Almost PLN 178 billion has been allocated to Poles since the launch of the Family 500+ program. “The program has undergone a metamorphosis over the past six years, but its foundation is the same from the beginning. This is an investment in the family”, informs the Ministry of Family and Social Policy. 

“The 500+ family started in April 2016. This is the flagship program of the United Right government. Support for families with children ceased to be considered social assistance and began to be treated as an investment in the family. From the moment of launching the program until the end of January, this year PLN 177.9 billion has already been allocated to Polish families. Over 6.5 million children have received the support”. 

“Instead of repeating that there is and there will be no money, which our predecessors did, we have proved that spending on pro-family policy is possible. Instead of stigmatizing families that have many children, who benefited from state aid, we showed that support can be universal and should be treated as an investment in a family that pays off for everyone – the state, local governments, and of course the families themselves”, says the Minister of Family and Social Policy, Marlena Maląg. 

At the beginning of the program, the child benefit was paid for the second and subsequent children. Support was also available for the first child as the oldest or only child under 18, but after meeting the income criterion. 

Since July 1, 2019, the income criterion was obsolete and all parents can take advantage of the benefit. The procedures have also been simplified: granting the benefit does not require issuing and delivering an administrative decision. 

Currently, applications are being submitted for the new benefit period. They can be delivered electronically – via the Empatia portal, through electronic banking or the PUE ZUS portal. The allowance is granted for each child, regardless of the family income or the number of children in the family. 

Arkadiusz Słomczyński