Stawka

Stawka is a Polish noun with several related meanings centered on a fixed amount used to calculate charges, compensation, or value. In everyday language it most often denotes a rate, price, or wage and can refer to the amount charged for a service, the price per unit, or the remuneration for work.

The term is widely used across contexts such as employment, commerce, and finance. In the labor market, common phrases include stawka godzinowa (hourly rate) and stawka miesięczna (monthly wage). In commerce and services, people speak of stawka za usługę (fee for a service) or stawka za kilometr (price per kilometer). In finance and taxation, stawka can describe an interest rate (stawka odsetkowa) or a tax rate (stawka podatku). The word can also denote the minimum level of compensation or the baseline rate specified by an agreement or regulation (stanowiąca minimalna stawka in context).

Etymology traces stawka to a notion of fixed amount or determination, reflecting its role as a set value used for calculation. In usage, readers and listeners derive the exact meaning from context, since stawka can translate to rate, tariff, fee, or wage depending on the domain. The term declines like a feminine noun, with forms such as stawka (nominative), stawki (genitive/plural), stawce (dative/locative), stawkę (accusative), and stawką (instrumental).