On Friday, lawmakers in the Sejm approved a bill introducing another annual cash benefit for retirees. The measure creates a 14th pension payment, and the bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Parliamentary records show 436 deputies voted in favor, with 12 opposing and 6 abstaining.
The Sejm’s approval lays out how the 14th old‑age pension will be calculated for eligible recipients. The benefit matches the lowest old‑age pension as of March 1 in the year when the next annual payment is issued, but only for those whose basic benefit before deductions does not exceed PLN 2,900. If the basic allowance exceeds 2,900, the payment is adjusted by subtracting the difference between the basic benefit and 2,900 from the same base amount, ensuring the 14th pension remains proportional to the core pension level.
The bill allows the Council of Ministers to set a higher amount than the lowest pension for the next annual payment, through a national ordinance issued no later than October 31 of the relevant year. It also proposes a floor of at least PLN 50 for the 14th pension; if the calculated yearly payment would fall below 50, the benefit will not be awarded.
According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, 6.8 million pensioners would receive the full 14th pension, while about 1.5 million would receive a reduced amount on a proportional, one-to-one basis.
Who qualifies for the “fourteen”?
Eligibility hinges on the absence of suspension of the basic benefit on the last day of the month preceding the payment month. Those whose basic benefit remains active are entitled to the 14th pension, up to the limit of PLN 2,900 plus the applicable lowest old‑age pension for the year of payment, minus 50 (the 2023 reference was PLN 4,438.44).
When a person is entitled to multiple benefits, the total of those benefits is used to determine the amount of the next annual supplementary payment. In all cases, recipients receive the cash supplement in addition to their standard benefits.
The supplementary annual payment also applies to survivor pensions where more than one beneficiary exists. The payment is divided among survivors in proportion to their share of the pension. If at least one survivor receives a social pension, the portion allocated to the other survivors is adjusted accordingly. Those excluded from the survivor count because they receive a social pension receive a separate annual top‑up under that social pension entitlement.
The bill envisages that the next annual cash supplement would be granted automatically, based on a formal decision. The Council of Ministers would publish the payment month for the coming year no later than October 31.
Decisions on the 14th pension are issued and paid by the appropriate pension authorities. In cases where more than one authority has overlapping entitlement, the social insurance institution handles the decision and the payment of the supplementary annual allowance.
tkwl/PAP
Source: wPolityce