The widow's pension becomes a fact. Duda signed the bill

On Friday, Andrzej Duda signed an amendment to the Act on Pensions and Pensions from the Social Insurance Fund (FUS) and any another laws, introducing the alleged widow's pension. This long-awaited legal change gained the approval of both the Sejm and the Senate, and introduces crucial changes in the pension and pension strategy in Poland.

Amending the Act – key changes and regulations

The amendment to the FUS Pensions Act, which was signed by president Duda, introduces the anticipation to collect a full of household pension and another pension benefits, specified as a pension or incapacity pension. This is the alleged widow's pension. It provides that 1 of the benefits will be paid in full and the another will be paid in 50%.

It is worth noting that the draft amendment was adopted by the legislature without amendments on 1 August 2024, which shows broad support for this initiative. As stated in the release of the Chancellery of the president of the Republic of Poland, 80 senators voted in favour of the amendment, with 1 abstaining vote.

The rolling model for the growth of benefits

During the parliamentary work, the government proposed changes in the form of the alleged rolling model of the investigation to the final mark of the second benefit. These amendments were accepted by the Sejm and supply for a gradual increase in the amount of the second benefit from 1 July 2025.

Under the fresh rules, the second benefit will be paid:

• From 1 July 2025 to 31 December 2026, 15%.
• As of January 1, 2027, 25%.

The maximum amount of benefits per individual has been set at 3 times the lowest pension to supply adequate financial collateral for beneficiaries.

Verification and revision costs

The government besides planned to verify the ratio of benefits in confluence for 2028. The Council of Ministers will then measure the possibilities and reasonableness of expanding this rate, which may consequence in further increases in benefits for eligible persons.

According to estimates, the costs associated with the introduction of the widow's pension will amount from PLN 3.2 billion to PLN 4.2 billion in 2025, depending on the number of people who decide to usage this entitlement. This anticipation is expected to benefit between 75% and 100% of possible beneficiaries.

Summary

Signing the amendment to the Law on Pensions and Pensions from the BUS by president Andrzej Duda is an crucial step towards improving the financial situation of pensioners in Poland, especially those who lost a close person. The introduction of a widow's pension, albeit gradual, provides crucial support to those who frequently face financial difficulties after the death of their spouse. This amendment, by enabling the combination of benefits, aims to increase financial safety and improve the quality of life of older people in Poland.

Daniel Głogowski

Expert in his field – Publicist, author and social activist. The first articles were published in 1999 for global publishers. For more than 30 years, he has gained his experience through cooperation with the largest editorial offices. In his articles, he seeks to address controversial topics and present first viewpoints that allowed for a deeper knowing of the issues discussed.