New benefits are already in accounts. Not everyone is happy with the payments.

• The current limit on the total amount of benefits, which is approximately three times the minimum pension, is, according to seniors, insufficient given the rising costs of living.
• There is no specific information on increasing the share of the second benefit from the current 15% to at least 50%, as originally assumed in the citizens' project.
• According to MPs, the condition of remaining in joint property with a spouse until the day of his or her death discriminates against people with separate property and does not take into account various life situations.

The widow's pension was intended to improve the financial situation of seniors after the death of a spouse by allowing them to combine a survivor's pension with their own retirement or disability pension . For example, the benefit is 100% of their own pension and 15% of the benefit due to the deceased spouse, or vice versa.

The first payments were made in July, but representatives of senior communities have raised serious reservations about the current wording of the law.

In their interpellation addressed to the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy, MPs Joanna Borowiak, Lidia Burzyńska, Marcin Grabowski, Anna Krupka, Lidia Czechak, Stanisław Szwed, Urszula Rusecka and Anna Milczanowska indicate the most important of them:

• the limit on the total amount of benefits, which is currently around three times the minimum pension, which is insufficient given the rising costs of living,
• no specific information on increasing the share of the second benefit from the current 15% (planned 25% from 2027) to at least 50%, as originally assumed in the citizens' project,
• the condition of remaining in joint property with the spouse until the day of his or her death discriminates against persons with separate property and does not take into account different life situations.

When asked whether it plans to speed up the verification process and increase the index, ease the requirement to remain in joint property and increase the share of the second benefit, the Ministry did not provide a binding answer.

Deputy Minister Sebastian Gajewski only pointed out that fulfilling the above demands would involve a larger financial outlay from the state budget, and it would be reasonable to contact the Minister of Finance on this matter.

In July, ZUS launched the payment of benefits in conjunction with survivors' pensions for a total amount of PLN 2,406.1 million (of which the amount of benefits paid at 15% is PLN 253.1 million ).

If a benefit overlaps with a survivor's pension that includes a benefit paid by another pension authority, ZUS will begin payments after completing the proceedings with that institution. Starting in August, the overlapping benefits will be paid jointly on the payment dates of the 1st, 6th, 10th, 15th, 20th, and 25th of the month.

In turn, after determining the overlap, ZUS will change the payment date to the 6th day of each month, if these benefits were previously paid on a different date.

In 62% of cases, the overlap of benefits is structured as follows: 100% of the survivor's pension plus 15% of the beneficiary's own benefit.