Decent benefit from ZUS – what is it? The seniors changed their minds

From March 1, the minimum pension in Poland is exactly PLN 1,978.49 gross, i.e. approximately PLN 1,800 a month – can you survive a month with such money in peace and dignity? This is one of those rhetorical questions…

The ZUS benefit cannot be higher in 2026, because this year’s indexation was only 5.3%. – for many seniors, this change was practically unnoticeable. Pensioners know how to count and know well how much they should receive every month to be able to conjure up two words by accident; “a decent retirement”.

A decent life in retirement for 2 groszy

About 900 thousand seniors in Poland are still working, although their age and work experience have already confirmed their right to a pension benefit from ZUS. But this is the only sure way to increase the amount of the pension if it does not allow for a decent life – not only in Poland. According to ZUS, each additional year of work increases the pension benefit by approximately 8-15%.

According to data published by the Social Insurance Institution, the average pension in Poland is approximately PLN 4,000. PLN gross. But the “average” means that in one bag there is a penny pension of PLN 2, which a woman receives after working one day and a man after working a month, and the richest pensioner, who receives over PLN 51.4 thousand every month. PLN gross because he has worked in managerial positions for 67 years.

The same bag also includes the pensions of thousands of Poles, which have little to do with a decent life:

• 5.5 thousand people have benefits of less than PLN 50 per month,

• 8.6 thousand people receive benefits ranging from PLN 50-200 per month,

• 10.4 thousand people receive PLN 200-400 per month,

• 17.3 thousand people receive about PLN 400-600 per month.

How much do retirees actually need for their expenses?

The “Senior 2025” report prepared by the editorial office of “Fakt” and ARC Rynek i Opinia shows that as many as 55 percent seniors pay about PLN 1,300 a month for the maintenance of an apartment or house. 35 percent respondents declare that these costs exceed even PLN 1,500.

A senior who has approximately 4,000 PLN of pension, after paying the bills and purchasing the necessary medicines, the wallet will have about PLN 900 left. This means that each day he could only spend PLN 30 on other expenses.

Despite this, as many as 46 percent surveyed retirees indicated that they needed at least 4,000 to live in dignity. PLN monthly on hand. 25 percent respondents would be satisfied with an amount between PLN 3,201 and PLN 4,000. PLN, and 12 percent seniors decided that they could cope even with a pension of just over PLN 2,800 per month. Interestingly, in 2023, seniors reported a higher amount that meant a decent retirement for them – it was about PLN 5,000. PLN “in hand”.