Applications for school supplies, that is, payment of the Dobry Start programme benefit, can now be submitted. PLN 300 is available for each child attending school up to the age of 20, or up to the age of 24 if the child has a disability certificate.

For the new benefit period, applicants can submit applications from 1 July until the end of November. If the application reaches ZUS by the end of August, the institution will pay the money by 30 September.

Who is eligible for the PLN 300 benefit?

The PLN 300 benefit is available once a year for a child attending school, until the child turns 20, or 24 in the case of children with disabilities.

Who is not eligible?

The money is not available for children attending so-called reception classes or for students. The ages of 20 and 24 are calculated by year of birth, which means that students in the final years of technical secondary schools and general secondary schools, as well as students of post-secondary schools, are also eligible for the benefit if they turned 20 or 24 before the beginning of the school year.

Parents and guardians, regardless of their income or employment situation, may receive a one-time payment of PLN 300 to purchase textbooks, notebooks, equipment and any supplies necessary for learning in primary schools, general secondary schools, post-secondary schools and other educational institutions.

How can an application be submitted?

An application for the Dobry Start programme benefit can be submitted only electronically—through the mZUS app, the eZUS platform, electronic banking or the Emp@tia portal. It is worth checking that the child's PESEL number, the school's name and address, and the account number are correct in the application, because ZUS will pay the benefit only into the indicated bank account.

Last year, the Social Insurance Institution received a total of more than 3.3 million applications for benefits for nearly 4.9 million children. The value of the benefits paid exceeded PLN 1.4 billion.

The PLN 300 benefit and foreigners

A foreign national from outside the EU/EFTA/United Kingdom (persons covered by the Withdrawal Agreement), or a Ukrainian citizen with UKR status who lives with the child in Poland, will become eligible for the benefit if they were professionally active in the month preceding the month in which the application was submitted.

Applicants exempt from meeting the professional-activity requirement are those who:

  • apply for the benefit for a child who is a Polish citizen,
  • are raising a child under the age of 16 with a disability certificate,
  • are raising a child over the age of 16 with a moderate or severe degree of disability,
  • are guardians of children designated by the authorities of their country of origin,
  • apply for the benefit independently as people in education or participating in an independent-living programme.

In addition, foreign nationals from outside the EU/EFTA/United Kingdom (persons covered by the Withdrawal Agreement) and Ukrainian citizens with UKR status are required, in applications submitted to ZUS, to provide details of the document used to cross the border and the document confirming legal residence in Poland—for both themselves and the child.