PLN 370 per month. 715,000 Poles have already received the new benefit.

If an application for a widow's or widower's pension is submitted to ZUS by July 31, 2025, and approved, benefits will also be paid for July. For applications submitted in subsequent months and approved, payments will begin in the month in which the application is submitted to ZUS.

" The widow's pension is the largest public project implemented by ZUS in recent years. Applications are processed according to the adopted schedule. This is all possible thanks to the enormous commitment of ZUS employees," said Dorota Bieniasz, Vice President of ZUS and overseeing the benefits division.

A widow's or widower's pension is a combined benefit, for example, 100% of one's own benefit (retirement or disability pension) and 15% of the benefit due after the death of a spouse, or vice versa. This is referred to as a "coincidence of benefits." Some eligible individuals will receive benefits from two institutions: the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) and another pension and disability institution. This means that such clients will receive two payments in the same month, on different dates.

These individuals will receive a single decision – from the authority that will pay them 15% of the benefit. The other institution will inform them about continuing to pay the current benefit at 100%.

ZUS noted that the overlap of benefits may involve a combination of as many as 140 different benefits. The Institution noted that, in parallel with benefit payments, it also processes denials, the total number of which currently stands at 87,700.

ZUS has launched the payment of benefits in conjunction with the survivor's pension for a total amount of PLN 2,406.1 billion (of which the amount of benefits paid at 15% is PLN 253.1 million).

According to the Social Insurance Institution, the widow's pension will amount to PLN 370 per month on average.

ZUS made July payments both on the payment dates of the benefits already paid and on other days in July.

If a benefit overlaps with a survivor's pension that includes a benefit paid by another pension authority, ZUS will begin payments after completing the proceedings with that institution. Starting in August, the overlapping benefits will be paid jointly on the payment dates of the 1st, 6th, 10th, 15th, 20th, and 25th of the month.

In turn, after determining the overlap, ZUS will change the payment date to the 6th day of each month, if these benefits were previously paid on a different date.

In 62% of cases, the overlap of benefits is structured as follows: 100% of the survivor's pension plus 15% of the beneficiary's own benefit.

ZUS is one of the institutions that pays out these benefits – it processes approximately 90% of all applications, and to date, ZUS has received 1.40 million applications.

Other pension bodies that accept applications for widower's pensions include:

• Agricultural Social Insurance Fund (KRUS),
• Prison Service Pensions Office (BESW),
• Military Pension Office (WBE),
• Pension and Pension Institution of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration (ZER MSWiA).

In order for ZUS to pay a widow’s pension, the applicant must meet all four conditions:

• A woman should be at least 60 years old and a man should be at least 65 years old,
• remain in a marital relationship with your spouse until the day of your spouse’s death,
• not be currently married
• and acquire the right to a survivor's pension after the deceased spouse no earlier than on the day of reaching the age of 55 for women and 60 for men.

ZUS will issue a decision refusing to establish the overlap of benefits if the widow or widower does not meet at least one of the specified conditions or if the amount of at least one of the established benefits is equal to or exceeds the limit amount, i.e. three times the amount of the lowest pension.

The limitation of the total amount of benefits to three times the amount of the lowest pension has so far been applied in 5% of cases of benefits paid in conjunction.

The most common reasons for refusal decisions include:

• too high an amount of the benefit currently paid (more than three times the amount of the lowest pension),
• acquiring the right to a survivor’s pension after the deceased spouse earlier than five years before reaching the general retirement age,
• no right to one's own benefit,
• no right to survivor's pension,
• entering into a new marriage,
• not remaining in the marital community until the date of the spouse's death,
• failure to reach the general retirement age.

Decisions issued by ZUS regarding widow's pensions may be appealed to court.

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