The way to a better retirement. A 40% raise.

• ZUS reminds that delaying retirement even by a few years can significantly increase the amount of the benefit
• Meanwhile, more and more Poles are retiring soon after reaching the age of eligibility for benefits, but many of them continue to work.
• Working retirees can recalculate their pension once a year by adding new contributions, and additional income is not subject to limits.

According to "Fakt," 70% of men and women retire at age 65 and 60. However, ZUS (Social Insurance Institution) reveals that there's a simple way to increase your benefit.

Delaying retirement will increase the amount of the benefit for both men and women – on average by:

• 12 percent - retiring a year later than required by law,
• 26 percent – retiring two years later than required by law,
• 41 percent – retiring three years later than required by law.

Seniors, however, often decide to do something else, i.e. retire after obtaining their entitlement and continue working in the same place.

This solution has many advantages. You can earn extra money on top of your pension at the statutory retirement age without any restrictions. Furthermore, once a year, you can request a pension recalculation and have the additional contributions added to your benefit, explains "Fakt."

The number of retirees who continue to work is growing year by year. According to ZUS data, this group has grown by a staggering 51.7 percent over the past nine years. At the end of 2015, 575,400 retirees were working in Poland, and by the end of 2024, this number had risen to 872,600.

40% ZUS increase reveals the way to a higher pension

Deputy Minister of Labor Sebastian Gajewski, asked by money.pl what changes to the pension system are planned in the ministry, replied that a major bill will soon be introduced, which he called the "ZUS omnibus."

"This bill consolidates a large number of changes to the Pension Act and other insurance regulations. It also includes a large number of minor but important changes for retirees, pensioners, policyholders, and contributors. Every month, I primarily see retirees during my public service – it's an opportunity to compile a list of legal solutions that could be improved," he emphasized.

He also gave an example of such a change. "A man divorced, his wife was ordered to pay alimony, remarried, and died. Both women are entitled to survivor's pensions in equal shares. One receives her share, the other does not because she has a high pension and is suspending her pension. For the former to receive a higher pension, the latter would have to exclude herself from the group of eligible persons. And we don't want to do that. We want to introduce a solution where if one suspends her share of the pension, she is automatically excluded from the group of eligible persons, and the former can receive the higher pension. It's a simple change that leaves no one behind and someone else in the loop," he explained.