According to the latest ZUS data in December 2025, the highest pension in Poland was PLN 51.4 thousand. PLN gross. It is collected by a man whose seniority is 67 years. In turn, the lowest amount of the pension benefit is shocking – it is only 2 groszy. Two people in Poland are entitled to this absurd amount from ZUS. One of them is a woman who has only worked one day, the other is a man whose work experience is one month. According to ZUS in information for PAP, the number of penny pensions in Poland is growing.
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ZUS: the number of “penny” pensions in Poland is growing
Data provided by ZUS show that the number of the so-called penny pensions have increased since 2011 from 23.9 thousand. up to 433.1 thousand in 2024. 15 years ago they constituted 4.2 percent. total new system pensions, while in 2024 it was 9.9 percent.
In March, as every year, retirees and pensioners will have their benefits indexed. The state budget earmarked approximately PLN 22 billion for this year's indexation of pensions and pensions. The indexation mechanism consists in multiplying the amount of the benefit and the basis for its assessment by the indexation index. It is the average annual price index of consumer goods and services in the previous calendar year, increased by at least 20%. real increase in average salary in the previous year.
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In June 2025, the government proposed to increase pensions and annuities by at least 4.9%. Under this assumption, the lowest pension would increase by PLN 92.07 from March 1, 2026, i.e. from PLN 1,878.91 to PLN 1,970.98. However, the final index of this year's indexation will be known only after the president of the Central Statistical Office provides the real values of inflation as well as the increase in wages in the previous year. We can expect such data from the Central Statistical Office at the beginning of February.
From March 1, 2025, the lowest pension, pension for total incapacity for work, survivors' pension and social pension is PLN 1,878.91. In turn, the lowest pension for partial incapacity for work is PLN 1,409.18. The retirement age in Poland is 60 for women and 65 for men.
