5,000 zł for 50 Years? Senate Ends Marriage Pay Plan

23 August 2026 Poland Radar 0 Comments

The proposal to pay 5000 zł for 50 years of marriage drew wide interest but the Senate halted work due to costs. Learn what this means for expats.

The proposal to award 5000 zł for 50 years of marriage drew intense public interest across Poland. However, on October 14, 2025 the Senate Petitions Committee voted to end work on the measure.

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What the 5000 zł for 50 years of marriage would have meant

The plan came from a public petition seeking a one-off payment to honour long marriages. Moreover, the scheme proposed rising payments every five years after the golden anniversary. Consequently, a couple married 50 years would get 5000 zł and a couple married 60 years would get 6000 zł. In addition, officials designed the payment as one-time and application-based. Therefore couples would have needed to document their marriage length in official records (PESEL is Poland’s national ID and marriage records appear there).

Why the plan stalled

The cost proved the key obstacle. For example, one scenario would have paid 5000 zł to all couples over 50 years in the first year. Moreover, analysts estimated roughly 7 billion zł over ten years. Consequently the first-year bill would top 3 billion zł. However, the Finance Ministry warned against adding that burden to public finances. In addition, they cited Poland’s excessive deficit procedures and other priority spending. As a result, the Senate committee voted to stop further work. The vote passed with three in favour and two opposed.

Who would have qualified and what actually exists

Officials used PESEL-based data to estimate scale. Moreover, as of June 23, 2025 the register showed 625,336 couples with at least 50 years together. However, the termination of work means no national cash benefit exists. Therefore couples cannot file claims and ZUS (the Social Insurance Institution) does not process any such payments. In addition, the state still honours long marriages in another way. For example, the President awards the Medal for Long Marital Life. Municipalities often host ceremonies or give small gifts.

💡 GOOD TO KNOW: If you are an expat living in Poland, note two facts. First, only a law can create a national payment and none exists now. Second, your marital record matters. Register marriages with the local registry office (Urząd Stanu Cywilnego). Also keep ID numbers such as PESEL if you have one. Moreover, ZUS (Social Insurance Institution) handles pensions and social payments, but it will not pay this proposed marriage benefit. Finally, some local councils offer honours or small gifts for golden anniversaries, so contact your city hall for details.

What happens next remains open. However, the committee chair Robert Mamątow said lawmakers could revisit the idea later. In addition, similar petitions may reappear in parliament. Consequently, the proposal is not dead forever, but it has no legal effect today. Therefore couples celebrating 50 years should not expect a state cash award at this time. Moreover, they can still apply for the presidential medal and seek local civic recognition.

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