Funeral allowance increased from PLN 4,000 to PLN 7,000. zloty. What needs to be completed?

From January 1, 2026, the funeral allowance increased from PLN 4,000 to PLN 7,000. PLN, and the payment time will be shortened from 30 to 14 days. According to ZUS data, nearly PLN 360,000 was paid last year. funeral benefits, the most in the Silesian Voivodeship (50.5 thousand), and the least in the Podlaskie Voivodeship (8.5 thousand).

From the new year, the family of the deceased will be entitled to a funeral allowance of PLN 7,000. PLN – regardless of the actual funeral costs.

According to new regulations the amount of the funeral benefit will be indexed and increased by the increase in prices and consumer services if inflation in a given year exceeds 5%.

Additionally the benefit payment time will be shortened from 30 to 14 days.

Who is entitled to funeral allowance?

The benefit is payable to the person who covered the funeral costs of a person insured with ZUS (employee, retiree, disability pensioner) or a member of his or her family. The family includes, among others: spouse, parents, children (own, adopted, foster family), siblings, grandparents, grandchildren or persons under legal guardianship. The benefit may also be received by the employer, DPS, commune, district or religious institution if they covered the funeral costs.

As explained by ZUS, funeral costs are costs documented by invoices incurred from the time of death of the person who is entitled to the benefit until the completion of the burial. These cannot be costs that were not incurred directly for the burial, e.g. the costs of a tombstone, the costs of the fee charged by the funeral home for submitting an application for benefits to a ZUS branch, the costs of conciliation or flowers.

What needs to be completed

To receive a funeral allowance, you must complete the Z-12 application and submit it to a ZUS branch, send it by traditional mail, submit it via the ZUS Electronic Services Platform (PUE)/eZUS or through an authorized funeral home. Although the application itself can be submitted electronically or sent by post, the bills must be delivered in the original or in the form of copies certified by the bank as true copies of the originals.

The benefit application must also be accompanied by:

• a shortened copy of the death certificate (at the request of the applicant, the ZUS branch may obtain a shortened copy of the death certificate from the registry office),
• a document confirming the kinship or affinity of the person submitting the application with the deceased, e.g. a shortened copy of the birth certificate,
• a certificate from the contribution payer (e.g. employer) that the applicant or the deceased is or was covered by retirement and disability insurance – in the case of an insured person (this does not apply to people who have non-agricultural activities and people who cooperate with them).

Documents must be submitted within 12 months from the date of death or within 12 months from the date of funeral – if, for example, there was a problem with finding the body or identifying the deceased. Then you must attach a document that will confirm the reason for the delay: a certificate from the police or prosecutor's office or a complete copy of the death certificate or another official document that will confirm the circumstances or reasons that prevented the earlier submission of the application.

In 2024, ZUS paid nearly PLN 360,000. funeral benefits for a total amount of PLN 1.44 million. The largest number of benefits were paid in the Silesian Voivodeship (50.5 thousand) and Masovian Voivodeship (48.7 thousand), the least – in the Podlaskie Voivodeship (8.5 thousand).

In August, President Karol Nawrocki signed an amendment to the act simplifying the rules for obtaining a funeral allowance. In accordance with new regulations determining the right to a funeral allowance will not require ZUS to issue a decision if the funeral costs were borne by one person – a family member of the deceased. The decision will still be issued by ZUS when the funeral costs are borne by more than one person or by an entity, e.g. an employer, a social welfare home, a commune, a district or a Church or religious association.

From January 1, 2026, new social assistance benefits will also come into force, unrelated to the income criterion, for example when you are not entitled to a funeral allowance or when there are additional costs related to, among others, with bringing the body from abroad.

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