ZUS adds PLN 4,400 a year for over-75s

20 April 2026 Poland Radar 0 Comments

ZUS now pays a care allowance of PLN 366.68 monthly. Check payslips and limits if you draw multiple pensions.

ZUS dolicza 4400 zł rocznie bez żadnego wniosku: Poland’s Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) automatically adds a care allowance when someone turns 75. Consequently, many Warsaw households will see an extra PLN 366.68 monthly in pension payments from March 2026.

For foreign readers: the care allowance can matter if you support or live with an older Polish relative. Moreover, the payment arrives automatically. However, not every eligible senior will actually receive the full amount because of a rule passed in 2025.

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How the care allowance works

The care allowance is a supplement paid to pensions or disability benefits. In Poland lawmakers set its legal basis in the 1998 pension law. ZUS (Social Insurance Institution) applies the increase automatically in the month of an individual’s 75th birthday. In addition, pension indexes update the amount every March. Therefore, from 1 March 2026 the allowance equals PLN 366.68 monthly, or PLN 4,400.16 yearly.

Many seniors spend several hundred zloty on medicines and clinic visits. Consequently, this sum can cover one month of home help or a course of rehabilitation. Furthermore, the allowance remains tax free and immune to garnishment. In other words, creditors and a bailiff cannot seize it.

Why some seniors in Warsaw may not see the money

ZUS adds the care allowance automatically for those who reach 75. However, since 1 January 2025 a new rule limits combined payouts for some widows and widowers. If a person draws a survivor’s pension plus their own pension, ZUS caps total income from pensions at PLN 5,935.47. Therefore, the care allowance can be reduced or withheld when totals exceed that cap.

If the allowance does not appear on a payslip, check the item called “dodatek pielęgnacyjny”. Also, review combined pension totals with ZUS. You can do this online through PUE ZUS (the institution’s e-service portal). Alternatively, call the ZUS helpline or book an in-branch appointment.

Other routes to the supplement

People younger than 75 may also get the supplement if doctors find them fully unable to work and to live independently. In that case you must file form ERNP-7 with ZUS. Moreover, attach a medical certificate on form OL-9. Then a ZUS medical adjudicator will decide. If adjudicators deny the benefit, applicants can appeal to ZUS medical commissions and then to a labour court.

Additionally, avoid confusion between this benefit and the municipal care benefit. The municipal benefit (zasiłek pielęgnacyjny) comes from local social welfare centres, often called MOPS or OPS. It pays less, at PLN 215.84 monthly. You cannot collect both payments. Therefore, inform your local OPS if ZUS starts paying the higher allowance. Failing to inform the municipality may trigger repayments.

💡 GOOD TO KNOW: If you support a Polish senior, check their pension slip after their 75th birthday. ZUS (Social Insurance Institution) often adds the care allowance automatically. Also, OPS or MOPS (local social welfare centres) may still pay a lower care benefit. In addition, use PUE ZUS (the online portal) to verify payments. Finally, remember PESEL (national ID number) is often required for queries.

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