The current Polish pension system – in which the retirement age is different for men and women – has raised concerns for years. Experts point out that the current regulations are unfair and, moreover, very costly to the state budget. In recent years, there have also been indications to further increase the statutory time limit for ending professional activity.
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The latest report by the Civic Development Forum and the Warsaw Enterprise Institute, quoted by Forsal.pl, indicates that the Polish pension system is structured in such a way that women receive lower pensions and the state budget is increasingly burdened. The authors of the report believe that harmonizing the retirement age would bring up to PLN 50 billion in savings and become a pillar of the public finance recovery plan.
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The “Budget SOS” report is intended to be a “road map” that is intended to “help Poland enter the path of sustainable economic development and stop the debt spiral.”
New retirement age in Poland 2026 – how many years for women and men? Possible plans
The latest FOR report assumes two variants of reforms: mild and severe. The mild variant amounts to PLN 241.7 billion in savings, the severe variant – over PLN 345 billion. In both variants, the key is to change the retirement age, although economists also propose, among others, limiting the 800 plus program only to the poorest, liquidation of the 13th and 14th pensions and extensive privatization of State Treasury companies.
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According to economists, standardizing the retirement age to 67 – for both women and men – would bring about PLN 50 billion in savings, which makes this proposal one of the pillars of the entire recovery plan.
In the “road map” mentioned by experts, in the first stage, which would be implemented in 2026, it is planned to immediately stop the increase in debt. This means freezing the wage bill in the public sector (except for uniformed services and medics), suspending the payment of the 14th pension and introducing an income criterion in the 800+ program. These actions are expected to result in savings of 2.5%. GDP.
When is the new retirement age in Poland? Experts provide a specific date
In the next year – scheduled for 2027 – structural reforms will be a priority. It is planned to completely liquidate the 13th pension, privatize non-strategic companies and abolish the monopoly on online gambling. Effect? Improvement of the budget balance by another 2.6%. GDP and achieving financial balance of the state.
The final stage – extended to 2028-2029 – involves deep systemic reforms. Then experts see time to unify pension systems and, at the same time, reform KRUS and industry systems. In addition, experts call for full digitization of administration and limiting the VAT gap to 5%. Thanks to this, public debt is to be permanently reduced, and the generated surpluses will be allocated to key infrastructure investments.
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As Forsal.pl reminds, public debate has for some time included demands for equalizing and raising the retirement age to 67 for women and men. At the same time, ZUS clearly announces that as of today there is no government decision to change the applicable rules.
ZUS President Zbigniew Derdziuk emphasized that the institution implements current regulations, and the retirement age of 60 for women and 65 for men remains unchanged. He also added that experts' proposals require political decisions and statutory changes.
