Almost PLN 7,000 every month. Money from ZUS, even for those who did not work

From March 2026, people who are over 100 years old can count on a higher benefit under the so-called honorary pension.

Currently, it amounts to PLN 6,938.92 per month and is one of the highest allowances in the pension system in Poland.

Who will receive the benefit?

An honorary pension is sometimes described as a unique benefit because it does not require meeting standard retirement conditions. In practice this means that:

• no minimum work experience required,

• you do not have to have contributions paid for a certain period of time.

Only age matters. This means that even a person who was not professionally active, after turning 100, can receive almost PLN 7,000 per month. Payments are made by both ZUS and KRUS – depending on the system in which the person was insured.

Valorization and future prospects

This year’s indexation, introduced from March 2026, increased the honorary pension by PLN 349.25 compared to the previous year. Thanks to this, the benefit is no longer “frozen” but increases annually along with other pensions. The Ministry of Labor and ZUS emphasize that these changes are intended to guarantee the financial stability of the oldest seniors and maintain the real value of the benefit, despite inflation and rising costs of living.

Increase in the number of beneficiaries

The number of people receiving an honorary pension is systematically growing.

In 2018, the benefit went to approximately 1.9 thousand people. seniors, and currently exceeds 4 thousand people per month.

This trend results from the gradual increase in average life expectancy in Poland – more and more people reach their 100th birthday and become entitled to the highest allowance in the system. For many families, this is significant financial support, allowing them to live peacefully in old age.