work was illegal or that the income went unreported. The survey examined only what document the customer received. It did not check the contractor’s status, how revenue was recorded or which tax arrangement applied.

The market includes larger teams carrying out full renovations as well as individuals handling small repairs. Customers may also confuse an invoice with a bill, order confirmation or work-completion report. Price may play a role, since some customers view payment without documentation as a way to lower the cost, but the survey did not show how often that actually happens.

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The survey speaks only about the document received by the customer. It does not examine the contractor’s status, the way income was recorded or the form of taxation.