[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"advice-en-what-is-spolka-akcyjna":3},{"slug":4,"title":5,"excerpt":6,"body":7,"datePublished":8,"dateModified":8},"what-is-spolka-akcyjna","Joint-stock company in Poland 2026: capital, bodies and filing","Joint-stock company in 2026: PLN 100,000 capital, articles, management and supervisory board, shareholders' register, KRS fees and post-registration duties step by step.","\u003Cp>A joint-stock company (spółka akcyjna, S.A.) is the most formalised capital company in Polish law: it requires share capital of at least PLN 100,000, a statute (articles) in the form of a notarial deed, a management board and a supervisory board, and its financial statements are subject to audit. In return, it makes it easy to admit investors, issue new shares and — in the future — enter the stock exchange. Below we describe how S.A. registration runs in 2026 and when this form makes sense for a growing firm.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>When to choose a joint-stock company\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>For most small firms, a sp. z o.o. is cheaper and simpler. A joint-stock company works well when:\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>raising capital from many investors or successive funding rounds is planned,\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>the company is considering a public offering or listing of shares on a regulated market,\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>industry rules require this form (this applies to some financial and insurance activity),\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>the shareholders want a clear separation of management (management board) from owner oversight (supervisory board).\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\u003Cp>Shareholders are not liable for the company's obligations. Being a shareholder alone — even the sole one — does not create a duty to pay ZUS contributions.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>Statutory requirements in numbers\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Ctable>\u003Cthead>\u003Ctr>\u003Cth>Element\u003C\u002Fth>\u003Cth>Requirement under the Commercial Companies Code\u003C\u002Fth>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003C\u002Fthead>\u003Ctbody>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Founders\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>one or more persons; an S.A. cannot be founded exclusively by a single-member sp. z o.o.\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Share capital\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>at least PLN 100,000, in zloty\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Nominal value of a share\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>not less than PLN 0.01; shares cannot be taken up below nominal value\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Payments before registration\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>at least 1\u002F4 of the nominal value of shares taken up for cash and any share premium in full\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Non-cash contributions\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>paid in full no later than within a year of registration\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Management board\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>one or more persons, term of office up to 5 years; as a rule appointed by the supervisory board\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Supervisory board\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>at least 3 members (at least 5 in a public company)\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>Ordinary general meeting\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>within 6 months after the end of the financial year\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\u003C\u002Ftbody>\u003C\u002Ftable>\u003Cp>At the minimum capital of PLN 100,000 in cash, it is therefore enough to pay in PLN 25,000 before registration. The remainder is to be paid on the management board's call, in accordance with the statute.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>Registration of a joint-stock company step by step\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Col>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Statute at the notary.\u003C\u002Fstrong> The statute must specify, among others, the business name with the suffix \"spółka akcyjna\" or \"S.A.\", the registered office, the subject of activity, the amount of the capital and the amount paid in before registration, the number and nominal value of shares, the type of shares (registered or bearer), the founders and the number of management and supervisory board members.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Taking up shares.\u003C\u002Fstrong> The company is formed when all shares have been taken up; from that moment the joint-stock company in organisation exists and may enter into obligations under its business name with the suffix \"in organisation\".\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Appointment of bodies.\u003C\u002Fstrong> The founders establish the first management and supervisory board — without them the company does not come into being.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Payments on shares.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Funds are paid to the account of the company in organisation; a payment confirmation from the bank is attached to the application. If in-kind contributions are foreseen, the founders draw up a report, which as a rule is examined by a statutory auditor.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>PCC tax.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Within 14 days of concluding the articles, the management board files the PCC-3 return and pays 0.5% on the capital reduced by the KRS entry fee.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Choice of entity keeping the shareholders' register.\u003C\u002Fstrong> Shares of a non-public company are dematerialised and recorded in an electronic register of shareholders kept by an entity authorised to maintain securities accounts (e.g. a brokerage house). The choice at formation is made by the founders, and the company promptly signs the contract.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Application to the KRS.\u003C\u002Fstrong> The application is filed exclusively electronically through the Court Registers Portal; it is signed by all management board members or by a professional attorney (adwokat or radca prawny). The court fee for entry is PLN 500. Instead of a file with the notarial deed, its number in the Central Repository of Electronic Extracts of Notarial Deeds can be given.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Filings after entry.\u003C\u002Fstrong> NIP and REGON are assigned automatically. Within 21 days of entry, NIP-8 with supplementary data must be filed, and within 14 days of entry — a notification of ultimate beneficial owners to CRBR.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Fol>\u003Cp>The court examines the application within 7 days of filing, but a missing required attachment results in the application being returned without a call to supplement it. If a complete application is filed again within 7 days of the return, the date of first filing applies.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>Ongoing duties after registration\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Full accounting and audit\u003C\u002Fstrong> — an S.A. keeps books of account and is subject to mandatory audit of its financial statement by a statutory auditor, regardless of size.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>General meeting\u003C\u002Fstrong> — every year approves the financial statements, decides on profit distribution and grants discharge.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Website\u003C\u002Fstrong> — every joint-stock company must maintain a website for communication with shareholders, with the business name, registered office, KRS number, NIP and capital amount.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Taxes\u003C\u002Fstrong> — the company pays CIT at 19% or 9% (small taxpayer or company starting out, with revenue up to EUR 2 million); dividends paid to shareholders are taxed at 19%. More in our article on \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fen\u002Fadvice\u002Fwhat-is-cit-corporate-income-tax\">CIT\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Changes in the KRS\u003C\u002Fstrong> — e.g. a change of registered office or management board composition is reported within 7 days.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\u003Ch2>Example: a tech company preparing for an investor\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>Three founders run a sp. z o.o. and are negotiating the entry of a fund that expects a share structure and a supervisory board. They have two routes: set up a new S.A. and move the business to it, or convert the current company into a joint-stock company. Conversion preserves the continuity of contracts, numbers and permits but requires a conversion plan and a shareholders' resolution. In both cases they must raise capital of at least PLN 100,000, agree the composition of the supervisory board (at least three persons, not members of the management board) and choose a brokerage house to keep the shareholders' register.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Ch2>Most common mistakes when founding an S.A.\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cul>\u003Cli>Underpayment of the share premium before registration — the surplus of the issue price over the nominal value must be paid in full.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>Appointing to the supervisory board a management board member, commercial proxy or chief accountant of the company — the Act prohibits this.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>Delay in concluding the contract for keeping the shareholders' register.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003Cli>Missing PCC-3, NIP-8 and CRBR deadlines after registration.\u003C\u002Fli>\u003C\u002Ful>\u003Ch2>How Good Balance can help\u003C\u002Fh2>\u003Cp>As part of our service \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fen\u002Fservices\u002Flegal\u002Fcompany-registration\">company registration\u003C\u002Fa>, we draft the statute, coordinate the visit to the notary, file the application in the Court Registers Portal and the PCC-3, NIP-8 and CRBR filings. If the choice between an S.A., a sp. z o.o. and conversion is not obvious, we invite you to a \u003Ca href=\"\u002Fen\u002Fservices\u002Flegal\u002Fconsultation\">consultation\u003C\u002Fa>, during which we will compare the costs and duties of each form.\u003C\u002Fp>","2026-10-09"]