The Civic Platform boasts on social media about the amount of social pension for people with disabilities. The message suggests that all people receiving a social pension will be able to count on the given amount. This is not the case. We explain why.
“The social pension for people with disabilities will amount to PLN 4,530,” the post says published on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 on website X on the official account of the Civic Platform.
It was accompanied by a graphic with a photo of a young smiling man sitting in a wheelchair. Below there is an inscription: “Success of Donald Tusk's government! Social pension for disabled people will amount to PLN 4,530!” At the very bottom, in the middle, there is the logo of the Civic Coalition, to which PO belongs. The transfer does not provide information whether it is a gross or net amount. There is no information as to when this amount of social pension would apply.
Posts with the same graphics were published on the Civic Platform accounts on Facebook and Instagram.
Entry about the social pension published on October 30, 2024 on the official account of the Civic Platform on website X.X.com
The entry on X has been viewed almost 8,000 times. times. Comments under the post with this graphic such as: “This is some decent money for people who have not been spared by fate” – were in the minority.
Most Internet users pointed out that this amount is not available to all people with disabilities – and this is what the graphic suggests. “Approximately 17 percent of people with a disability certificate qualify for a social pension. The rest qualify for only a few hundred zlotys a month”; “Okay, and how many people who actually need it will get it? Because even with these special benefits for the disabled, there was a strict screening process”; “The mechanism is the same as in the case of the 'energy voucher'. It looks great, but… practically per mille will meet the conditions,” Internet users noted (original spelling of the entries).
So we explain who can count on a social pension of PLN 4,530.
The Act on the Social Pension Supplement signed by the President
On October 29, 2024, President Andrzej Duda signed it amendment Act about social pension and certain other acts. A day later she informed about it, the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland. On the same day, the above-described posts from the Civic Platform appeared with the message that “the social pension for people with disabilities will amount to PLN 4,530.”
The amendment is the result of a citizens' bill submitted in March 2023, i.e. during the previous term of office of the Sejm (form no. 3099). Unlike government or parliamentary bills, work on citizen bills can be continued in the next term of office of the Sejm.
The purpose of the act was to introduce a new benefit, i.e. complementary supplement. Only some social pension beneficiaries will be entitled to receive it. Addition be entitled will be “a person entitled to a social pension, completely incapable of working and living independently“Incapacity for work and independent living is determined by a medical examiner.
The allowance amount is PLN 2,520 and it will be paid with a social pension from May 2025, but with compensation from January 1, 2025. An annual indexation of the supplementary allowance is also planned from March 1. The act will enter into force on January 1, 2025.
Where does the PLN 4,530 of social pension in the PO transfer come from? Not everyone will receive this much
Where does the amount of PLN 4,530 from the PO transfer come from? Social pension is entitled to adults who are completely unable to work due to impairment of the body's fitness that occurred: before the age of 18; while studying at school or university – before the age of 25; or during training at a doctoral school, doctoral studies or research internship.
As explained by the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS), social pension may be granted permanently – to persons whose total incapacity to work is permanent or for a specified period – to persons whose inability to work is periodic.
It is worth noting here that the social pension should not be confused with the social pension inability to work. “The right to a pension for incapacity for work is granted to an insured person who meets all of the following conditions: he has been recognized as incapable of work, he has had the required contributory and non-contributory period appropriate to the age at which the incapacity for work arose, the incapacity for work occurred during periods strictly defined in the Act, e.g. during the period of insurance, employment, unemployment benefits, social insurance benefits (sickness or care) or no later than 18 months from the end of these periods” – explains Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy.
The amount of the social pension “is 100% of the amount of the lowest pension for total incapacity for work, determined and increased in accordance with the Act on pensions and annuities from the Social Insurance Fund”, according to from the Act on social pension. In 2024 it is PLN 1,780.96. The amount of the benefit after indexation will be known in February next year, the website notes Gazetaprawna.pl.
Together with the newly adopted supplement to the social pension, this amounts to PLN 2,520 PLN 4,300.96. This is slightly less than the amount given in the PO message. As noted by Dr. Hab. Paweł Kubicki, professor at the Warsaw School of Economics (SGH), head of the Department of Social Policy, may be the sum of both benefits after next year's indexation.
“This is a gross amount, for now we are talking about an allowance of PLN 2,520, but the allowance and the annuity will be indexed in March 2025, payments will be made from May 2025, but with compensation from January, so I assume that at the time of payment and after indexation, it may be PLN 4,530,” he states in the comment.
“Basically, we are currently talking about PLN 4,300, then PLN 4,530 is the amount after indexation, and the sum is the minimum social pension and a supplementary allowance up to the minimum wage,” adds the SGH professor. Let us remind you that we currently do not know the amount of indexation of the social pension or the supplementary allowance.
When asked whether this amount of social pension (together with the recently adopted supplement) will be available to all disabled people in Poland or only some of them, the expert replied: “As the law indicates, it will be paid to people who are completely incapable of work and independent living, that is, some of them.
The supplement will go to approx. 130 thousand people with approximately 300 thousand receiving a social pension; in turn, as the website wrote in March 2024 Infor.plPLN 544.6 thousand receives a disability pension from ZUS. people”.
Main photo source: Shutterstock