emerytury

Emerytury are retirement benefits provided under Poland’s social insurance system. They serve as income during old age and also include payments for disability and for survivors after a worker’s death. The term is typically used to describe old‑age pensions, but the broader category covers several related types of benefits delivered to insured individuals or their beneficiaries.

The main forms of emerytury include old‑age pensions, disability pensions (renta z tytułu niezdolności do pracy), and family or survivor pensions (renta rodzinna) linked to a deceased insured person. Eligibility depends on a combination of age, length of contribution, and, for disability or survivor benefits, medical or familial criteria. In practice, a claimant must meet statutory retirement age or disability conditions and have accumulated a required period of insured contributions.

The public system is organized primarily around a pay‑as‑you‑go mechanism administered by the Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych (ZUS), with farmers covered by KRUS. Employers and employees finance emerytury through social security contributions, with benefits typically adjusted annually for price and wage developments. Poland has also operated additional pension channels, historically including a funded second pillar via open pension funds (OFEs) and a voluntary third pillar of private pensions; reforms in recent years reduced or altered the second pillar, positioning most long‑term saving for retirement within the first pillar or via private plans.

Indexation and policy changes affect benefit levels and eligibility. Emerytury are designed to provide a secure income for individuals who have contributed to the system during their working life, and they form a core element of Poland’s social protection framework.