The record breaks the record. The highest pensions in Poland are soaring

There is no other way to overcome the pension system in Poland than with a carefully planned professional career planned for many years in advance. The length of service of the two record holders leaves no doubt.

The pensioner who receives the most money from ZUS every month lives in Silesia, and his work experience is 67 years. The richest retiree in Poland, who lives in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, worked for 61 years.

Gross amount, health insurance premium and tax advances on the highest pensions

As a reminder, the pension system in Poland provides for the legal end of a professional career at the age of 65 for men and 60 for women. The second variable is the appropriate length of service – 20 years for women and 25 years for men. Retirees – record holders worked much longer: men until the age of 86, and women until the age of 81.

The effects of such a decision can be envied – after the March indexation, a man receives PLN 54,000 every month. PLN gross, and a woman slightly less – approximately PLN 42,000. PLN gross.

The health insurance contribution of a pensioner – record holder is as much as PLN 4,860 per month. The senior also pays considerable income tax advances – PLN 5,488 per month (12% of the amount remaining after deducting the health insurance contribution). The net amount he receives every month is approximately PLN 43,652.

The record holder among women pays PLN 3,780 in health insurance contributions and PLN 4,440 in income tax advances every month. Her net pension amount is approximately PLN 33,780 per month.

Up to 12 percent a larger pension for each year worked longer

Since the reform in 1999, Poles have been collecting pension capital in ZUS on individual accounts throughout their professional lives. It consists of the sum of contributions from before you applied for retirement.

ZUS argues that on average, extending the working period by one year and delaying retirement by one year results in an increase in benefits by approximately 8-12%. This is due to additional contributions to the pension capital, their annual indexation and the smaller number of months of retirement included in the calculations by ZUS.

At the end of 2025, almost 880,000 people of retirement age were still working. The average age of professionally active people after retirement is almost 68 years – for men it is 69 years and 5 months, and for women – 66 years and 6 months. They have not yet come close to the record holders.

Women clearly predominate among working retirees in Poland, constituting over 58%. this group. The reason for this decision is systemically lower pensions and the need to earn extra money.