Saving in IKZE with bonds. See the strategies and how much you will gain [PORADNIK]

December is the month when, statistically, Poles' wages are the highest during the year. This is mainly due to one-off payments related to holidays and other circumstances specific to this period. We're talking about St. Barbara's Day, annual and Christmas bonuses, prizes, thirteenth birthday parties and Santa Claus allowances.

See also: Salary encyclopedia. Check how much half of your colleagues earn [TABELE]

Of course, in December, due to the holidays, there are also more expensive expenses, but any surplus money should be spent wisely, e.g. by investing. Doing it now, as we mentioned, can bring you above-average profits.

When writing about this, we do not mean a risky game on the stock exchange, on the contrary, we have something for those who like safe solutions (greatest risk reduction possible), they value predictability and stability, as well as regular profits. Plus they can save on taxes and at the same time take care of their future retirement.

You can deduct contributions to IKZE from your tax. This is investment turbocharging

Let's start with the key element that is necessary to talk about the title passive income for the cautious with turbocharging. Tim The super bonus is the trick in which properly invested savings (in the IKZE account) can be deducted from tax by anyone.

See also: A little-known method allows you to recover up to PLN 5,000 in tax. zloty. The clock is ticking – check it out before it's too late

“Any natural person who settles taxes in Poland under general rules, lump sum and flat tax can benefit from the IKZE tax relief.” – point out experts from PKO PTE (PKO BP Bankowy Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne). In practice, only unemployed people without income are excluded.

Experts indicate that contributions to IKZE can be deducted from the tax base – up to the limit applicable in a given year. It depends on the average forecast salary in the economy and amounts to:

• 1.2 times this remuneration – for the basic limit (PLN 10,407.60 in 2025)
• 1.8 times – for people who run non-agricultural activities (PLN 15,611.40 in 2025)

How much can you gain? The maximum deduction amounts in 2025 – with full payment of the basic limit are:

• PLN 1,248.91 – with income taxed at 12%.
• PLN 3,330.43 – with income taxed at a rate of 32%.

WITH railway maximum deduction amounts in 2025 – for persons conducting non-agricultural activities upon payment of the full increased limit depend on the method of tax settlement.

1. Settlement according to the tax scale:

• PLN 1,873.37 groszy – with income taxed at a rate of 12%.

• PLN 4,995.65 groszy – with income taxed at a rate of 32%.

2. Flat tax:

• PLN 2,966.17 – with income taxed at 19%.

3. Lump sum recorded:

• PLN 1,873.37 groszy – with income taxed at a rate of 12%.

• PLN 2,185.60 – with income taxed at a rate of 14%.

• PLN 2,341.71 groszy – with income taxed at a rate of 15%.

• PLN 2,653.94 – with income taxed at a rate of 17%.

How to combine IKZE with savings bonds?

When many people think about IKZE, they think about OFE or PPK, i.e. other solutions for saving for retirement beyond the basic system. An important component of these investments are the stock market and shares, which may discourage savers who value safety above all. On the other hand, they do not want to use investment funds that invest money in safer bonds, because why should they pay commissions for something they can do themselves.

See also: What to invest 10,000, 100,000? and PLN 1 million? Six strategies from an expert

An option that many people have no idea about is, for example: IKZE-Bonds. This solution allows you to buy savings bonds almost in the same way as normalwithout intermediaries (service can be provided via the obligacjeskarbowe.pl portal). The only limitations result from the structure of IKZE itself.

The only institution that offers special IKZE based on retail State Treasury bonds (i.e. IKZE-Obligacje) is the Brokerage House of PKO Bank Polski. It has a simple interface and resembles a regular bank account. You can also take advantage of the offers of other brokerage offices. The differences mainly concern fees and the user interface (slightly more complicated, tailored for stock market investors).

In the case of IKZE-Bonds from BM PKO BP, you can choose from:

• Annual savings treasury bonds with variable interest rate (ROR)
• Two-year floating rate savings treasury bonds (DOR)
• Three-year fixed-rate Treasury savings bonds (symbol TOS)
• Four-year Treasury Savings Indexed Bonds (COI)
• Ten-Year Retirement Savings Treasury Bonds (EDO)

See also: Passive income for the cautious. You can live off the interest and never work again [WYLICZENIA]

Costs? No fees are charged for maintaining an IKZE-Obligacje account for the calendar year in which the agreement was concluded. In each subsequent year, the PKO BP Securities Office will deduct PLN 80 for maintaining the account. This is not much compared to the benefits.

Of course, an important limitation resulting from the structure of IKZE is that it is best to keep the money deposited in the account until retirement age. Subsequent withdrawal is subject to a flat-rate income tax of 10%. instead of the standard 19% Belka tax on capital gains and the PIT tax scale.

