14th pensions are an integral part of supporting seniors

The beginning of our journey in restoring the dignity of pensioners was the lowering of the retirement age - from 67 to 60 for women and 65 for men.

“This is the Solidarity generation - people to whom we owe our freedom, and that is why the government led such a revolution of dignity after 2015, a revolution of giving respect to those from whom this respect was taken away during the years of the Third Republic,” Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki noted during a visit to the Senior’s Home in Wola Karczewska.

From 2019, we decided to introduce a 13th pension, which we then supplemented with a 14th pension in 2021 - the so-called 13th and 14th pensions were a breakthrough in supporting seniors. Thanks to them, seniors can fulfil their dreams with peace of mind - going on holidays, buying gifts for their grandchildren or renovating their bathroom, for example.

As of today, payment of the 14th pension is guaranteed every year by law. It will be paid automatically. It will be paid in full to those whose gross monthly benefit does not exceed PLN 2,900. For those who receive a higher benefit, the “fourteen” will be reduced on a “zloty for zloty” basis. No application or declaration is necessary. It is planned that in 2023, the “fourteen” will be credited to the account of senior citizens in late August or early September.

“We fulfilled another of our commitments when the promise to seniors was kept. And that promise was precisely that we would manage public finances in such a way that there would be enough for the 14th pension, for the 14th retirement benefit permanently,” stressed Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

Higher pensions mean a better quality of life for our grandmothers and grandfathers

More money for seniors, not just additional benefits. The value of pension benefits has also increased dynamically:

• As of 2016, the minimum net pension amount has increased by 90%;
• in 2023, the minimum pension will be more than PLN 1,588 gross - thanks to record revaluations.

At the same time, thanks to government action, pensioners do not pay tax on their benefits up to PLN 2,500 and more money stays in their wallets.

“The pension revaluation that took place before was PLN 3, PLN 4, I heard PLN 3.50. Unfortunately – PLN 4 to 5. Sometimes it was not worth the stamp, which cost more than the amount of those revaluations. And after all, the minimum pension then was, to the pensioner's pocket, just over PLN 750 net,” said the head of government in reference to the situation of seniors before 2015.

Expansion of the senior policy is the fulfilment of our commitments

We are grateful to seniors for how much they have worked to build the Poland we live in today. We are committed to taking care of the elderly and have introduced a number of programmes that support seniors in their autumn years.

“Our seniors really deserve this from our country - to spend their autumn years in peace, in joy, thinking about their grandchildren and not just about how to make ends meet. We want to take our commitment further,” said the head of government.

Our senior policy today is an extensive range of beneficial solutions - among them there are:

• Free medicines for seniors 75+ - since September 2016, people who are 75 years and older can benefit from free medicines. We are successively expanding this list. To date, more than 3.9 million seniors have benefited from the programme, purchasing 429 million packages of medicines. Under the Nowe Konkrety plan, we will expand this programme to people 65+, as well as children and young people.
• Senior + programme - is a government support for local governments in the establishment and ongoing operation of Day Care Centres and Clubs for seniors. Between 2015 and 2021, 1,079 support centres were established in Poland. More than 28,000 seniors are benefitting from the programme. A total of PLN 300 million was allocated for its co-financing.
• Active + programme - we allocate funds to support projects for seniors. As part of the programme, between 2021 and 2025, NGOs will implement projects worth a total of PLN 200 million.

“All this was also possible thanks to the very close and good cooperation between the government and the President. Who better than our mothers and fathers, grandfathers and grandmothers knows that agreement between the government and the president is the best guarantee of doing good things for society,” concluded Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.