Additional care allowance until May 23, 2021

Additional care allowance until May 23, 2021 – who is entitled to it?

Due to the epidemic situation and the closure of nurseries, kindergartens and care facilities, the Council of Ministers decided to extend the right to an additional care allowance until May 23, 2021 in a situation when it will not be possible to provide any care for children or adults with disabilities.

1. Care for children up to 8 years of age:

Parents of children who are up to 8 years of age are entitled to an additional care allowance in the event of the parent providing personal care of the child in the following situations:

closures of a nursery, children’s club, kindergarten, school or any other institution attended by the child caused by COVID-19,
the inability to provide any care by the day carer due to COVID-19,
opening the stated facilities when they cannot provide any care due to their limited operation during the COVID-19 epidemic (e.g. due to the school operating in a hybrid system), or
lack of possibility to be looked after by a nanny.

2. Taking care of children with disabilities:

Additional care allowance caused by the closure of a nursery, children’s club, kindergarten, school or any other institution attended by the child, as well as in the event of opening them, when these institutions cannot provide any care, or when the nanny or day caregiver are unable to provide care due to COVID-19 is granted to the insured parents of children aged:

up to 16 years of age with a certificate of disability,
up to 18 years of age with a certificate of severe or moderate degree of disability,
up to 24 years of age with a certificate of special needs education.

The said allowance also applies to parents or guardians of adult disabled people who are released from work as a result of the necessity to provide care for such a person in the event of the closure of a facility attended by an adult disabled person due to COVID-19, i.e. a school, rehabilitation and education centres, support centre, an occupational therapy workshop or any other day care facility of a similar form. Additional care allowance for caring for disabled adults is also applicable when the facility is open, but it cannot provide any care, e.g. due to the limitation in the number of people under their care.

3. When is there no entitlement to additional care allowance?

It should be noted that the rules and regulations for entitlement to additional care allowance have not changed. The said allowance is not applicable in the event of the other parent of the child being able to provide care for the given child (e.g. is unemployed, takes parental leave). It is also not applicable in the event of the school being able to provide care for the child and the parent using it.

4. Additional care allowance – how to receive it?

In order to receive additional care allowance, you have to submit a declaration regarding taking care of the child to your contribution payer (e.g. employer, client). The said declaration is simultaneously an application for additional care allowance. Individuals who own a non-agricultural business have to submit such declaration to ZUS.

IMPORTANT! Without a ZUS declaration, the contribution payer will not allocate the allowance.

The said additional allowance is not included in the limit of 60 days of care allowance in a calendar year allocated on the so-called general rules.

Source:
https://www.zus.pl/o-zus/aktualnosci/-/publisher/aktualnosc/1/dodatkowy-zasilek-opiekunczy-do-24-grudnia-i-od-28-grudnia-2020-r_-do-25-kwietnia-2021-r_/3933776