The income criteria for social assistance change from January 1, 2025. For a single person it will be PLN 1,010, and for a person in a family – PLN 823.
The income criteria for social assistance are verified every three years, taking into account the results of social intervention threshold tests. However, the Act allows them to be verified every year. The last one was in 2021.
New income criteria
In July, the government adopted a regulation according to which from January 1, 2025 income criteria in social assistance for a single person it will be PLN 1,010, which means an increase of PLN 234, or 30%. On the other hand for a person in the family, the criterion will be PLN 823which means an increase of PLN 223, or 37%.
The change in the amounts of income criteria will also result in an increase in the amounts of cash benefits related to the Social Assistance Act, e.g.: cash assistance for becoming independent will increase by PLN 229 (from PLN 1,837 to PLN 2,066), and the maximum permanent benefit – by PLN 229 (from PLN 1,000 to PLN 1,229).
The Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy has announced in recent months that it wants to introduce an annual mandatory verification of income criteria in social assistance.
What is considered income?
Income is considered the sum of monthly revenues from the month preceding the submission of the application or, in the event of loss of income, from the month in which the application was submitted, regardless of the title and source of their receipt, less: the monthly personal income tax and costs of obtaining income; health insurance contributions specified in the provisions on health care services financed from public funds and social insurance specified in separate regulations, as well as the amount of alimony provided to other persons.
Social assistance is provided to individuals and families, in particular due to poverty, homelessness, unemployment, disability or long-term or serious illness.
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