Poland's 800+ child benefit deadline and double payments for late applicants

The 800+ child benefit program entered a new payment period in June, with nearly 6 million children receiving payments and about 4.7 billion zł transferred to parents' accounts, according to the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS). Parents must submit a new electronic application by 30 June to retain the June payment; applications submitted after this date trigger payments only from the month of filing. An exception applies to parents of newborns, who have a three‑month window from birth to submit paperwork.

Late applicants may receive a catch‑up transfer of up to 1 600 zł in July, representing a double payment for those who missed the June deadline. The government is also preparing legislation to automate the extension of the benefit, eliminating the need for annual applications and allowing automatic continuation based on existing ZUS records.