This page is for people who worked in Poland and lost their job, or who want to know their rights in advance. The amounts are given as of 1 June 2026.
Can I register with the PUP as a Ukrainian?
Yes, you can register with the district labor office (powiatowy urząd pracy, PUP) if you have temporary protection and are 18 or older, but women must be under 60 and men under 65. The labor market act expressly covers foreigners with temporary protection and allows them to have unemployed status. The Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy confirms that a Ukrainian citizen staying legally, for example with temporary protection, can register as unemployed.
| Basis of stay | Can you register as unemployed? |
|---|---|
| Temporary protection (UKR status) | Yes, from age 18 until reaching 60 (women) or 65 (men) |
| Temporary residence and work permit, or a work visa | Yes, with the same age limits |
| CUKR residence card (karta pobytu CUKR) | No, according to Zielona Linia: neither as unemployed nor as a jobseeker |
Age limits. Until 4 March 2026, Ukrainian citizens could register regardless of age. Since 5 March 2026, they register on general terms, so women aged 60 and over and men aged 65 and over can no longer register. The ministry writes that those who registered before 5 March 2026 keep their status; we have not found a separate rule on this in the law.
CUKR card. On 31 August 2026, Zielona Linia, the government information line of the employment services, explained that you cannot register with the PUP with a CUKR card, because this permit is not on the list in the labor market act. The ministry’s explanation of 26 March 2026 is worded more broadly and does not mention the CUKR card, but the text of the law supports the position of Zielona Linia. If you plan to switch to the card, take this into account.
Leaving Poland. For a holder of UKR status, leaving Poland for more than 30 days ends the temporary protection on which the registration is based.
How do you register?
There are two ways to register: online, with an electronic form in the information system of the employment services, or in person at the PUP where you live. You sign the online application with a qualified electronic signature, a trusted profile (Profil Zaufany) or a personal electronic signature (podpis osobisty). The date of registration is the day you filed a complete application online, or came to the PUP and signed your details by hand.
Who is entitled to the benefit?
You get the benefit if, during the 18 months before registration, you spent at least 365 days in total:
- working and receiving at least the minimum wage, on which a Labor Fund contribution was due; or
- working under civil-law contracts, including a service contract (umowa zlecenia) or a contract for specific work (umowa o dzieło), on which social contributions and a Labor Fund contribution were due on a base of at least the minimum wage; or
- running your own business and paying social contributions and a Labor Fund contribution on a base of at least the minimum wage. The preferential base of 30% of the minimum wage, which new business owners use, does not meet this condition.
Some other periods also count toward these 365 days, for example childcare leave and sickness or maternity benefits after the end of work, if the base was at least the minimum wage. Periods for which a benefit has already been granted are not counted again.
When will you not get the benefit?
- If you quit your job yourself by giving notice. Exceptions: a change of place of residence, or the employee ending the contract without notice under Art. 55 § 1 and 1¹ of the Labor Code.
- If you were dismissed without notice through your own fault.
- If the employment ended by mutual agreement, the benefit is granted only 90 days after registration. Exceptions: a change of place of residence, bankruptcy or liquidation of the employer, redundancy.
Does work experience in Ukraine count?
Yes, but only on one condition: you were insured in Poland immediately before you lost your job. The 2012 social security agreement between Poland and Ukraine then allows Ukrainian insurance periods to be taken into account. If you received unemployment benefit in Ukraine during the last 12 months, the Polish benefit is paid for a shorter time. The PUP decides on Polish periods. If Ukrainian periods affect the amount or duration, the decision is made by the voivodeship labor office (wojewódzki urząd pracy, WUP). Polish unemployment benefit is not paid abroad.
How much is paid in 2026?
The amount is fixed and the same for everyone who is entitled to the benefit; a higher amount, 120%, is paid for a work record of 20 years or more. From 1 June 2026:
| Payment period | Basic amount | With a work record of 20 years or more (120%) |
|---|---|---|
| First 90 days | 1,783.90 zł gross (1,623.35 zł net) | 2,140.68 zł gross (1,948.02 zł net) |
| After that | 1,400.90 zł gross (1,274.82 zł net) | 1,681.08 zł gross (1,529.76 zł net) |
The gross amounts are set by a ministry announcement; the net amounts are given by Zielona Linia. The 120% rate is paid if the counted periods total at least 20 years. The reduced rate of 80% for a work record of under 5 years has not existed since 1 June 2025.
The benefit is indexed every year on 1 June by average annual inflation; the amounts from 1 June 2027 have not been announced yet. From 1 June 2025 to 31 May 2026, the benefit was 1,721.90 and 1,352.20 zł. According to Zielona Linia, it is paid every month for the past period, no later than 14 days after that period ends.
How long is it paid?
Usually for 180 days. It is paid for 365 days to:
- people with disabilities;
- members of large families with the Large Family Card (Karta Dużej Rodziny);
- people over 50 whose counted periods total at least 20 years;
- people who support a child under 18 if their husband or wife is also unemployed and has already used up their own benefit;
- people who are raising a child under 18 alone.
The period is shortened by periods of intervention work and public works, training and internships.
What should you do so as not to lose your status and benefit?
Unemployed status lasts no more than 3 years from registration; after that you can register again only after 90 days. Losing the status also means losing the benefit.
- Contact the PUP at least once every 90 days. Otherwise, 90 days after the last contact, your status is removed for 90 days.
- Report changes within 7 days, including work or other earnings.
- Do not refuse without good reason forms of assistance, socially useful work or drawing up an individual action plan.
- Give notice of trips abroad. If you inform the PUP in advance, you can leave for up to 30 days per calendar year without losing your status, but the benefit is not paid for those days.
The status is also removed after 180 days of continuous inability to work due to illness, or at your own request.
What else does registering as unemployed give you?
It gives you health insurance, even if you do not receive the benefit. The 800+ for holders of UKR status also depends on it. Under the 800+ act, a person who receives unemployment benefit counts as professionally active, with no time limit. A person who is registered as unemployed, does not receive the benefit and has health insurance through the registration gets 800+ for 3 months, or for 6 months if they are raising three or more children. The conditions of 800+ are described on the page Aid for Ukrainians in Poland.
For employee rights, contracts and the minimum wage, read the article Work in Poland for Ukrainians (in Ukrainian).
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Counting on the 80% rate or other amounts from old publications.
- Resigning of your own accord while expecting the benefit: in most cases you will not be entitled to it.
- Going more than 90 days without contacting the PUP.
- Going abroad without informing the PUP, or for more than 30 days.
- Switching to the CUKR card without knowing that, according to Zielona Linia, you cannot register with the PUP with it.