ZUS Pension Rule Proposal: 120,000 PLN Account Balance Required Before Minimum Pension Top-Up

In brief

• A members' bill in the Sejm would require at least 120,000 PLN on a ZUS account before the minimum pension is topped up.
• Critics say long low-paid and interrupted careers would be hit hardest.
• A separate petition seeks a minimum pension of 4,455 PLN gross.
• The bill is at an early stage and has not been passed.

What the bill proposes

A members' bill submitted to the Sejm would change how the minimum pension works. Under the draft, length of employment alone would no longer be enough for ZUS to lift a pension to the minimum level, currently 1,978.49 PLN gross (Konto w ZUS na co najmniej 120 tys. zł. Nowy warunek wypłaty emerytury? Posłowie chcę zmian - Infor.pl – infor.pl). The insured person would also need a sum of at least 120,000 PLN on their individual account, a figure tied to the minimum wage.

Who would be affected

The authors say the tightening is aimed at curbing the cost of minimum-pension top-ups for the budget. People with long but low-paid careers, and those with interrupted employment, would be the most exposed, since they are the group least likely to accumulate such a balance.

A competing proposal

A separate petition lodged with the Sejm goes the other way. It calls for the minimum pension to rise to 4,455 PLN gross, phased in over time and linked to the minimum wage (Minimalna emerytura 4455 zł? Propozycja wielkich podwyżek dla seniorów jest w Sejmie – fakt.pl).

Other changes under discussion

The debate comes as the government prepares its own adjustments. A draft amendment to the social employment act would open Social Integration Clubs to pensioners, a change the cabinet links to population ageing and affecting around 840,000 people (Zmiany dla emerytów w 2026 r. Seniorzy będą mogli korzystać z Klubów Integracji Społecznej – GazetaPrawna.pl). A former minister has also proposed directing the 13th pension, set at 1,978.49 PLN gross in 2026, mainly to the lowest pensions (Kobiety będą pracować do 65. roku życia? Minister chce zmian – TuLodz.pl).

What happens next

The bill is at an early stage and has not been passed. Deputies have yet to set a timetable for debate, and the government has not yet taken a position on the 120,000 PLN condition. Any change would apply only after the law is adopted and enters into force.

Read also

• Konfederacja's "15th Pension" Bill: How Much More Working Seniors Could Keep