The pension is paid during the school year, including the summer holidays. Pupils at post-primary schools receive the pension every month until the end of August, while students receive it until the end of September of the given academic year—unless the school or university specifies the full duration of the course in the first certificate, for example three years, two years, and so on.

When they do so, ZUS pays the pension for the entire period, while checking whether studies are continuing. In other cases, for the pension to be paid without interruption, applicants should remember to submit an application to ZUS to continue receiving it, together with a certificate from the school or university, no later than within one month of the last payment.

“Therefore, to ensure that the next payment is made as early as September for a pupil, or October for a student, it is worth submitting the application earlier. Submitting the application late risks losing a payment,” says Iwona Kowalska, ZUS press spokesperson in Lower Silesia. “If a student does this only at the end of October, they will still receive the pension for October. However, if they are a full month late with the application and submit it only in November, they will lose the family pension for October,” she warns.

How can suspension of payments be avoided?

A pupil who has completed secondary school and been admitted to university must provide a certificate from the university no later than the end of September to avoid suspension of the pension payment for September. The formal document confirming that they are a student at that university must then be submitted at the beginning of October. If a person entitled to the pension stops studying, they are required to notify ZUS, which will suspend payment of the benefit. If they fail to do so, they will have to repay the pension received unduly, together with interest.

Who is entitled to a family pension?

“Let me remind you that a family pension is available to the relatives of a deceased person if they were a pensioner, a disability pension recipient, or met the conditions required to receive one of these benefits. This also applies if they received a pre-retirement allowance or pre-retirement benefit,” explains Iwona Kowalska.

Who can receive the pension?

The pension may be received, among others, by

  • children of the deceased insured person
  • children of their spouse or adopted children.

Grandchildren, siblings and other children taken into care are also entitled to a family pension. This applies before they reach adulthood—at least one year before the insured person's death, unless the death resulted from an accident.

When will they actually receive the pension?

They will receive the pension only if they are not receiving one through their parents, or if their parents are unable to support them. They will also have this right if the deceased person or their spouse had been appointed their legal guardian.

How long will the pension be paid?

ZUS pays the family pension to the deceased person's children until they turn 16. However, if a child continues their education, they will receive the pension until they finish studying, but no longer than until they turn 25. The exception is when their 25th birthday falls during the final year of university studies—in that case, the benefit may still be collected until the end of the academic year.

All eligible persons are entitled to one joint family pension. If there are several eligible persons, the benefit is divided into equal shares among them. One person receives 85 percent of the benefit that would have been due to the deceased. Two people receive 90 percent of that benefit to divide between them, while three or more people receive 95 percent to divide equally among them.

What is the minimum family pension?

The current minimum family pension is PLN 1,029.80. If the family pension is received by a child whose parents are both deceased, the child will also receive a supplement for a full orphan, amounting to PLN 405.67.

What must we report to ZUS if we receive a pension?

  • income earned from employment
  • the amount of income earned in the previous calendar year—by the end of February of the following year
  • a change of address or bank account number,
  • receiving a pension from another source—granted by another pension authority—or a social pension
  • stopping school attendance by a person who has already turned 16.