Poland: Digitalisation of Sick Care Benefit Applications

On 13 February 2026, the Sejm passed an amendment to the Act on cash benefits from social insurance in the event of sickness and maternity simplifying the rules for submitting applications for benefits under sickness insurance, including sick care benefit (received when caring for a sick child or other family member). The act will now be referred to the Senate and will enter into force three months after publication in the Journal of Laws.

Currently, employers are required to submit employees’ paper applications bearing a handwritten signature to ZUS (the Social Insurance Institution) – even though they have already been able to submit their own part of the documentation electronically. The amendment will change this.

Once the act enters into force, where the employer is the benefit payer (disburses benefits), the employee will be able to submit the application electronically – without a qualified electronic signature and without the need to provide a paper original. Electronic copies of documents may be attached to the application instead of originals. If ZUS or the employer has doubts as to the authenticity of the documents, they will be able to request the submission of the original.