Who can receive alcohol pension and how much is it in 2026?

Who can receive an alcohol pension?

To receive this benefit, alcoholism alone is not enough. The specific conditions that must be met are key. According to the Social Insurance Institution, it is necessary:

- Having a certificate of partial or total incapacity for work,

- Meeting the required contributory and non-contributory length of service, which depends on the age at which the incapacity for work occurred,

- Proving that the incapacity for work occurred during the contributory or non-contributory periods specified in the regulations.

In practice, this means that the pension is granted to people who, as a result of illness - regardless of its cause - are unable to perform gainful work, and their health situation has been confirmed by a ZUS medical examiner.

Importantly, a person applying for a pension cannot have an established right to a pension from the Social Insurance Fund.

The most common diseases that may result in the granting of an alcohol pension include liver cirrhosis, chronic pancreatitis, Othello syndrome (alcohol psychosis) and other chronic diseases of internal organs caused by long-term alcohol abuse.

How much is the alcohol pension in 2026?

The amount of the benefit depends on the degree of incapacity for work, which will be confirmed in a medical certificate. From March 1, 2026, the following minimum amounts apply:

- PLN 1,978.49 gross per month - in the event of total incapacity for work,

- PLN 1,483.87 gross per month - in the case of partial incapacity for work.

For comparison, in 2025 the minimum pension for total incapacity for work was PLN 1,878.91 gross, which means an increase in benefits in the new year.

Fewer and fewer people receive alcohol benefits

Despite the growing number of cases of alcohol-related diseases, the number of people receiving pensions on this account is systematically decreasing.

In 2019, 4.3 thousand people received this benefit, but in 2022 only 3 thousand.

Experts indicate that this decline is mainly due to the tightening criteria for granting pensions and increasingly restrictive formal requirements.