In a significant move, the Polish government has given the green light to proposed legislation that aims to raise the 500 Plus benefit scheme. Starting from January 2024, the monthly allowance per child will be increased from PLN 500 to PLN 800 (EUR 180).
The announcement regarding this increase was made by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS), back in late May. However, Kaczynski cited concerns about potential inflation and its impact on the economy, stating that the raise couldn’t be implemented before the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for this autumn.
During a press conference held after the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki addressed these concerns. He emphasized that despite inflation reaching over 18 percent in February, the financial resources of the 500 Plus program remained intact.
Morawiecki further explained that the government’s ability to raise the benefit to PLN 800 was made possible through tighter tax regulations. The revised child benefit program is expected to incur a cost of approximately PLN 24 billion (EUR 5.42 billion) to Poland’s budget.
The landmark Family 500 Plus child benefit initiative was introduced by the PiS party in April 2019. This program provides a monthly allowance of PLN 500 (EUR 113) per child for all families with children under 18, irrespective of the parents’ income. The forthcoming enhancement of the child benefit to PLN 800 is estimated to benefit around 7 million children, according to Marlena Malag, the Minister of Family and Social Policy.