The increase in funeral allowance will cost a budget of a maximum of PLN two billion a year – announced on Wednesday at the Sejm of the Minister of Family, Labor and Social Policy Agnieszka Dziemianowicz -Bąk. She emphasized that the increase is an “absolute necessity”.
On Wednesday in the Sejm, a second reading of the government draft amendment to the Act on pensions and pensions from the Social Insurance Fund, which assumes raising from 1 January 2026 funeral allowance from 4 to 7 thousand. zloty. The regulations were prepared by the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy.
During the discussion, MP Bożena Borys-Szopa, representing the Law and Justice Club, assessed that the proposed change “is hardly spectacular”.
Maria Joanna Koźlakiewicz, MP of the Civic Platform, emphasized that the project meets real social needs. – Over the past 14 years, the benefit has not changed, although the burial costs have increased – she noted.
Katarzyna Ueberhan (New left) reported a correction that changed the entry into force of one of the articles (Article 1 point 2). She suggested that instead of June 1, 2025 it was the day following the day of announcement of the Act. At the same time, she submitted a request not to send the project again to the Commission, which was supported by MRPiPS. Other provisions of the Act, unchanged, would come into force from the beginning of next year.
“It's an absolute necessity”
– Increasing the funeral allowance is an absolute necessity and fulfillment of the election promise of the left. Today we implement it – said Agnieszka Dziemianowicz -Bak, the minister of family, work and social policy.
She emphasized that the current amount of 4,000 PLN is far too low to cover the cost of burial, so the funeral is associated with many people with the need to take out loans. – This unworthy situation of a responsible state should be changed as soon as possible – she emphasized.
She also stated that the change in the amount of the benefit was a repair of the error from 14 years ago, “when in the name of blind fiscalism the benefit was drastically reduced”.
– The costs of raising this benefit are not so great. They are estimated at a maximum of two billion zlotys per annum – she added.
The deputy head of MRPiPS Sebastian Gajewski explained where the amount of the benefit amount in the amount of 7,000 zloty.
– This is an amount that allows you to cover a modest funeral in a narrow sense, i.e. in the sense it accepts Social Insurance Institutionand therefore some justified by customs, tradition, activities aimed at saying goodbye to the deceased person until the body is submitted to the grave – he said. – With this understanding of the funeral costs, these seven thousand zlotys for a very modest funeral – he added.
The issue of valorisation
According to the draft amendment, the allowance will be subject to valorization from March 1 in a situation where inflation will exceed 5 percent in the previous year. The lack of annual valorisation of the allowance is to prevent the price of funeral services to increase.
The draft amendment also regulates the principle of accounting for the so -called targeted allowance. According to the project, he may be granted to a person who covered the costs of the funeral if he is not entitled to a funeral allowance after the deceased.
According to the project, a targeted allowance will also be granted if the person who covered the costs of the funeral is entitled to the funeral allowance and incurred extraordinary costs in connection with the funeral, difficult to predict and impossible to cover from the funeral allowance. The deputy minister pointed out that this is, for example, bringing a corpse from abroad.
Deputy Marshal of the Sejm Dorota Niedziela announced that the third reading of the project will take place in the voting block. According to the schedule of the current sitting of the Sejm, it will take place on Friday morning.
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