PLN 4,542 for home appliances. Without a ruling: PLN 2,272

• The right to the supplement is granted to persons who have spent at least one or three years in foster care, depending on the form of care.
• The funds from the allowance can be used for purposes such as materials for renovation and furnishing the apartment, necessary household appliances, educational aids or equipment for taking up employment.
• The key condition for obtaining support is to submit an application and have an approved Individual Independence Programme.
• The right to the benefit does not expire if the application is submitted before the age of 26, even if the decision is made later

People becoming independent, leaving the foster care system in Poland, may apply for a settlement allowance in 2025, which is regulated by the Act on supporting the family and the foster care system and the announcement of the Minister of Family, Labor and Social Policy. This allowance is a one-time benefit. Its amount varies depending on the status of the beneficiary: people with a certificate of moderate or significant degree of disability may receive an amount not lower than PLN 4,542, while people without a certificate of disability - not lower than PLN 2,272. It should be remembered that the amounts given are minimum amounts, and county councils may increase them, taking into account the financial possibilities of the county and the individual situation of the person. Assistance is due no later than until the person becoming independent reaches the age of 26.

The right to this assistance is granted to persons who have been in foster care for a specified period of time: at least 3 years in the case of leaving a related foster family, or at least one year if they left a non-professional or professional foster family, a family children's home, a care and education facility or a regional care and therapy facility. The funds from the development allowance can be used for various purposes, such as materials for renovation and furnishing of the apartment, necessary household appliances, educational aids, rehabilitation equipment or equipment for taking up employment.

The main condition for granting assistance is to submit an application and have an approved Individual Independence Program. The IPU is a document developed jointly by the person becoming independent and their independence guardian at least one month before reaching the age of majority, and then approved by the head of the district family assistance center. This program specifies in detail the scope of cooperation with the guardian and the method of obtaining education, professional qualifications, appropriate housing conditions and employment. The independence guardian may be, among others, a person creating a foster family, a foster care coordinator, a social worker, a care facility educator or another person indicated by the beneficiary and approved by the head of the PCPR.

In practice, there are situations in which a person becoming independent turns 26 after submitting an application for assistance, but before a decision is issued. The position of the Local Government Appeal Board in Wrocław emphasized that a citizen cannot suffer negative consequences resulting from the duration of the administrative procedure. This means that the mere fact of exceeding the age of 26 during the consideration of an application submitted before this date cannot automatically result in a refusal to grant the benefit - this is in accordance with the principles of a democratic state of law and social justice.

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