Family Allowance in Poland: 674 zl Limit, Amounts, Supplements
Short answer: The family allowance is 95-135 zl a month per child if income per person is under 674 zl net. Apply online via Empatia from 1 July to 30 November.
Poland pays a monthly family allowance (zasiłek rodzinny) to families whose income is low, plus a set of supplements (dodatki). It is separate from the 800+ child benefit and from the one-time birth grant. This guide uses the gov.pl service page "Uzyskaj zasiłek rodzinny wraz z dodatkami" (undated) and the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy page on the allowance (dated 22 November 2018), both read on 16 October 2026. The benefit year starts on 1 November, so this is the season to apply. Income limits and amounts are reviewed periodically, so confirm them with your local office before you rely on them.
Income limit
You can receive the allowance if the income per person in your family, in the calendar year before the benefit period, does not exceed:
- 674 zł net a month, or
- 764 zł net a month if there is a child with a disability in the family.
If your income is higher, the municipality checks whether the "złotówka za złotówkę" (zloty for zloty) rule applies. Under it, an income above the limit does not rule you out. The benefits are reduced by the amount of the excess. The Ministry page says that if the reduced benefits come to less than 20 zł, they are not paid. If your income rises above the limit while you are already receiving the allowance, you must tell the office that pays it.
Monthly amounts
According to gov.pl, the allowance is paid per child each month:
- 95 zł for a child under 5;
- 124 zł for a child aged 5 to 18;
- 135 zł for a child over 18 up to the age of 24.
Supplements
Depending on your situation, you can get these supplements with the allowance. The amounts below are from the gov.pl page.
- Birth of a child: 1,000 zł once, if the mother was under medical care from at least the 10th week of pregnancy, and the child is under one year old. This is the becikowe, which has its own rules on the site.
- Childcare during parental leave (urlop wychowawczy): 400 zł a month, for up to 24 months, 36 months if you care for more than one child from one birth, or 72 months for a child with a disability certificate.
- Single parent: 193 zł a month per child, up to 386 zł a month for all children, plus 80 zł per child with a disability, up to 160 zł. It applies when maintenance cannot be awarded because the other parent has died, the father is unknown, or the court rejected the maintenance claim, and in the case of an adult under 24 studying whose parents have both died.
- Large family: 95 zł a month, for the third and each further child entitled to the allowance.
- Education and rehabilitation of a child with a disability: 90 zł a month per child under 5, and 110 zł a month from 5 up to 24.
- Start of the school year: 100 zł once, for school expenses or preschool preparation.
- Child studying away from home: paid for 10 months, from September to June, when the child lives in the place of a secondary or art school, or commutes to it. The page lists its own amounts.
Who can claim
The allowance can go to a parent, a legal guardian, a de facto guardian who applied to adopt the child, and an adult student who is not supported by parents because they died or because the student receives maintenance from them.
For foreigners, the gov.pl page says the right belongs to foreigners who live in Poland if they:
- are citizens of the EU, the EEA, Switzerland or the United Kingdom (for British citizens, if they arrived in Poland before 1 January 2021);
- are citizens of another country and hold, for example, a temporary residence permit linked to work in a profession requiring high qualifications, or another document entitling them to stay and work in Poland;
- are Ukrainian citizens with UKR status under temporary protection who live legally in Poland with family members.
Foreigners must attach the document that entitles them to stay and work, such as a residence card.
When you cannot get it
The page says you cannot get the allowance if the child is married, is in an institution that gives full free maintenance, or is in foster care. It also lists single parents without maintenance awarded for the child, with the same exceptions as above, and cases where you or a family member can get a similar benefit abroad, unless social security coordination rules say otherwise.
How and when to apply
You apply online through the Emp@tia portal, signing in with a trusted profile (profil zaufany) or a qualified electronic signature, and choose "Zasiłek rodzinny i dodatki do zasiłku rodzinnego".
- The online application window for the next benefit period runs every year from 1 July to 30 November.
- The benefit period runs from 1 November to 31 October.
- If you apply during the period, after 30 November, you are paid from the month you applied until the end of the period, and the office decides in 1 month, or at most 2 months in complicated cases.
- For an application filed in July or August, you get the benefit by the end of November at most. For September or October, it comes with back payment from November by 31 December. For November or December, it comes by the last day of February, with back payment from November or December depending on the month.
Have ready your details and your children's, the details of family members including those in other EU/EEA countries or Switzerland, your PESEL numbers, an email address, your bank account number, income data if needed, and information about the child's school. Your application is decided by the office for your place of residence, usually the city or commune office or the social welfare centre. If a family member lives in another EU or EEA country or Switzerland, the commune passes the application to the voivode.
* Photos: Boy with a backpack (CC0) and a piggy bank (CC0), both Wikimedia Commons; illustrative.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the family allowance in Poland?
According to gov.pl, 95 zł a month for a child under 5, 124 zł for 5 to 18, and 135 zł for over 18 up to 24.
What is the income limit for the zasiłek rodzinny?
674 zł net per person a month, or 764 zł if there is a child with a disability, based on income in the year before the benefit period. Above that, the "zloty for zloty" rule may reduce the benefit instead of denying it.
When can I apply for the family allowance?
Online from 1 July to 30 November for the period starting 1 November. You can also apply later in the benefit period, and you are paid from the month you apply.
Can foreigners get the family allowance in Poland?
Some can: EU, EEA, Swiss and eligible British citizens, holders of certain residence documents with the right to stay and work, and Ukrainians with UKR status, as listed on gov.pl.
