On April 18, the long-awaited bill on benefits intended to support parents who must balance parenthood with professional activity was submitted to the Sejm. The bill introduces three different benefits, known as "Active Parents at Work," "Active in Nursery," and "Active at Home.".
1. "Active parents at work"
The first benefit will be available to professionally active parents whose child is not cared for in a nursery, children's club, kindergarten or by a day carer.
The benefit will be due from the first day of the month in which the child turns 12 months old until the last day of the month preceding the month in which the child turns 36 months old.
Moving on to the amounts, parents will generally be entitled to PLN 1,500 per month for their child. A higher amount – PLN 1,900 – will be available for children with a disability certificate and indications of the need for permanent or long-term care or assistance from another person due to a significantly limited ability to live independently and the need for the child's guardian to participate in the child's treatment, rehabilitation, and education.
2. "Active in the nursery"
The "Actively in the Nursery" benefit will be available to parents for a child who attends a nursery, children's club or is under the care of a day carer, but no longer than until the end of the school year in which the child turns 3 years old, or 4 years old if it is impossible or difficult to include the child in preschool education.
As with the "Active Parents at Work" benefit, the benefit will be paid in the amount of PLN 1,500 per month, unless the child has a disability certificate indicating the need for permanent or long-term care or assistance from another person due to a significantly limited ability to live independently and the need for the child's guardian to participate in the child's treatment, rehabilitation, and education – in which case the benefit will be paid in the amount of PLN 1,900 per month. An important caveat, however, is that the benefit cannot exceed the fee paid by the parents for their children's stay in a nursery, children's club, or with a daycare provider.
It's worth emphasizing that the benefit will not be available if the amount of the fee paid by parents for childcare facilities exceeds 120% of the average cost of a child's stay, defined as the average monthly expenses incurred by local government units to provide care for one child in such a facility. This is intended to prevent price increases for childcare facilities.
Additionally, it should be noted that the facility fee does not include food costs.
Importantly, this benefit will be transferred to the bank account of the entity running the nursery, children's club or employing a daycare provider.
3. "Active at home"
The last benefit – "Actively at Home" – will be available to the mother or father (or the child's actual guardian) from the first day of the month in which the child turns 12 months old until the last day of the month preceding the month in which the child turns 36 months old.
It will be paid in the amount of PLN 500 per month per child in the family.
Another interesting solution is the introduction of a provision according to which, in the event of wastage of funds from this benefit, it will be transferred in kind or in the form of payment for services.
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It is important that a parent receiving any of the benefits will not be able to receive other benefits from the "Active Parent" package.
We would like to emphasize that all the above conditions result from the government's draft law – they may therefore change before their introduction.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Legal status as of April 25, 2024.
author:![Aleksandra Tomczyk](https://kglegal.pl/wp-content/uploads/Aleksandra-Tomczyk.webp ""Active parent", or benefits supporting professionally active parents 2")
