Polish Pension for Ukrainians: What You Need to Know and How to Apply

If you are Ukrainian and work in Poland, you may be entitled to a Polish pension. How can Ukrainian citizens apply for one? Does everyone qualify for pension benefits? Let's look at these questions in more detail.

Who Can Receive a Pension in Poland?

In 2012, Poland and Ukraine signed a social security agreement. Under this agreement, Ukrainian citizens can receive at least the minimum pension in Poland under certain conditions.

Can you apply for a pension? You must meet all of the following requirements.

• your last place of employment was in Poland, and you were employed officially;
• you worked under an employment contract (umowa o pracę) or a civil law contract (umowa zlecenie);
• you have reached retirement age in Poland, meaning you are at least 60 years old (for women) or 65 years old (for men);
• you have the minimum required work record: 20 years for women and 25 years for men;
• your total work record includes the combined years of employment in Poland and Ukraine (in this case, there is no requirement for a minimum period worked separately in each country).
• you permanently reside in Poland.

If all of the above applies to you, you have the same pension rights as Polish citizens.

It is worth noting that the minimum pension in Poland this year amounts to PLN 1,445.48 per month (approximately UAH 12,400). The minimum pension in Ukraine is UAH 2,500 per month (less than PLN 300 at the official exchange rate as of March 2023).

How the Pension Is Calculated

Let's look at a practical example of how the pension is calculated.

You are a Ukrainian citizen but permanently reside in Poland. In Ukraine, you worked officially (i.e., you have a confirmed work record) for 23.5 years. You then found a job in Poland, relocated, and worked there for 1.5 years.

When you turn 65, you can apply for a pension from the Polish Social Insurance Institution (ZUS).

An important note — work periods in the two countries must not overlap. That is, if you worked in both countries at the same time, the service record for that period is not doubled.

What if the total work record is 24.5 years (work in Ukraine) and 6 months (work in Poland)? Yes, you can still receive a Polish pension.

Let's imagine another scenario. You live in Poland and receive a Ukrainian pension (for your work record in Ukraine) — amounting to, say, PLN 200 when converted. From the Polish ZUS, you would receive an additional PLN 100 for your years of work in Poland. ZUS will top up the remaining PLN 1,145 to ensure that, on top of these work-record-based payments, you receive the minimum age-based pension.

In general, the payments may be higher — the size of your Polish pension depends on the level of salary you earned while working in Poland and the contributions paid into ZUS.

How to Apply for a Pension in Poland

Are you planning to apply for a pension in Poland?

Here is the step-by-step process.

1. Visit your local ZUS office. Bring original documents:

• passport,
• PESEL number,
• residence card (Karta pobytu),
• tax identification number,
• documents confirming your work record (employment record book, certificates, diploma, military service book).

For future payments, you will need to provide the details of a bank account in Poland. Please note — this must be a personal account for payments in foreign currency.

1. ZUS staff will complete and certify the forms and copies of your documents.
2. The completed package is sent to the Pension Fund of Ukraine.

If the decision to grant the pension is positive, you will begin receiving pension payments. They will be paid quarterly into your account in euros at the official exchange rate of the National Bank of Ukraine.

We publish articles on relevant topics — about changes for Ukrainian refugees in 2023, about PIT, and the Diia app in Poland.

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