Benefits after employment contract termination

Voluntary insurance in Social Insurance Company (Polish ZUS) and National Health Service (Polish NFZ) after losing a job.

A person who has lost their jobs, may voluntarily join the health insurance, as well as continue the payment of retirement pension insurance premiums. The application should be submitted to ZUS within 30 days from the date of employment contract termination.

Sickness payment after losing a job

The employee may receive sickness payment not only when he is employed but also when his contract is terminated, provided that the inability to work due to illness occurred in the time when the employee was insured and continued without interruption after the insurance has been terminated, or occurred at a specified time after the insurance termination and lasted at least 30 days.

Maternity benefit from ZUS

To that benefit are entitled women who gave birth to a child when being employed and then the fixed-term employment contract has been terminated. The benefit may also receive a woman, when an employment contract is terminated since the bankruptcy or liquidation of the workplace.

Applying for the maternity benefit, you must submit the following documents:

• a medical certificate that confirms the pregnancy when being in employment,
• abridged copy of birth certificate of your child,
• employment certificate or other evidence of the employment contract termination due to bankruptcy or liquidation of the workplace or
• final court decision about the contract termination due to violation of the provisions,
• ZUS certificate-Z3.

A pension for work incapacity

People dismissed from work that certifying physician from ZUS finds unable to work may apply for a pension for work incapacity from ZUS. In this case what counts is so called “insurance seniority” (contributory and non-contributory period):

• year - if incapacity for work occurred before the person turns 20,
• two years - if incapacity for work occurred between the ages  20 and 22 years,
• three years - if incapacity for work occurred between the ages  22 and 25 years,
• four years - if incapacity for work occurred between the ages  25 and 30 years,
• five years - if incapacity for work occurred after the age of 30. 

Pre-retirement benefit

The benefit may be granted to individuals who are at the pre-retirement age, provided that they meet the conditions specified in the Act. The benefit is aimed at people who since the age cannot find a job, to help them last out to the pension.

Pre-retirement benefit is granted to a person who:

• until the date of termination of the employment contract or service relationship due to the liquidation of a workplace or the insolvency of an employer, worked or stayed in the relationship of subordination with the employer for a period of time not shorter than 6 months and are over 56 years old (female) and 61 years (male), and their seniority is of at least 20 years for women and 25 years for men,
• until the date of termination of the employment contract or service relationship due to the employer’s fault, worked for a period of time not shorter than 6 months and are over 55 years old (female) and 60 years (male), and their seniority is of at least 30 years for women and 35 years for men,
• until the date of declaration of bankruptcy ran continuously for a period of time not shorter than 24 months a non-agricultural activities, and for this period had been paying social insurance premiums, and until the date of declaration of bankruptcy is at least 56 years (women) and 61 years (male) and their seniority is of at least 20 years for women and 25 years for men;
• registered with the district labour office competent for their registered address within 30 working days since the date of cessation of the right to the pension for work incapacity that was collected continuously over a period of at least 5 years, and until the date on which the entitlement to the pension ceased, is at least 55 (female) and 60 (male) years old and reached the period entitling to a pension of at least 20 years for women and 25 years for men;
• until the date of termination of the employment contract due to the employer’s fault, worked for him for a period of time not shorter than 6 months, and his seniority is of at least 35 years for women and 40 years for men,
• until the 31st of December of the year preceding the termination of the employment contract or service relationship due to the liquidation of the workplace or the insolvency of the employer, worked or stayed in the relationship of subordination with that employer for a period of time not shorter than 6 months and their seniority is of at least 34 years for women and 39 years for men.

Retirement benefit is granted to a person who satisfies the conditions mentioned above and has been receiving an unemployment benefit for the period of at least 6 months, and if they jointly meet the following conditions:

• are still registered as unemployed,
• in the period of receiving the unemployment benefit, they did not refused without a justifiable reason to accept a proposal of suitable employment or any other paid work, or employment in the intervention works or public works,
• submit the application for the pre-retirement benefit within the period of 30 days since the day a document certifying the 6-month-period of receiving the unemployment benefit has been issued by the district labour office.

Since March the 1st, 2019 pre-retirement benefit amounts to 1210,99 PLN gross.

Unemployment benefit

You will be eligible for the benefit when you register as an unemployed person with the district labour office competent for your temporary or permanent address and there are no proposals of appropriate job, training, trial period, vocational training at the workplace, intervention works or public works for you, and when you fulfill all the necessary requirements. If you meet all the requirements specified in the Act on Employment Promotion and Labour Market Institutions, you may be granted the right to the allowance for a period of 6 or 12 months in the amount of:

• reduced benefit 80% - 960.00 PLN gross (the first three months),  753.80 PLN gross (the remaining ones) with the seniority shorter than five years,
• basic benefit 100% - 1200.00 PLN gross (the first three months),  942.30 PLN gross (the remaining ones) with the seniority from 5 to 20 years,
• increased benefit 120% - 1440.00 PLN gross (the first three months), 1130.80 PLN gross (the remaining ones) with the seniority of at least 20 years.

remember!

If you happen to lose your job, first of all, find out whether and what benefits you are entitled to!