If you are not sure whether you are eligible for an energy voucher, read the second part of the article first. If you want to know when, where and how to apply, start from the beginning!
When, where and how?
Applications for an energy voucher can be submitted from August 1 to September 30, 2024, in the municipality responsible for the place of residence. It is possible to submit the application in paper form, via the online form (ePUAP platform) and the mObywatel application.
Submitting an application online
An application for a voucher can be submitted without leaving home via an online form available on the Gov.pl portal. To make this possible, you must have a trusted profile or access to e-banking. The online form will require the data of all household members (name, surname, PESEL number or ID document number), household address, contact details, bank account number to which the voucher is to be paid. You should also attach documents confirming the information provided (optional) to the form. The form will direct you to the next steps, and in the last of them you will have to sign the application with a trusted signature, personal signature (e-ID) or qualified electronic signature.
Submitting an application at the office
If you want to submit documents to the office, you will need a completed application for the payment of an energy voucher, available for download on the government website (gov.pl). The application should include personal data of all household members, the bank account number to which the voucher is to be paid, and income data. It is worth taking the time to fill out the application carefully and with concentration. Avoiding errors and oversights will allow for faster verification of the application.
The application in paper form can also be submitted via Poczta Polska.
Who can apply for a voucher?
Only people who live and stay in Poland and are Polish citizens or foreigners with a permanent residence permit or a resident’s residence permit, refugee status or subsidiary protection, a residence permit for humanitarian reasons or for tolerated stay, citizenship of an EU, EEA or Swiss country can apply for a voucher. Any person who is part of a multi-person household or runs a household alone can apply for a voucher.
Are you eligible for a voucher?
Before submitting an application, it is worth considering whether we are entitled to the benefit at all. The entire amount provided for in the act on the voucher (the amount of support is given in the next paragraph) will be received by those households whose monthly income in 2023 did not exceed a certain threshold. It is PLN 2,500 for people living alone and PLN 1,700/person in the case of multi-person households.
Households in which the income criterion has been exceeded may also apply for a voucher, but its amount will be reduced by the amount exceeded, under the zloty for zloty principle. So if, for example, in a five-person family the monthly income in 2023 was PLN 2,000/person, the amount of the benefit paid will be reduced by PLN 300 (2,000 – 1,700 = 300). The minimum amount of vouchers paid will be PLN 20.
Voucher amount
The amount of support depends on the number of people in the household and the source of heat. For most households, the voucher will be as follows:
- PLN 300 – single-person household;
- PLN 400 – multi-person household consisting of 2 or 3 people;
- PLN 500 – multi-person household consisting of 4 or 5 people;
- PLN 600 – multi-person household consisting of at least 6 people.
If the main source of heating for a given household is a device powered by electricity (e.g. heat pump, electric boiler), the voucher may be higher:
- PLN 600 – single-person household;
- PLN 800 – multi-person household consisting of 2 or 3 people;
- PLN 1,000 – multi-person household consisting of 4 or 5 people;
- PLN 1,200 – multi-person household consisting of at least 6 people.
However, only those households that have entered or reported their heat source to the Central Emission Register of Buildings (CEEB) will be entitled to a higher voucher. If the heat source was operating before 1 April 2024, the entry or notification to the CEEB must have been made before that date. If it is a new heat source that was not previously listed in the CEEB, the notification and entry may be made later.
The energy voucher is disposable cash support paid into the beneficiaries’ account. The application may take up to 60 days to be considered by the municipality, payments should be made in autumn 2024 or early 2025.
