A GPC (civil law) contract provides significantly fewer rights than an employment contract. However, contractors do have certain guarantees.

1. Payment for work actually performed

If the work has been completed and the client refuses to pay without legal grounds, the amount may be recovered through court proceedings.

2. Copyright protection

When creating a creative result (text, design, code, photograph, etc.), the contractor retains copyright.

3. Sick leave and maternity benefits — subject to contribution payments

Since 2023, a rule has been in effect: if in the previous calendar year the client transferred insurance contributions to the Social Fund in an amount of no less than 7,809 rubles (as of 2026), the contractor becomes entitled to:

• temporary disability benefits;
• maternity benefits;
• child care benefits.

If the contributions amount is lower, no payments are due.

4. Occupational safety and health protection — only by mutual agreement

Under a GPC contract, the client is not obliged to provide the contractor with safe working conditions, issue personal protective equipment, or conduct standard safety briefings (except for an initial briefing if you are working on the client's premises). Safety and providing tools are the contractor's personal responsibility.

The client will be obliged to investigate an accident or pay compensation for an injury only in one case: if the GPC contract itself explicitly includes a clause stating that the client pays "occupational injury" contributions to the Social Fund on your behalf.

5. Reclassification of the contract as an employment contract through court proceedings

If the relationship is in fact an employment one (regular work, subordination to internal company rules, personal performance of duties, stable payments for the process rather than for a one-off result), the court may reclassify the GPC contract as an employment contract. In that case, all guarantees under the Labour Code arise: paid leave, sick leave, work experience, protection against dismissal, and severance pay.

What is not included in GPC guarantees

The following rights are not provided for by law:

• paid leave;
• sick leave without meeting the conditions of point 3;
• job retention during illness or downtime;
• severance pay upon termination of the contract;
• protection against unilateral termination of the contract at any time.