Aktywnie w Domu: 500 zł a Month for Toddlers 12-35 Months at Home
Short answer: Aktywnie w domu pays 500 zl a month per child from the 12th to the 35th month, regardless of income, through ZUS. Apply online only, via PUE/eZUS.
Poland pays parents a monthly benefit called Aktywnie w domu ("Active at home") for toddlers who are cared for at home. It is part of the Aktywny Rodzic programme, runs through ZUS (the Social Insurance Institution), and replaced the older Rodzinny Kapitał Opiekuńczy (RKO) on 1 October 2024. This guide sets out the amount, who qualifies, what foreigners must attach, when to apply and what blocks the benefit. It is based on the ZUS page (dated 8 July 2024), the gov.pl service page (9 April 2025) and the Aktywny Rodzic site.
What the benefit is
According to the Aktywny Rodzic site, the benefit is meant for parents who stay home with a child and do not go out to work. It is 500 zł a month and is paid for up to two years, from the 12th to the 36th month of the child's life. ZUS pays it into a bank account that you give in the application. The same site says it replaces the RKO and, unlike the RKO, also covers the first child.
ZUS gives the exact period: from the first day of the month in which the child turns 12 months, to the last day of the month before the child turns 36 months, which means up to the 35th month. ZUS states that the benefit does not depend on family income.
How much is paid
ZUS says the benefit is 500 zł per month per child, whether or not the child has a disability decision. It is paid in full even if the right begins mid-month. When a court has ordered alternating care by both parents, each parent receives half, which is 250 zł a month.
Nothing is deducted from it for personal income tax advance, social insurance contributions or health insurance contributions, and it cannot be seized by a bailiff or administrative enforcement. Unlike the RKO, the law gives no choice of 1,000 zł for 12 months, according to ZUS: the amount is fixed.
Who can claim
ZUS lists the people who may apply:
- the mother or father, if the child lives with them and is maintained by them, including parents with court-ordered alternating care;
- an actual guardian (opiekun faktyczny), meaning someone who has filed a court application to adopt a child in their care.
The gov.pl service page adds that the benefit goes to parents who are married, in an informal relationship or raising a child alone. It describes the main case as a parent who is not working and has a child aged 12 to 35 months who is not in a nursery, children's club or with a day carer.
Who cannot get it
ZUS says the benefit is not paid if:
- you were deprived of parental authority;
- the child was placed in foster care;
- for the same child and month you were granted Aktywni rodzice w pracy or Aktywnie w żłobku (the two other Aktywny Rodzic benefits);
- you or a family member receive a similar benefit for the child abroad, which does not apply to benefits from EU or EFTA states or the United Kingdom;
- you have already received RKO for the child in the total amount of 12,000 zł. Under the transitional rules, RKO and Aktywnie w domu together for one child cannot exceed 12,000 zł.
ZUS also states that Ukrainian citizens with UKR status who came to Poland because of the war are not entitled to this benefit.
Foreign nationals
The gov.pl page says the right belongs to Polish citizens who live in Poland, and to foreigners who live in Poland if they are citizens of an EU or EFTA state or the United Kingdom, or of another country and hold, for example, a temporary residence permit for highly qualified work or another document that entitles them to stay and work in Poland, such as a residence card.
ZUS says foreigners must attach a document proving legal stay in Poland together with access to the labour market, for example a residence card with access to the labour market. It lists a card issued on a temporary residence permit connected with the circumstances in art. 127 of the Act on Foreigners, or a residence card and a decision granting the permit, or another document that entitles you to stay and work.
ZUS may also ask for information if it has doubts that you meet the condition of living in Poland.
How and when to apply
Applications are electronic only. ZUS says it does not process paper applications. You file through PUE/eZUS, and ZUS provides a step-by-step instruction. Parents with alternating care attach the final court decision. Actual guardians attach a court or adoption centre certificate about the adoption proceedings (with the date of filing) and a statement of the date the child was taken in.
You can apply at the earliest in the month in which the child turns 12 months. ZUS says the right is set from the month in which the application arrives, so a late application means lost months.
If ZUS grants the benefit it does not issue a decision. It informs you through your PUE ZUS account. ZUS asks you to correct a faulty application within 14 days and to deliver missing documents within a deadline of 14 to 30 days, otherwise it does not process the application. It issues a decision, and you can appeal, if it refuses, withdraws or changes the benefit.
If you go back to work
The Aktywny Rodzic site says parents who return to work can switch at any time to the higher benefits Aktywni rodzice w pracy or Aktywnie w żłobku, if they meet the conditions. You cannot receive more than one of the three for the same child and month.
Check before you rely on it
The facts above are as of 16 October 2026 and come from official pages dated between July 2024 and April 2025. The amount and conditions are set by law and can change, so check the current ZUS or gov.pl page before you apply.
* Photos: Playground in Bexhill (CC0) and a baby playing with balls (CC0), both Wikimedia Commons, illustrative.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Aktywnie w domu?
500 zł a month per child, from the 12th to the 35th month, according to ZUS. It does not depend on income, and ZUS deducts no income tax advance or contributions.
Can foreigners get Aktywnie w domu?
Yes, if they live in Poland and hold a document that entitles them to stay and work, such as a residence card with access to the labour market, according to ZUS and gov.pl. EU, EFTA and UK citizens are covered as well. Ukrainian citizens with UKR status are not.
How do I apply?
Only online through PUE/eZUS, at the earliest in the month your child turns 12 months. Paper applications are not processed.
