[Poland] The solidarity allowance – who will it cover?

The solidarity allowance is a new form of assistance for employees who have lost their jobs after 15 March 2020. Who will be entitled to receive PLN 1,400 for 3 months?

The Sejm adopted a bill on the so-called solidarity allowance for employees who lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic. The benefit will amount to PLN 1,400 per month and will be available in the period from 1 June to 31 August 2020 to employees with an employment contract.

Solidarity allowance – key information:

• The amount of the benefit: PLN 1,400 gross per month
• Period during which the benefit will be granted: 1 June to 31 August 2020
• The benefit will not be subject to income tax
• The money will be transferred by ZUS to the authorized persons’ bank account within 7 days from the moment when the person submitting the application provides all the necessary information

Who can receive the solidarity allowance?

The benefit will be granted to persons who were employed under an employment contract and who lost their jobs after 15 March 2020 as a result of:

• Termination of the employment contract
• Expiry of the contract at the end of the period for which it was concluded

The condition for receiving the aid is that the employee had been covered by social insurance for at least 90 days in 2020.

Solidarity allowance and unemployment allowance

The benefit will also cover persons receiving an unemployment allowance but during the period of the solidarity allowance, payment of unemployment allowance will be suspended. Persons receiving unemployment allowance who will be granted the solidarity allowance will be obliged to inform the competent employment office about that fact.

The project has now been referred to the Senate for further work.

Learn more: Business post-COVID-19 – invitation to complete the survey

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