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Support Benefit Increased March 1, 2026, for People with Disabilities – Who is Eligible?
The support benefit is available under the Act of July 7, 2023, concerning the support benefit – to people with disabilities who have reached the age of 18 and have a decision determining the level of support needs, in which that support need is determined at a level of 70-100 points.
The purpose of this benefit is to provide assistance to people with disabilities who have a need for support, helping to partially cover expenses related to meeting their specific life needs.
Yet, the legislator has stipulated certain exceptions to these rules, according to which – the support benefit is not available if:
- the person with a disability has been placed in a social care home, a family care home, a care and treatment facility, a nursing and care facility, a facility providing 24-hour care for people with disabilities, chronic illnesses or the elderly, a prison, a correctional facility, an investigative detention center or a youth shelter, or if
- the person with a disability is entitled to a benefit of a similar nature to the support benefit abroad, or their caregiver is entitled to a benefit abroad in connection with providing care, unless otherwise provided for in bilateral social security agreements.
Support Benefit Increased March 1, 2026, for People with Disabilities – What is the Amount?
The support benefit is paid monthly – depending on the established level of support needs – in the amount of 40% to a maximum of 220% of the social pension. As of March 1, 2026, the social pension amounts to 1,978.49 zł, so the support benefit is payable in the amount of:
- in the case of a support needs level set at 95-100 points – 220% of the social pension, which is – 4,353 zł,
- 90-94 points – 180% of the social pension, which is – 3,561 zł,
- 85-89 points – 120% of the social pension, which is – 2,374 zł,
- 80-84 points – 80% of the social pension, which is – 1,583 zł,
- 75-79 points – 60% of the social pension, which is – 1,187 zł and
- 70-74 points – 40% of the social pension, which is – 791 zł.
As of February 28, 2026, the social pension amounted to 1,878.91 zł, and therefore the support benefit was payable in the amount of:
Further content below the video
- in the case of a support needs level set at 95-100 points – 220% of the social pension, which is – 4,134 zł,
- 90-94 points – 180% of the social pension, which is – 3,382 zł,
- 85-89 points – 120% of the social pension, which is – 2,255 zł,
- 80-84 points – 80% of the social pension, which is – 1,503 zł,
- 75-79 points – 60% of the social pension, which is – 1,127 zł and
- 70-74 points – 40% of the social pension, which is – 752 zł.
The amount of the support benefit determined in this way is rounded up to the nearest whole złoty. Due to the annual indexation of pension and disability benefits (by the indexation rate of pensions and annuities) – the next increase in the support benefit is expected on March 1, 2027.
Support Benefit Increased March 1, 2026, for People with Disabilities – How is it Granted?
The decision determining the level of support needs, possession of which (and subject to the level of support needs determined therein being at the required level) – is a condition for applying for the support benefit – is issued by the voivodeship team for disability certification (voivode) upon request of the person with a disability, their legal representative (e.g., legal guardian) or with their consent – upon request of a social assistance center or a social services center.
The issuance of the above decision – from the date of receipt of the application for its issuance – in accordance with Art. 6b4 para. 5 of the Act of August 27, 1997, on vocational and social rehabilitation and employment of people with disabilities – the voivodeship team for disability certification has 3 months. As a result of intervention by the Ombudsman for Citizens’ Rights to the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy on February 3, 2025 (file number III.7064.478.2024.JA) – this deadline is often drastically exceeded by certification bodies throughout the country, even by several months.
After obtaining the decision determining the level of support needs – in order to determine the right to the support benefit – it is then necessary to submit an appropriate application to the ZUS, which is responsible for granting and paying this benefit.
The proceedings regarding the support benefit are conducted by ZUS electronically, and granting the support benefit does not require issuing an administrative decision. Applicants receive information about its granting via the ZUS PUE. Administrative decisions are issued by ZUS only in the event of refusal to grant the benefit and cancellation or modification of the right to the benefit, as well as in matters of unduly collected benefits.
Support Benefit in Full Amount Without the Need to Participate in the Procedure of Determining the Level of Support Needs – An Important Demand Reached the President’s Desk
On August 27, 2025, a citizen petition reached the desk of President Karol Nawrocki, in which the author demanded that the President initiate legislative action to amend the Act of July 7, 2023, on the support benefit, so that the support benefit would be payable in full (i.e., on the date of the petition – in the amount of 4,134 zł per month) to people holding a certificate of disability in a significant degree, who are unable to live independently.
– “There is a lot of talk in the public sphere recently about state aid in the context of granting a support benefit to people with disabilities. What we have is certainly a good program, but it does not function as planned and introduces great chaos and great injustice in granting this aid to people who actually need it.
