Poland: Petition proposes reform of child benefit system

A petition submitted to the Polish Sejm proposes a fundamental restructuring of the current child benefit system, known as ‘800 plus’. The proposal, authored by Krzysztof Strączek, suggests moving away from the fixed rate of 800 PLN per child. Instead, the benefit would be calculated based on 10% of the average salary from the previous year's fourth quarter, with the amount increasing according to the number of children in a family.

The proposed formula involves multiplying the base amount by either a square or cube root of the number of children. This model aims to address rising childcare costs and declining demographic trends by providing higher financial support to larger families. Under one calculation scenario involving an average gross salary of 8,000 PLN, a family with four children could receive up to 7,358 PLN monthly.

Separately, data regarding the ‘Mama 4 plus’ supplementary pension program shows that in July 2026, over 60,300 beneficiaries received support. This program, managed by the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS), aims to supplement the pensions of individuals who raised at least four children to ensure they reach the statutory minimum pension level. The average monthly payment for this program was reported at 1,078.95 PLN.