From 1 January 2025, the income criteria for social assistance will increase:

• For a single-person household – the criterion will be PLN 1010, which means an increase of PLN 234, i.e. by 30 per cent.
• For a person in a family – the criterion will be PLN 823, which means an increase of PLN 223, i.e. by 37 per cent.
• This change in income criteria will also raise the maximum amount of permanent benefit to PLN 1,229, an increase of PLN 229, or 23 per cent.

The increase in income criteria was adopted based on the results of a study on the social intervention threshold conducted by the Institute of Labour and Social Affairs.

What does this mean in practice?

There will be a significant increase in the group of people eligible for support and the amount of benefits will also increase.

Example 1:

Ms Anna, who lost her job over a year ago, is raising two children on her own. Ms Anna's family has an income of PLN 1,000 and currently receives a temporary benefit of PLN 800. Following the revision of the social assistance criteria proposed by the government, the family will be eligible to receive that benefit in the amount of PLN 1,469, provided Ms Anna has not found employment by then.

Example 2:

The family of Mr and Mrs Jolanta and John with their two school-age children. Mr Jan is seriously ill, and Mrs Jolanta is caring for her husband, preventing her from taking up employment. The family, with an income of PLN 1,600, currently receives a temporary benefit of PLN 800. After the revision of the income criteria in social assistance proposed by the government, the benefit for this family will increase to PLN 1,692.

Example 3:

Mr Kazimierz with a moderate degree of disability, living alone in his household, with no income, receiving today a permanent benefit of maximum PLN 1,000. After the revision of the income criteria in social assistance proposed by the government, he will receive a maximum permanent benefit of PLN 1229.

Direction – annual revision of income criterion

Pursuant to Article 9(1) of the Act of 12 March 2004 on Social Assistance, the income criteria are subject to revision every 3 years, taking into account the outcome of the social intervention threshold study. However, the act allows for an annual review. Previous government, despite rising inflation affecting the household budgets of Polish women and men, did not take advantage of this opportunity. The last review therefore took place in 2021.

Recent years have shown very clearly that the system for verifying income criteria is inadequate for meeting needs and utilising available data. Consequently, the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy has initiated work on a compulsory annual verification of the criteria to allow for a more accurate estimation of the social intervention threshold. In addition, a team for the reform of the social assistance system, established within the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, will analyse the method of calculating income – as noted by Deputy Minister Katarzyna Nowakowska.

Systemic reform of social assistance

In the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, the Team for the Reform of the Social Assistance System has started its work. Its task is to verify the availability of social benefits and services, evaluate the situation of social welfare system employees, and assess the functioning and financing of 24-hour institutions.

The special subject matter team, which includes, among others, Prof. Ryszard Szarfenberg, representatives of the CSO and IPISS, will assess the current way of calculating the social intervention threshold.

After an in-depth analysis of the current state, the team will develop proposals for legal changes and other recommendations. The reform aims to integrate different forms of support and enhance cooperation between state institutions, local governments, NGOs, and local communities. This integration will help increase the effectiveness of relief efforts.