Poland's ZUS opens July enrollment for school‑kit and 800+ benefits

The Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) announced that applications for the "Dobry Start" school‑kit program open on 1 July and run until 30 November 2026. Eligible children aged 7‑20 (up to 24 for those with disabilities) receive a one‑off 300 zł payment, with an additional 100 zł supplement for families whose income meets low‑threshold criteria. All submissions must be made electronically via the mZUS app, eZUS portal, online banking or Emp@tia.

For the 800 plus family allowance, the filing deadline is 30 June 2024. Parents who submit by that date will receive the June payout and avoid a gap in payments; payouts are scheduled to reach beneficiaries by the end of August. To date ZUS has received over 4.2 million applications covering more than 6.3 million children, and in May paid out over 6.5 million installments. The current entitlement period runs from 1 June 2024 to 31 May 2027.

Special rules apply to Ukrainian refugees and other non‑EU nationals: they must be enrolled in a Polish school (or kindergarten) to qualify for 800 plus, and from February 2026 the benefit is linked to parental employment. Draft legislation under public consultation proposes automatic entitlement from the 2027‑2028 period, eliminating the need for annual applications.