The Dobry Start benefit is a one-off PLN 300 for each child enrolled in school, paid out by ZUS once a year, regardless of family income. The application is submitted exclusively online between 1 July and 30 November. From the 2026/2027 school year, many non-EU foreigners must additionally show professional activity in Poland, so holding a karta pobytu alone is no longer enough.
Who is entitled to PLN 300
The condition is that the child attends school in the given school year. The benefit is available until the pupil reaches 20, and for a child with a disability — 24. It also covers pupils of post-secondary schools and adult schools.
The programme does not cover:
- children attending kindergarten,
- children in annual pre-school preparation, even when the "zerówka" (preschool year) is run at a school,
- university students.
The amount does not depend on parents' earnings and is fixed: PLN 300 per child. The only exception concerns alternating care ordered by the court. In that case each parent can file a separate application and receive half — PLN 150.
Who files the application
Usually one of the parents files. If parents do not live together, it is done by the one with whom the child actually lives on a day-to-day basis. The following are also entitled:
- a legal guardian appointed by the court,
- a factual guardian who has applied to the court to adopt the child,
- a foster family, a person running a family-type children's home or the director of a care and educational institution,
- from 1 July 2026, also a person to whom the court has entrusted so-called current custody of the child,
- an adult pupil who is not maintained by the parents because they are deceased or because the pupil has been awarded maintenance from them.
Persons providing foster care and persons becoming independent file applications only via PUE ZUS.
Deadlines and filing channels in 2026
ZUS accepts applications only electronically. There are four routes to choose from: the PUE/eZUS portal, the mZUS app, the Emp@tia portal and electronic banking. The money is paid only to the bank account indicated in the application; there is no cash payout.
| Month the application is filed | Latest payment date |
|---|---|
| July or August | by 30 September |
| September, October or November | within 2 months of filing |
| after 30 November | application for the given school year is late |
In the application you have to specify the school the child will attend from 1 September. If recruitment to the secondary school is still underway, it is not worth guessing. It is better to wait for the result and submit the application later, still before 30 November.
Application in five steps
- Log in to PUE ZUS (e.g. by profil zaufany or through your bank) or open the benefits module in your bank.
- Choose the Dobry Start application for the 2026/2027 school year.
- Enter your details and those of the child, including PESEL numbers, and the name and address of the school.
- Provide the bank account number for the payment and send the application.
- Track the case status and any requests to complete the application in PUE ZUS, even if the application was sent from the bank.
If you do not yet have a profil zaufany, see the guide how to set up a trusted profile.
Foreigners: new requirement from the 2026/2027 school year
By the Council of Ministers Regulation of 26 June 2026 (Journal of Laws 2026, item 866), the rules were changed for citizens of third countries (outside the EU, EFTA and the UK) and persons under temporary protection with the "UKR" status. For applications filed from 1 July 2026, in addition to legal residence and residing with children in Poland, they must demonstrate professional activity in Poland within the meaning of the Act on state support in raising children. The condition is met if, in the month preceding the application, the person engaged in one of the activities described in that Act or was subject to health insurance. This is the same construction used for the 800 plus benefit; details are described in the article on 800 plus for foreigners.
The professional activity requirement does not apply, among others, when the child is a Polish citizen or has a disability certificate, nor when the benefit is applied for by an adult pupil in their own name. Persons with the "UKR" status must additionally ensure that the child attends a school within the Polish education system.
Example. A Georgian citizen with a karta pobytu lives in Kraków with her son, a secondary school pupil. In September 2026 she files the application through her bank. In August she was employed under an employment contract (umowa o pracę) and registered for health insurance, so the condition is met and the PLN 300 should arrive no later than in November. If in August she had not been working and had no insurance, ZUS would refuse the payment despite her legal residence.
Tax, bailiff and other benefits
- The benefit is exempt from income tax and paid in the full amount.
- It is not subject to enforcement, so a bailiff cannot seize it.
- It is not counted into income when determining entitlement to other forms of support, e.g. social assistance benefits.
The most common mistakes
- Both parents applying without a court order on alternating care. There is only one benefit, so a second application will achieve nothing.
- Applying for a child in zerówka. It will be rejected.
- Missing the annual application. The right to the PLN 300 does not automatically carry over to the next school year.
- Lack of documents confirming work or insurance for a foreigner. It is worth having the contract and the ZUS registration confirmation for the month preceding the application at hand.
- Not tracking correspondence in PUE ZUS. A request to complete the application left unanswered ends in a refusal.
The full rules of the programme are published by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy: Dobry Start programme page, changes from 1 July 2026 and questions and answers.
How Good Balance can help
We help foreigners arrange their residence and work matters so that the family can benefit from support in Poland. As part of the service of residence legalisation with family we check whether you meet the professional activity condition, prepare the documents and advise on applications to ZUS. If you are only starting a business, we will also handle the JDG registration.