Not only “Safe Credit”. The “Belka tax” does not apply to the Housing Account

In “Wprost”, we pay a lot of attention to the “Secure Credit 2%” program, but it is not the only tool to facilitate the purchase of the first apartment. The second is the Housing Account, which allows you to save money for your own housing purposes for 3-10 years. The monthly payment may amount to PLN 500-2,000, and the state will grant a housing bonus to regular savers (minimum of 11 payments per year), i.e. it will pay extra to the deposited amount.

The Housing Account is not a housing book

Some call the accounts “new housing books”, which were known in the period of the People’s Republic of Poland. But it’s not the same.

Such an account is offered by several banks, but the list is not complete. A few days ago, the largest Polish bank, PKO BP, announced joining the program. Below we present abbreviated terms of Accounts in several banks.

PKO BP:

Pekao:

Alior Bank:

Who can open a Housing Account?

An account can be opened by a person who does not have and has not had an apartment, a single-family house or a cooperative right to a flat or a single-family house. The program may also be attended by a person who lives in one apartment with at least two of their own or adopted children.

The apartment cannot be larger than:

• 50 m² for 2 children

• 75m² for 3 children

• 90 m² for 4 children

• unlimited for 5 or more children.

The program can also be used by a person who has the right to housing, which:

• acquired by inheritance in the period after the commencement of saving,

• relates to or has related to co-ownership of not more than one flat or single-family house in a share not exceeding ½ (50%), acquired by inheritance before the commencement of saving,

• it concerns or was related to a flat or a single-family house excluded from use due to a construction disaster or as a result of an act of nature.

• was established as a result of the claim referred to in Art. 15 sec. 2 of the Act of 15 December 2000 on housing cooperatives (concerns the cooperative right to premises).

Housing Bonus from the state

Every saver will be charged a special Housing Bonus every year. It will be equal to the annual inflation rate or the price change rate per m² usable area of ​​a residential building. The bonus is calculated annually and paid once. Each year, an indicator more favorable for the saver is selected.

Savings are additionally interest-bearing in accordance with the bank’s offer, with the interest being exempt from Belka’s tax.

Housing Bonus and tax exemption are available only in the case of payment of funds set aside for:

• purchase of the first apartment, incl

• purchase or construction of a single-family house

• financing part of the costs of an investment carried out as part of a housing cooperative or establishing a cooperative right to a flat

• housing contribution in a housing cooperative

• participation in SIM or TBS

• acquisition of the ownership right to land or its part in order to build a single-family house on it.

In the case of termination of saving, there will be 5 years to spend the funds.