Poland plans to change the rules for receiving social assistance for Ukrainians with UKR status. Now, one of the conditions for receiving 800+ assistance may be confirmation of professional activity. The new requirements will affect tens of thousands of people and will be automatically verified through state registers. Find out who must confirm their professional activity and under what conditions payments may be suspended
Get advice from a lawyer on employment abroad
Poland is preparing changes to the rules for providing social assistance to Ukrainian citizens with UKR status. This primarily concerns the payment of family assistance 800+, which may be linked to mandatory confirmation of professional activity.
This reform is part of a broader policy by the Polish government to update the social support system for foreigners who legally reside and work in the country.
Who will be affected by the changes
According to preliminary estimates, the new requirements may affect about 150,000 Ukrainian citizens residing in Poland with temporary protection status.
Some recipients of assistance will have to reapply and confirm that they meet the updated conditions. One of the key requirements will be professional activity.
How professional activity will be verified
The Polish Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) plans to verify compliance with the new rules automatically.
Eligibility for assistance will depend on whether the applicant was professionally active in the month preceding the application. In most cases, no additional documents will be required, as the verification will be based on data from state insurance registers.
Professional activity is understood to mean not only official work. It can include various forms of employment, including work under an employment contract, a contract of mandate or running your own business. Cases of receiving a scholarship, unemployment benefit or participation in vocational training and retraining programmes are also taken into account.
Minimum level of insurance contributions
For some categories of recipients, a minimum level of insurance contributions has been set. Depending on the group, it can be 30% or 50% of the minimum wage.
In this way, state authorities will be able to confirm that a person is actually participating in the economic life of the country.
Don’t want to miss important updates and useful articles? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter!
What information remains mandatory
As before, when submitting an application, it is necessary to indicate the PESEL number of the applicant and the child, confirm legal residence in Poland and provide information about crossing the border.
It is also important that the child attends a Polish educational institution or undergoes compulsory pre-school education. At the same time, both the child and the applicant must actually reside in Poland.
When payments may be suspended
Payments may be suspended if there are doubts about the family’s residence in Poland, compliance with the requirements of professional activity or the child’s education.
These conditions will be checked regularly, and in the future, this procedure may become standard for the social benefits system.
What will change for other foreigners
It is planned that from 1 June 2026, similar requirements will apply to other foreigners from countries outside the EU and EFTA who are legally employed in Poland.
However, the new rules will not apply to Polish citizens, as well as citizens of the European Union and the European Free Trade Association.
In this situation, more and more Ukrainians are seeking professional legal support. In particular, employment lawyers at Visit Ukraine help to understand what kind of permit is needed in a specific case, how to properly complete the documents, and how to avoid the risk of losing legal status.
Reminder! In Poland, the special law for Ukrainian refugees has expired, but the temporary protection regime continues to apply. Find out what rules of stay, residence and social assistance will apply to Ukrainians after 5 March 2026.
Want to know more? Read the latest news and useful materials about Ukraine and the world in the News section.
Our recommendation for a safe and comfortable trip:
Visit Ukraine Insurance – insurance for a safe stay abroad without unnecessary expenses;
Green Card – compulsory car insurance for traveling abroad;
Visit Ukraine Tickets – book tickets for buses, trains, and airplanes to/from Ukraine and between cities around the world;
Private Lawyer service – professional legal support on visa and migration issues;
Visit Ukraine Merch – buy patriotic clothing and accessories with worldwide delivery.
© 2018-2026, Visit Ukraine. Use, copying or reprinting of materials on this site is permitted only with a link (hyperlink for online publications) to Visit Ukraine.
All rights reserved.