Widow's pension to rise from 1 January 2027 automatically, with no new application

The Social Insurance Institution (Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych, ZUS) has said in a statement that the widow's pension will be increased automatically. Eligible people will not have to submit a new application. The news was reported by the TVN24 website on 19 October 2026.

What will change

Until the end of 2026, the widow's pension is 100% of one benefit and 15% of the other. From 1 January 2027, the share of the second benefit is due to rise to 25%.

ZUS stresses that the increase will apply to people who already receive the widow's pension, as well as to those who are awarded it by the end of 2026. The key date is therefore 31 December 2026.

The cap still applies

A higher percentage of the second benefit does not mean the upper limit has been abolished. The total amount of benefits paid cannot exceed three times the lowest pension. According to ZUS, the cap is currently PLN 5,935.47 per month.

If the sum calculated under the new rules exceeds this ceiling, the payment will be reduced by the amount of the excess. In such cases the increase may therefore be smaller than the rise in the percentage alone would suggest, or may not occur at all.

Additional funds for KRUS

Last week, President Karol Nawrocki signed an amendment to the budget-related act. It provides additional funds for widow's pension payments made by the Agricultural Social Insurance Fund (Kasa Rolniczego Ubezpieczenia Społecznego, KRUS). The money is to come from so-called natural savings, that is, funds blocked under Article 177 of the Public Finance Act.

What the widow's pension is

The widow's pension has been in place since 1 January 2025. It is not a separate benefit, but a mechanism that allows people to combine their own retirement pension or disability pension with a survivor's pension from a deceased spouse. At present, an eligible person chooses one of two options: 100% of the survivor's pension and 15% of their own benefit, or 100% of their own benefit and 15% of the survivor's pension.

The conditions include reaching the general retirement age (60 for women and 65 for men) and having been in a marital community of property with the deceased spouse until the date of their death. It is worth checking the full list of requirements on the ZUS website.

What this means for Poles in the UK

The change concerns the Polish pension system, so it may be of interest to people from Poland who receive, or will apply for, a widow's pension from ZUS or KRUS. The statement does not make clear whether or how the rules differ for people living abroad, so if in doubt it is worth asking ZUS.