This does not mean that all companies have got rid of their debts. In Wrocław, the largest debtor is a company whose debt to ZUS amounts to PLN 23,196,287.18. In Wałbrzych, one of the businesses has PLN 7,680,000 to repay, while in Legnica the figure is PLN 2,227,110.01. Across Poland, 1,514,833 payers are in debt, owing a total of PLN 30,082,973,184.03.

Across Poland, ZUS will first pursue those arrears whose limitation period expires soonest.

ZUS sent letters informing all entrepreneurs with debts exceeding PLN 6.60 about the status of their accounts. Many entrepreneurs in Lower Silesia settled their liabilities, but as can be seen, some companies still have unpaid amounts on their ZUS accounts. Debt on some accounts arose because, after individual contribution account numbers were introduced, current payments were first credited against the oldest arrears.

“Debt on the account of people running businesses who voluntarily pay sickness insurance contributions may mean losing the right to sickness, care or maternity benefits,” warns Iwona Kowalska, ZUS regional press spokesperson in Lower Silesia. “If someone cannot repay the debt in full immediately, they can apply to have it spread into instalments. An adviser for relief and remission matters can help with this,” she assures.

You can meet the adviser in person at the customer service hall or contact them by phone.

Contact details for advisers on relief and remission matters in Lower Silesia:

Wałbrzych: 74 649 73 31
Kamienna Góra: 75 646 86 55
Wrocław: 71 360 61 61 (Branch); 1st Inspectorate in Wrocław: 71 360 68 98; 2nd Inspectorate in Wrocław: 71 360 66 31
Legnica: 76 876 43 91.

Debt across Poland

ZUS currently has 2.4 million registered active contribution accounts receiving payments. During the first four months of the single-transfer system, almost PLN 3.4 billion in payments were credited against entrepreneurs’ arrears. A positive result of introducing the ZUS e-contribution system (an individual bank account) is the almost complete elimination of incorrect transfers to individual contribution accounts. A year earlier, between January and May 2017, as many as 114,000 unidentified payments reached ZUS.

This year, however, there were only 161 such payments during the corresponding period. They are assigned to the correct accounts on an ongoing basis. With 2.4 million active payers, the proportion of incorrect transfers has therefore fallen below the threshold of statistical significance.

This comparison shows that the new system of transferring contributions to a single individual account has worked. Previously, every entrepreneur had to pay contributions into three or even four different accounts (including the contribution to the Bridging Pension Fund), entering data identifying the sender in the transfer. Today, every payer has their own individual contribution account number, into which they pay contributions globally, without dividing them among individual funds.