Exactly 10 years ago, the Family 500+ programme was launched. “Its introduction was one of our main program commitments during the 2015 election campaign. After Law and Justice (PiS) came to power, we fulfilled our promise – just like many others,” emphasized Beata Szydło, former prime minister. The politician recalled that the project “faced fierce opposition from Tusk’s party.”
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the introduction of the “Family 500+” programme, which has become one of the key elements of social and pro-family policy in Poland. Beata Szydło published a post online in which she referred to the anniversary.
The politician pointed out that “the introduction of a programme supporting Polish families was one of our main program commitments during the 2015 election campaign.”
“After Law and Justice (PiS) took power, we fulfilled our promise – just like many others. The creation and implementation of the ‘Family 500+’ program took only a few months – primarily thanks to the extraordinary work of Minister Elżbieta Rafalska and her team from the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy. It is also worth remembering the great role of the then Minister of Finance Paweł Szałamacha, who enabled the program’s financing,” she stressed.
She also recalled that “at that time, the ‘Family 500+’ project faced fierce opposition from Donald Tusk’s party, and even on the right there were people skeptical about this solution.” She noted that “after 10 years, the opponents are no longer visible – everyone supports it, because they have seen how much this program has given to Poles.”
On April 1, 2016, applications for the #Family500Plus program began, and from June 1, 2016 – payments were issued (with back payments from April). Initially, families received money for the second and each subsequent child, and from 2019 – for all children. In 2023, the Law and Justice (PiS) government proposed increasing the amount to 800 PLN per child. At that time, there were no longer any voices of opposition, and Donald Tusk’s government even began presenting it as its own idea.
“One can laugh at this, but it shows the journey Poland and Poles have gone through. And how significant the introduction of #Family500Plus in 2016 was,” Szydło stated.
The Law and Justice (PiS) MEP also cited statistics: “in January 2026, payments covered 6.68 million children, amounting to a total of 5.34 billion PLN per month – studies show that this money is spent very responsibly on children’s needs, and 25 percent of parents regularly save part of the funds for their children’s future.”
“If a family began receiving funds for a child in 2016, it means that to date (if the child is still a minor), they have already received a total of 68,000 PLN. In the case of large families, this amount is correspondingly higher,” she emphasized.
The former prime minister also addressed criticism of the program.
“Some commentators raise the issue of the lack of demographic effects of ‘Family 500 Plus.’ However, after 2016 there was – albeit small – an increase in the number of births. The collapse of Poland’s demographics in recent years was influenced by the pandemic and the sense of threat caused by the war in Ukraine. In the Czech Republic, which had relatively good demographic indicators in our region, a similar collapse occurred after 2022. These are difficult times. But we will manage. We must, however, find new responses to the needs of society. This was crucial in 2015 and remains crucial now,” she assessed.
10 Years Since the Introduction of “500+”
The “Family 500+” social program was launched on April 1, 2016. Initially, the benefit was granted for the second and each subsequent child, while for the first child it depended on an income threshold. In 2019, the rules were expanded – at that point, “500+” covered all children regardless of family income. In 2024, the benefit amount was increased to 800 PLN.