ZUS will subsidize electricity bills. Under certain conditions

Monthly electricity or gas bills are often a heavy burden on seniors' budgets. However, some of them can count on a special solution. This is a flat-rate energy allowance. This form of support is independent of income and can be inherited. In addition, the benefit is indexed every year. How much is it currently and who can receive it?

The Social Insurance Institution pays a monthly energy lump sum, along with pensions, to people who meet strictly defined criteria. In theory, this is an amount that alleviates the burden of energy costs. This year, the amount of aid exceeded PLN 300 and amounts to exactly PLN 312.71 net.

The solution is not new. It operates in accordance with the Act of 1991. It is available to:

• veterans, persons whose activities are considered equivalent to those of veterans and victims of war and post-war repression,
• soldiers of alternative military service who are compulsorily employed, among others, in mines, quarries and in the extraction of uranium ore,
• widows or widowers of persons entitled to this form of support (the inheritor must be a pensioner or retiree).

To obtain an energy allowance, you must submit the appropriate documents. One of them is a special application . The form is available on the ZUS website or at the institution's branches. The document must provide personal data, bank account number, information on benefits received and any professional activity.

It is also necessary to attach a response from the head of the Office for War Veterans and Repressed Persons, confirming the veteran's activity or the status of a repressed person. In the case of widows and widowers, it is required to present a decision confirming the entitlement to the benefit as a family member. Forced soldiers should present a document issued by the Military Drafting Office, and their widows - a certificate from the appropriate military authority.

The Social Insurance Institution reminds that the application can be submitted at any time. "Important! When more than one benefit from ZUS is received, one energy lump sum is due" - it is emphasized on the institution's website.

It is worth noting that the amount of payments is subject to annual indexation. Every year in February, the head of UdSKiOR announces a new applicable rate. The current amount - PLN 312.71 - means an increase of less than PLN 13 (in 2024 it was PLN 299.82). Compared to previous increases, such as an increase of over PLN 60 in 2023, this time the change is not significant.

The energy lump sum is just one of the forms of support available to combat veterans and people injured during and after the war. Others include:

• veteran's allowance (348.22 PLN)
• compensatory allowance (52.23 PLN)
• allowance for secret teaching (348.22 PLN)
• cash benefit for anti-communist opposition activists, people repressed for political reasons (PLN 1,878.91)