The sick were deprived of the care allowance for their caregivers, and in return they were promised a miraculous solution in the form of a support benefit, which was supposed to solve most of the problems and needs of people with disabilities. Today we notice sick people without care and without a benefit from the state, which the most needy have been waiting for for several or even a dozen months. Among the sick there is great fear of an uncertain existence and injustice during the awarding of points by the Voivodeship Disability Certification Teams. (…) The composition of the WZON usually includes social workers, educators, psychologists, nurses or physiotherapists, but not a doctor. And previously, the Medical Commission, after examining the patient and verifying the medical documentation, determined the disability and needs of the patient.” – pointed out the author of the petition and appealed to the President to “as a nation, lean towards seniors and build sure that a person holding a certificate of disability in a significant degree and unable to live independently is treated in a special way and is not exposed to unnecessary stress related to additional medical commissions, where they have to prove their disability again and again.” “These people deserve 100% support from the state without scoring and questioning their disability.” – concluded the petitioner.
The full content of the petition can be found below:
If the President takes legislative initiative to amend the Act of July 7, 2023, on the support benefit, in accordance with the request contained in the above petition, it would mean that the support benefit would be payable to people who hold a certificate of disability in a significant degree – as possession of a certificate of disability in a significant degree – in accordance with Art. 4 para. 1 of the Act of August 27, 1997, on vocational and social rehabilitation and employment of people with disabilities – is equivalent to the inability of that person to live independently, which means a violation of the body’s efficiency to such an extent that it is impossible to satisfy basic life needs without the help of other people (primarily such as self-care, mobility and communication).
Support Benefit in Full Amount Without the Need to Participate in the Procedure of Determining the Level of Support Needs – The President Appeals to the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy
According to information posted on the President’s website – after the legal department of the President’s Office became acquainted with the petition regarding the amendment of the Act of July 7, 2023, on the support benefit in such a way that the support benefit would be payable in full (i.e., on the date of the petition – in the amount of 4,134 zł per month, and from March 1, 2026 – in the amount of 4,353 zł) to people holding a certificate of disability in a significant degree who are unable to live independently, without the need to participate in the procedure of determining the level of support needs – the Interdepartmental Legal Aid and Letters Office informed the petitioner that the reported comments and proposals were noted. At the same time, the petitioner was informed that the President’s Office sent a request to the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy asking it to analyze the issues raised, inform the President of the position taken and any actions taken in this matter.
As of today, the President’s Office has not yet made available the response of the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy to the above request.
The Ombudsman Intervenes in the Matter of the Drastic Exceeding of the 3-Month Deadline by WZON for Issuing a Decision Determining the Level of Support Needs, and MRPiPS Undertakes Operate on Revising the Support Benefit
Supporting the exemption of people holding a certificate of disability in a significant degree from the need to obtain a decision determining the level of support needs in order to apply for the support benefit, there is another argument that was not directly included in the above petition, but which was pointed out by the Ombudsman for Citizens’ Rights (RPO), in its intervention to MRPiPS on February 3, 2025 (letter number III.7064.478.2024.JA). This concerns the problem of the drastic exceeding of the 3-month deadline by voivodeship teams for disability certification for issuing a decision determining the level of support needs, which has serious consequences for people with disabilities seeking support. As the RPO informed – this results in people with disabilities being deprived of the possibility of obtaining the necessary support not only within a reasonable time, but at all, because – “there is a large group of people who applied for a decision to determine the level of support needs and died before a decision was issued by the voivodeship team for disability certification due to the lengthy procedure (over 3 months), or they obtained a decision, but died during the proceedings to determine the support benefit by ZUS.” The RPO likewise pointed out that the protracted certification procedure also affects the families and loved ones of people who died during its duration, as they do not have the right to the benefit after the death of the person.
– “Each time the death of the applicant prevents the possibility of claiming the benefit. And caregivers, family members, relatives – who provided support to the person with a disability during the proceedings, including financial support – expect the benefit to be paid for the period from the date of application for a decision to determine the need for support to the date of the applicant’s death. This issue does not have a solution under the current law.” – explained the Ombudsman.
In response to the above intervention by the RPO (letter of April 10, 2025, file number BON-IV.070.16.2025) – on behalf of the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy, the Government Plenipotentiary for People with Disabilities, Łukasz Krasoń, informed that – the legislator (in Art. 69 of the Act on the support benefit) provides a mechanism to assess the functioning of the Act and make necessary corrections. On this basis – the review is being prepared by the minister responsible for social security, and the problems raised by the Ombudsman are – within this review – being analyzed. After the work is completed, the review with recommendations will be submitted to the Council of Ministers for approval.
According to a letter from MRPiPS dated February 24, 2026 to the RPO (file number BON-IV.070.16.2025) – the Council of Ministers adopted a review with recommendations for improving the procedures for issuing decisions on the need for support and improving their quality on October 16, 2025. Currently, the ministry is working on specific changes regarding the determination of the level of support needs and the determination of the right to the support benefit.
If the comments raised by the RPO are taken into account in the amendment of the regulations on the support benefit, which is currently being worked on by MRPiPS – there is a chance to tighten the regulations regarding the deadline within which the voivodeship teams for disability certification are obliged to issue a decision determining the level of support needs, which is dependent on the right of a person with a disability to apply for the right to the benefit.
Legal basis:
- Act of July 7, 2023, on the support benefit (Journal of Laws of 2023, item 1429 as amended)
- Act of August 27, 1997, on vocational and social rehabilitation and employment of people with disabilities (consolidated text of Journal of Laws of 2025, item 913 as amended)