There is also an emergency exit. “You have the option to stop saving early and terminate the IKZE agreement at any time. In such a case, we will refund all funds accumulated in the IKZE account” – assures PKO BP Securities. However, he states that the provisions on IKZE provide for specific deductions:

• money paid from IKZE-Obligacje as a refund will be included in the annual PIT-11 declaration. The amount received should be added to the income in the annual PIT settlement (taxation according to the tax scale);
• the transferred amount will be reduced by the fee for early redemption and possibly a fee in accordance with the tariff, which results from the termination of the IKZE-Obligacje contract (currently none, unless it takes place within 12 months of opening the account – then PLN 150)

By the way, it is worth emphasizing that Money in IKZE is fully private by law, so it is subject to inheritance.

Passive income from savings bonds in IKZE. How much can you earn?

Depending on your goal and needs, savings bonds can be used to create various types of combinations and strategies. Below we present some sample options (not necessarily the most likely from a market point of view) for savings of PLN 10,000. PLN (100 bonds, PLN 100 each), which are within the limit of using IKZE. The calculations provided are approximate and reflect future changes in inflation and interest rates, which cannot be predicted precisely.

For simplicity, we show examples for people who do not run a business. Divided into those whose annual income does not exceed PLN 120,000. PLN (12% tax) and those earning better (surplus over PLN 120,000 taxed at 32%).

Proposal 1. Objective: protection against inflation (long-term)

This portfolio aims to maximize the protection of capital's purchasing power over the long term by using inflation-linked bonds.

Portfolio composition:

• PLN 5,000 in EDO (10-year inflation-indexed bonds, 5.6% in the first year)
• PLN 5,000 in COI (four-year inflation-indexed bonds, 5% in the first year)

Strategy: The interest rate on these bonds in the following years is inflation + margin (1.5% for COI and 2% for EDO, respectively). This protects the real value of the savings regardless of price increases.

Expected profit (after the first year):

• EDO: PLN 5,000 x 5.6 percent = PLN 280
• COI: PLN 5,000 x 5%. = PLN 250

Total interest (gross) in the first year: PLN 530

Additional tax benefit:

• for the taxpayer 12 percent PIT: PLN 1,200
• for the taxpayer 32 percent PIT: PLN 3,200

Total profit from investment PLN 10,000. PLN after the first year: PLN 530 + (PLN 1,200 or PLN 3,200) = (PLN 1,730 or PLN 3,730). In the following years only profits from interest.

Proposal 2. Goal: stability and protection against falling rates (medium term)

This portfolio is for the investor who believes that interest rates and inflation will decline, so he or she wants to “lock in” the current, relatively high fixed interest rate for a longer period of time.

Portfolio composition:

• 10 thousand PLN in TOS (three-year fixed bonds, 4.65% per annum)

Strategy: Interest rate 4.65%. is guaranteed for the entire 3 years, regardless of the market situation (decrease in inflation or NBP rates). This gives you a predictable, stable income.

Expected profit (per year):

• TOS: 10 thousand PLN x 4.65 percent = PLN 465

Additional tax benefit:

• for the taxpayer 12 percent PIT: PLN 1,200
• for the taxpayer 32 percent PIT: PLN 3,200

Total profit from investment PLN 10,000. PLN after the first year: PLN 465 + (PLN 1,200 or PLN 3,200) = (PLN 1,665 or PLN 3,665). In the following years only profits from interest.

Proposal 3. Goal: waiting for an increase in interest rates (short-term)

This portfolio is for an investor who expects that NBP interest rates (currently 4%) will increase in the near future (economic crisis scenario), thanks to which floating-coupon ROR and DOR bonds will begin to offer higher interest.

Portfolio composition:

• 10 thousand PLN in current accounts (annual variable bonds, 4.25% in the first month and at least 4% in the following months)

Strategy: Interest rates and profits in subsequent periods increase with interest rates.

Expected profit (after the first year):

• ROR: 10 thousand PLN x 4.25 percent x 1/12 + PLN 10,000 x 4%. x 11/12 = PLN 402.08

Additional tax benefit:

• for the taxpayer 12 percent PIT: PLN 1,200
• for the taxpayer 32 percent PIT: PLN 3,200

Total profit from investment PLN 10,000. PLN after the first year: PLN 402.08 + (PLN 1,200 or PLN 3,200) = (PLN 1,602 8 groszy or PLN 3,602 8 groszy). In the following years only profits from interest.

The above calculations refer to bond interest after the first year of saving. In subsequent years, their exact amount depends on variable and difficult to predict inflation rates and interest rates. They can be both smaller and larger.

Note: The information contained in the text is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell financial products. This text does not constitute an investment recommendation or investment advisory activities within the meaning of §3 of the Regulation of the Minister of Finance of October 19, 2005 on information constituting recommendations regarding financial instruments, their issuers or issuers (Journal of Laws of 2005, No. 206, item 1715).

Author: Damian Słomski, journalist of Business Insider Polska