In July, the first payments were already sent to thousands of Poles. Look out for the postman

• KRUS has received over 130,000 applications for widows' pension, of which over 100,000 have already been considered
• The benefit is available to widows and widowers who meet certain conditions, with the possibility of choosing between a full own benefit or a combination with a survivor's pension, which from 2027 will increase to 25% of the chosen benefit
• Nearly 37 thousand applications concern people entitled to benefits from more than one pension institution (e.g. KRUS and ZUS), which requires the division of payments between institutions
• KRUS began accepting applications in January and, despite the challenges associated with the large number of applications and coordination with other institutions, 76% of applications for widows' pensions and 95% for survivors' pensions had been processed by the end of June.

As reported in the announcement, a total of over 130.4 thousand applications for widow's pension were submitted. The largest number was in: Warsaw (21.6 thousand), Lublin (17.3 thousand) and Poznań (13.2 thousand), and the smallest in Opole (2.4 thousand), Koszalin (2.6 thousand) and Częstochowa (3 thousand). Over 100 thousand applications were considered; transfers are sent via Poczta Polska or to bank accounts.

The widow's pension, awarded by KRUS, should reach the beneficiary no later than July 7 , but it can happen a few days earlier. As reported, several KRUS branches started sending the benefit on Wednesday and Thursday.

- The final date of receiving the money depends on the post office or bank. In each case - the final date is Monday, July 7. The remaining eligible persons, whose applications are still being considered or will only be received this month - the money will reach them at the end of July - informed KRUS.

KRUS reminded that authorized persons can choose a full survivor's pension and 15% of their own retirement or disability pension or a full own benefit and 15% of the survivor's pension. It also added that from 2027 the widow's pension will increase to 25% of the selected benefit.

Of all applications received by KRUS, over 37,000 are from people entitled to benefits from at least two different pension bodies.

- This means that at least one of the benefits included in the widow's allowance is granted by a pension body other than KRUS, i.e. ZUS, ZER MSWiA, BESW or WBE - it was explained.

Within the so-called widow's pension, each body will pay the benefit granted by itself. For example, a widow deciding to pay a family pension together with an agricultural pension in the variant of 100% of the agricultural pension and 15% of the family pension will receive a family pension from ZUS and a retirement pension from KRUS.

KRUS began accepting applications for widow’s pension in January this year, simultaneously conducting an information campaign.

- The biggest challenge turned out to be ensuring appropriate data exchange and efficient communication with other pension authorities, which required significant organizational involvement - assessed KRUS.

He added that the number of applications for widows’ and survivors’ pensions, which totalled over 251,000, was also a major challenge.

- At the end of June, as many as 76 percent of applications for widow's pension had been considered, and in the case of survivor's pension - 95 percent - had been transferred.

KRUS explained that widows' pension is granted to widows and widowers if they meet the conditions. These include being at least 60 years old for women and 65 for men, and remaining in a marital community until the death of the spouse.

- You also cannot be in a new marriage . The right to receive benefits in the event of a conflict ceases on the day preceding the day on which the entitled person enters into a new marriage - he emphasized.

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