ZUS may replace 12 monthly transfers with one annual pay

13 September 2026 Poland Radar 0 Comments

ZUS president proposes an annual pension payment for the smallest benefits to stop paying pensions of just 2 grosze monthly. annual pension payment

Poland’s Social Insurance Institution (ZUS, in Polish: Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych) has proposed to stop sending tiny monthly transfers and instead make an annual pension payment for the smallest pensions. The idea, announced by ZUS president Liwiusz Laska at the Forum Ekonomiczne in Karpacz, targets extreme cases such as pensions of 2 grosze per month.

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Why ZUS proposes annual pension payment

Laska described a growing problem of very low pensions. He said currently 473 tys. people receive payouts below the statutory minimum. The group includes a wide range of amounts. Some receive more than a thousand złoty. Others receive sums measured in grosze.

Two people currently receive 2 grosze monthly. In one case the beneficiary accumulated one day of insured work. That produces twelve payments totalling 24 grosze a year. ZUS argues that monthly execution of such micro-payments is administratively disproportionate to the amounts transferred.

How the system creates tiny pensions

Poland raised the statutory minimum pension to 1978,49 zł brutto from 1 March 2026. However, ZUS raises a calculated pension to the minimum only when the person meets required service years. For women the threshold is 20 years. For men the threshold is 25 years. If someone lacks the qualifying service, ZUS pays the pension that the accumulated capital yields. Short contributions can therefore result in pensions of a few złoty, a handful of grosze, or in extreme cases just 2 grosze monthly.

Data show the problem grows. At the end of 2025 around 459,3 tys. ‘new system’ pensions fell below the minimum. That represented about 10,1 proc. of pensions paid in the new system. The 473 tys. figure reported by the ZUS president suggests the issue expanded further by his latest count.

What the proposal actually does and does not do

The proposal would change frequency, not overall entitlement. ZUS says it could cumulatively collect tiny monthly amounts and pay them once a year. For someone now receiving 2 grosze per month the result would be a single transfer of 24 grosze. The institution has not published a formal draft. It has not specified the threshold amount that would trigger annual payments. Therefore do not assume that all 473 tys. of below-minimum pensions would move to annual disbursement.

💡 GOOD TO KNOW: If you live in Poland as an expat, register or check benefits with ZUS (Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych). Keep an eye on your bank account and the ePUAP or PUE ZUS online portals for payment changes. Also note that a change in payment frequency would not reduce your legally owed amount, but it could affect how often you see credits in your account.

For now the change remains a public proposal by the ZUS president. No law or regulation currently makes annual payment mandatory. Observers expect a formal project before any legal change. Citizens and residents should watch for official announcements and a defined monetary threshold.

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