Senior citizen policy is one of the most important areas of activity for the Ministry of Family and Social Policy. State policy towards the elderly is built on three pillars.

Decent pension

The first pillar consists of measures to ensure the financial security of seniors.

– We have ensured that benefits for pensioners and persons with disabilities have been favourably valorised. This year, we allocated a record PLN 44 billion for this purpose. The lowest pensions have also increased significantly, amounting to PLN 1588.44 as of March this year. Compared to 2015, the lowest pensions have increased by more than 80% - says the Minister of Family and Social Policy, Marlena Maląg. 

The Minister also recalled that it was under the Law and Justice government that additional benefits for pensioners – the 13th and 14th retirement pension – have been introduced. These are benefits that are a permanent, annual form of support for the elderly. According to data from the Ministry of Family and Social Policy, a total of around PLN 196.55 billion has been allocated for the valorisation, payment of the 13th and 14th pensions between 2019 and 2023.

It is also worth remembering that, as of 2019, there is a "Mother 4+" programme, under which those who have raised at least four children and have not managed to earn the right to even a minimum pension receive a parental supplementary benefit.

– On top of this, we have introduced favourable tax changes. The tax-free amount of PLN 30,000 means that pensioners who receive their monthly benefit of up to PLN 2,500 gross will not pay a single PLN to the tax office. On the other hand, senior citizens with a benefit of more than PLN 2,500 additionally benefit from the new tax changes, as they settle accounts at a lower rate. They pay 12% tax, instead of the previous 17%. In addition, there is a relief (PIT-0) for working seniors upon reaching retirement age – says Minister Marlena Maląg. 

Active autumn of life

Another pillar of senior citizenship policy is supporting active ageing.

– It is extremely important that older people have opportunities and space to pursue their passions and learn new things. Programmes such as Senior+ and Active+ serve this purpose. Thanks to these programmes, every year more seniors take advantage of the rich offer of various activities. By 2025, half a billion PLN will have been earmarked for these programmes – points out Minister Marlena Maląg. 

Thanks to the Senior+ programme, new Day Care Centres and Clubs for seniors have been established. Through participation in activities organised in these centres, seniors have opportunities to develop their physical, mental and social potential and to meet their peers, which encourages them to participate fully in social life according to their needs and capabilities. Between 2015 and 2022, approximately 1,200 support centres have been established in Poland. More than 28,000 seniors are benefiting from the programme.

In turn, the main objective of the Active+ Programme is to increase the participation of older people in all areas of social life, by increasing their participation in active leisure activities, increasing their activity on the labour market and strengthening sustainable intergenerational relations.

Support and care

The third pillar is care for the oldest seniors.

Since 2020, the Senior Citizens' Support Corps programme has been implemented. This programme has been established to assist older people during and after a pandemic. It includes assistance with a variety of errands – from delivering shopping to making a doctor's appointment online. Volunteers provide information about accessing national helplines for seniors, too. The programme also aims to increase access to "remote care" through the purchase of so-called safety wristbands, together with a support system.

The Care 75+ programme, on the other hand, aims to develop and improve the availability of care services, including social care services targeted at single persons as well as those in families who have reached the age of 75 and over. This programme is addressed to urban, rural, and urban-rural municipalities up to 60,000 population.

– We are a guarantor that all activities addressed to seniors will be continued. We are constantly working to expand the catalogue of programmes and activities for senior citizens – says Minister Marlena Maląg.

In this context, it is worth mentioning that the Law and Justice (PiS) government in 2017 restored the freedom of Poles to choose when to retire, reversing the decision of Donald Tusk's government to raise the retirement age for men and women to 67.

Today we are proposing the introduction of so-called seniority pensions. We want a seniority pension to be possible after 38 years of service for women and 43 years of service for men. Each person will have the freedom to choose whether he/she wants to take advantage of the seniority pension or wait until the retirement age and thus save more for his/her pension – says Minister Marlena Maląg.