At the end of April the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy of Poland presented a draft amendment under which the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) would automatically renew entitlement to the 800 Plus benefit if there have been no changes in the family.
How 800 Plus applications will change
Currently parents submit a new application each year for the next assessment period even if there are no changes in the family. Under the new rules, it will not be necessary to reapply for payments if the child continues to meet the programme’s eligibility criteria.
The Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) will use data already in the system to automatically renew entitlement to the benefit for the next assessment period. “The state should make life easier for families, not add to their burden. If we know that children still qualify for the benefit, there is no reason to require parents to fill in the same form every year. This change saves them time and reduces unnecessary bureaucracy,” explained the Deputy Minister for Family, Labour and Social Policy, Aleksandra Haievska.
When an application will still need to be submitted
Automatic renewal does not remove the obligation to inform the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) of changes that could affect entitlement to the benefit. This includes changes of residence or the circumstances of a child’s care.
An application will also need to be submitted when claiming the benefit for the first time after the birth of a child or after a family returns to Poland. The new rules are expected to take effect from the next assessment period and to reduce the number of cases ZUS staff will have to process manually.
Related changes and previous initiatives
Rules for receiving the 800 Plus benefit were previously changed for Ukrainians with the UKR status (a designated status for Ukrainian nationals). There have also been proposals to abolish the decade‑old 500 Plus programme and introduce a different form of support.
The use of automatic renewal, based on data already in the system, is intended to reduce the administrative burden on recipients and ZUS staff.
