Care allowance

The care allowance is granted to a insured person for the period of release from work due to the necessity to take personal care of a family member.

The insured person receives the care allowance when he or she takes personal care of:

• a healthy child under 8 years of age if:
  • the institution (nursery, kindergarten, school or children’s club), attended by the child, has been unexpectedly closed,
  • one of the spouses or parents of a child who is constantly taking care of him or her is not able to take care of the child because of sickness, childbirth or hospitalisation,
  • a day carer or nanny, with whom parents have concluded an activation agreement, falls ill,
•  a child with disabilities (who has a certificate of severe degree of disability or a certificate of disability together with the indication of: the need for permanent or long-term care or assistance of another person in connection with a significantly limited ability of independent existence and the need for permanent participation of the child’s carer in the process of his or her treatment, rehabilitation and education on a daily basis), who is under 18 years of age, when one of the spouses or parents of the child who constantly cares for him or her is not able to provide care due to sickness, childbirth or hospitalisation,
• a sick child with a disability who is under 18 years old,
• a sick child under 14 years old,
• other sick member of the family, including a child over 14 years old.

The following minors shall be considered as children:

• the insured person’s own children or his or her spouse’s children,
• adopted children,
• children placed in foster care.

The following persons shall be considered as family members if they share a household with the insured person during the period of their care:

• husband or wife,
• parents,
• other parent of the child,
• stepfather,
• stepmother,
• parents-in-law,
• grandparents,
• grandchildren,
• siblings,
• children over 14 years old.

The right to the care allowance is acquired by the insured person immediately after being covered by sickness insurance.

The care allowance is granted to the mother and father of the child. However, it is paid out only to one of the parents – the one who takes care of the child and requests payment of the allowance for a given period. Every person who is covered by sickness insurance (both compulsory and voluntary) is entitled to the care allowance.

The insured person is awarded the allowance only in the absence of other persons in the common household who could take care of the child or of other family member. The exception is care for a sick child under 2 years of age. If this is the case, the care allowance is due even if other members of the family can look after the child.

The following persons living in a common household who could provide care are not (among others) considered as family members:

• persons completely incapable of work,
• sick person or a person who due to age is physically or mentally disabled,
• a person running a business,
• a person running a farm,
• a person being an employee resting after working the night shift,
• a person not obliged to provide care under the provisions of the Family and Guardianship Code, if he or she refuses to provide care.

The care allowance is granted for a maximum of:

• 60 days per calendar year if the insured person takes care of a healthy child up to the age of 8 years or of a sick child up to the age of 14 years, including a disabled child at that age,
• 14 days per calendar year if the insured person takes care of a sick family member, including a sick child over 14 years of age,
• 30 days per calendar year if the insured person takes care of:
  • a sick child with a disability who is 14 years old but is under 18,
  • a child with a disability who is over 8 years old but is under 18 if the spouse of the insured person or the parent of the child who is permanently looking after the child cannot look after him or her due to sickness, childbirth or hospitalisation.

If in a calendar year, the insured person takes care only of a disabled child and other sick family members (and there are no other children under 14 years of age), the care allowance is granted for a maximum of 30 days in a calendar year, including a maximum of 14 days for taking care of sick family members.

The total allowance period in respect of care of children and other family members may not exceed 60 days in a calendar year. It does not depend on the number of persons entitled to the allowance, the number of children or family members who require care.

The insured father of the child or another insured member of the immediate family (e.g. the child’s grandmother) may also be entitled to an additional care allowance.

The insured father of the child or another insured member of the closest family (e.g. the child’s grandmother) may also be entitled to an additional care allowance. It may be granted for a maximum of 8 weeks (56 days) after the birth of the child. Such an allowance is granted to the father or another member of the closest family if he or she personally takes care of the newborn child and has stopped working for this purpose, because the child’s mother:

• is in hospital at the time,
• has a decision on the incapability of independent existence or a decision on the severe degree of disability,
• has abandoned the child.

The period of receiving the additional care allowance is not included in the limit of 60 days and 14 days in the calendar year for which the care allowance is due.

In order for the insured person to be entitled to the care allowance for a sick family member, a doctor must issue an electronic medical certificate of incapacity for work, which confirms the sickness.

The maternity allowance is payable at the rate of 80% of the basis of sickness allowance assessment. The basis for the assessment of this allowance is calculated in the same way as the basis for the sickness allowance assessment.

The expenditure on care allowances in 2023 amounted to PLN 1,648.3 million.

The Social Insurance Institution pays out care allowances to employees of work establishments that report no more than 20 employees for sickness insurance. In work establishments with more than 20 employees reported for sickness insurance, the care allowance during the period of insurance is paid out by the employer.