Nursing Allowance, Nursing Supplement, and Care Allowance: Key Differences Explained

These three similarly named state benefits have distinct rules, granting authorities, and payment mechanisms that determine whether they can be combined or if they mutually exclude each other.

Understanding the Differences

Nursing allowance, nursing supplement, and care allowance sound similar and are often confused in practice. However, they are entirely different benefits distinguished by the basis for granting entitlements, the entity deciding on their award, and the institution paying out the funds. These benefits also maintain a specific correlation with one another, either mutually excluding or complementing each other. Let us organize the information.

Nursing Allowance for Those Unable to Live Independently

Nursing allowance is one of the family benefits granted to partially cover expenses resulting from the necessity of providing care to a person due to their inability to live independently. Therefore, it is financial support paid directly to the person in need.

Nursing allowance is granted to a disabled child, a disabled person over 16 years of age with a significant degree of disability, a disabled person over 16 years of age with a moderate degree of disability whose disability arose before the age of 21, and a person who has reached the age of 75.

Nursing allowance is not paid automatically, as submitting an appropriate application is required. The commune or city office, or a social welfare center designated by them (GOPS, MOPS), accepts, reviews, and pays the benefit.

The amount of the allowance is 215.84 PLN per month and is not dependent on meeting an income criterion.

Nursing Supplement for Seniors and the Incapacitated

The nursing supplement is one of the supplements to retirement and disability pensions, paid if a person has been granted the right to a pension and additionally is completely incapable of work and independent existence, or has reached the age of 75.

The nursing supplement is granted automatically to every senior who turns 75. However, if the supplement is to be paid due to inability to work and independent existence, submitting an application to ZUS is necessary. ZUS handles their receipt, review, and payment, linking the payment with the transfer or delivery of the due pension.

The decision on the inability to work and independent existence also belongs to entities subordinate to ZUS. ZUS certifying physicians, and in specific cases also individuals practicing an independent medical profession, issue rulings on this matter.

The amount of the nursing supplement is 366.68 PLN, and for war invalids 550.02 PLN. The benefit is also independent of meeting an income criterion.

Care Allowance as Support for Caregivers

The care allowance is a form of state family benefit from the group of care benefits granted to individuals providing care for disabled people under the age of 18. However, if this allowance was granted and its duration did not end before the family benefits reform of 2024, caregivers of disabled people over 18 years of age may also continue to receive the benefit on the basis of continued payouts.

The benefit can currently be collected by a mother or father, individuals burdened with an alimony obligation as well as spouses, actual caregivers of a child, a foster family, a person running a family children’s home, the director of a care and upbringing facility, the director of a regional care and therapeutic facility, and the director of an intervention pre-adoption center.

Importantly, granting the right to the benefit is no longer dependent on resigning from employment or other gainful work.

To receive the care allowance, submitting an application to the commune or city or appropriate local Social Welfare Centers that carry out tasks entrusted to them in connection with handling the benefit is necessary. These entities are also authorized to grant and pay out the care allowance.

The amount of the care allowance is 3,386 PLN and is not dependent on meeting an income criterion.

Combining Benefits and Regulations

Although the allowance, supplement, and care allowance are forms of support granted on different principles, they cannot always be combined. Nursing allowance is not granted to a person who is simultaneously entitled to the nursing supplement, meaning these benefits cannot be combined. However, it can be collected simultaneously with the care allowance because they concern two different entities that are only in a relationship of needing help versus helping.

In turn, the nursing supplement can be successfully combined with the care allowance. In practice, however, the same person does not receive them, but the person requiring support collects the nursing supplement while their caregiver collects the care allowance.

Comparison of Benefits

For whom? Nursing allowance is for the person in need, nursing supplement is for the person in need, and care allowance is for the caregiver.

Who pays? Commune or city (GOPS, MOPS) for nursing allowance and care allowance; ZUS for the nursing supplement.

Amounts: 215.84 PLN for nursing allowance; 366.68 PLN (and 550.02 PLN for war invalids) for nursing supplement; 3,386 PLN for care allowance.

Application required? Yes for all three, with the nursing supplement also being automatic for individuals who have reached 75 years of age.

Can they be combined? Nursing allowance and nursing supplement can only be combined with the care allowance, whereas the care allowance can be combined with both the nursing allowance and the nursing supplement.

Legal basis: Act of November 28 on family benefits (Journal of Laws 2003 No. 228 item 2255) and Act of December 17, 1998 on pensions from the Social Insurance Fund (Journal of Laws 1998 No. 162 item 1118).