Reimbursement of the cost of providing equipment for a work-stand of a disabled person

Who the employer may receive the refund for?

Reimbursement of the cost of providing equipment for a work-stand of a disabled person is granted for a disabled person registered with the district labour office as an unemployed or seeking employment being not employed.

You may apply for the refund if you:

• as the employer conclude an agreement with the district governor in which you define the conditions and amount of reimbursement,
• bear the costs of adapting the workplace,
• receive a positive opinion issued on the request of the district governor by the National  Labour Inspectorate (Polish: Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy –PIP) stating that you have adjusted equipped workstations to the needs of a disabled person employed on this position, or that the conditions of health and safety at the workplace are met,
• state that for the period of at least 36 months you will keep the employment of a disabled person that the equipment was provided for.

What is the maximum amount of support?

If you meet the above conditions, you may apply for the reimbursement in the amount of up to 15 times the average remuneration for work for each workstation that the equipment has been provided.

What should be done to receive the refund?

If you wish to receive the refund, you should submit an application to the district governor. The specimen of the application is defined in the Regulation of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy on reimbursement of the cost of providing equipment for a work-stand of a disabled person. (DzU of 2007 No 194, item 1404 as amended).

You will not receive the reimbursement if you:

• employ a disabled person on a equipped position for the period of time shorter than 36 months, and then within three months do not employ for that position another person with disabilities who is registered with the district labour office as an unemployed or seeking employment being not employed,
• do not receive a positive opinion from the National  Labour Inspectorate concerning the adaptation of the workplace to the needs of the disabled person or that the conditions of health and safety at the workplace were not met.

useful information:

The documented costs of purchasing the equipment in order to provide the workplace of a disabled person with goods facilitating his/her work.

Costs incurred prior to conclusion of an agreement with the district governor are not reimbursable.

The employer who has taken advantage of the refund is required to keep all the records that will allow to verify whether the aid was granted in compliance with the provisions of the Regulation, for the period of 10 years from the date the aid was granted.

If the period of employment of a disabled person is shorter than 36 months, the employer shall, through the district governor means, pay back to the Labour Fund an amount equal to 1/36 of the total amount of granted reimbursement for each month missing until the expiry of the period of 36 months, but in the amount not less than 1/6 of the granted reimbursement. The employer shall return the amount within three months from the date of termination of the employment contract with the disabled person.

The employer does not return the refund when employing another disabled person who is registered with the district labour office as an unemployed or seeking employment being not employed within three months from the date of employment contract termination with the former disabled employee. However, the break resulting from this unemployment period is not included to the required 36-month-period of employment.

Legal basis

Act of 27 August 1997 on Vocational and Social Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities,

Regulation of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of 11 March 2011 on the reimbursement of workplace equipment of the disabled person

Development: Editorial team of Zielona Linia