Support for parents - parental benefit

On January 1, 2016, a new parental benefit in the amount of PLN 1,000 entered into force. It is granted to the family regardless of its income. Find out about the benefits of parental support for parents and what requirements must be met to get them.

Support for parents - for whom?

Support for parents is aimed at people with disabilities, the unemployed, students and people employed under civil law contracts. These people do not have the right to receive maternity allowance.

Parental benefit is granted in the following situations:

• the birth of a child,

• accepting a child up to the age of 7 for upbringing, and in the case of a child whose compulsory schooling has been postponed - until the age of 10, and applied to the guardianship court regarding his adoption,

• admission to foster education, with the exception of a professional foster family of a child up to the age of 7, and in the case of a child for whom a decision to postpone schooling has been made - until the age of 10.

Support for parents - duration

The Act provides for a different duration of parental benefit, depending on the number of children born at one birth or accepted for upbringing.

Below we present all the anticipated periods:

• 52 weeks in the case of the birth of one child in one delivery or in the case of accepting one child for upbringing,

• 65 weeks - in the case of giving birth to two children in one childbirth or in the case of adopting two children to raise them,

• 67 weeks - if three children are born in one childbirth or if three children are adopted for upbringing,

• 69 weeks - in the case of birth of four children in one delivery or in the case of adopting four children for upbringing,

• 71 weeks - in the case of giving birth to five or more children in one childbirth or in the case of adopting five or more children for upbringing.

The date of issuing parental benefit is counted from the date of childbirth or acceptance for upbringing of a child.

Parent support - who won't get it?

As already mentioned, the benefit is paid to all persons who are not entitled to maternity allowance. Consequently, people who receive maternity allowance will not receive parental benefit. Also excluded are persons who have the right to take advantage of this type of benefits due to the birth of a child in systems other than the general insurance system (e.g. officers of uniformed services).

Importantly, if one of the parents is entitled to maternity benefit, the other cannot apply for parental benefit.