Pre-retirement benefit

In 2021, the total amount of pre-retirement benefits was PLN 878.3 million. They are financed by the Labour Fund. They are granted to people who have the status of an unemployed person and meet the conditions concerning, inter alia, the mode of employment relationship termination, age and insurance period.

A person who is in one of the following situations may be entitled to the pre-retirement benefit:

Situation 1

• the employment or service relationship has been terminated due to liquidation or insolvency of the employer,
• employment with this employer had lasted at least 6 months,
• before the date of termination of employment or service relationship with that employer:
  • the person concerned had reached at least the age of 56 years (woman) or 61 years (man),
  • his/her qualifying insurance period was at least 20 years (woman) or 25 years (man).

Situation 2

• the employment or service relationship has been terminated for reasons attributable to the work establishment,
• employment with this employer had lasted at least 6 months,
• before the date of termination of employment or service relationship with that employer:
  • the person concerned had reached at least the age of 55 years (woman) or 60 years (man),
  • his/her qualifying insurance period was at least 30 years (woman) or 35 years (man).

Situation 3

• the person concerned had been continuously running a non-agricultural business activity for at least 24 months and had been paying the social insurance contributions for this period,
• he/she has declared bankruptcy,
• on or before the date of bankruptcy declaration:
  • he/she had reached at least the age of 56 years (woman) or 61 years (man),
  • his/her insurance period was at least 20 years (woman) or 25 years (man).

Situation 4

• the person concerned has registered with the competent poviat (district) labour office within 30 days of the day of cessation of the disability pension entitlement, which he/she had been receiving continuously for at least 5 years,
• on or before the day of cessation of the disability pension entitlement:
  • he/she had reached at least the age of 55 years (woman) or 60 years (man),
  • his/her qualifying insurance period was at least 20 years (woman) or 25 years (man).

Situation 5

• the person concerned has registered with the competent poviat (district) labour office within 60 days of the day of cessation of the entitlement to one of the following benefits:
  • nursing benefit,
  • special care allowance,
  • carer’s allowance,
• had been receiving one of these benefits continuously for at least 365 days, provided that the loss of the entitlement was caused by the death of the person he/she had cared for,
• on or before the day of cessation of entitlement to one of these benefits:
  • he/she had reached at least the age of 55 years (woman) or 60 years (man),
  • his/her qualifying insurance period was at least 20 years (woman) or 25 years (man).

Situation 6

• the employment relationship has been terminated for reasons attributable to the work establishment,
• the person concerned had been employed there for at least 6 months,
• before the date of termination of the employment relationship, his/her qualifying insurance period was at least 35 years (woman) and 40 years (man).

Situation 7

• the employment or service relationship has been terminated due to liquidation or insolvency of the employer,
• the person concerned had been employed with that employer for at least 6 months,
• until 31 December of the year preceding the termination of the employment or service relationship, his/her qualifying insurance period was at least 34 years (woman) or 39 years (man).

A person who is in one of these seven situations will be entitled to the pre-retirement benefit if he/she has been receiving unemployment benefit for at least 180 days and meets all of the following conditions:

• is still registered as an unemployed person,
• within the period of receiving unemployment benefit has not refused, without justified reason, a proposal of suitable employment or other gainful work or intervention works and public works,
• within 30 days of the date of issue by the poviat (district) labour office of a document certifying that he/she has been receiving unemployment benefit for 180 days, he/she applied for pre-retirement benefit.

As from 1 March 2021, the amount of the pre-retirement benefit is PLN 1,262.34 and is subject to periodic adjustment.

In 2021, ZUS paid the pre-retirement benefits to 59.4 thousand people. The total amount of these benefits was PLN 878.3 million. The benefits are financed from the Labour Fund.

Legal status as of 2022