Check if you can receive a one-time benefit for adopting a child (becik) - 1000 PLN.
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About Becik Program
Becik is a one-time cash benefit of 1000 PLN for families who took a child into foster care or through adoption. The program was a form of support for foster and adoptive families, helping cover initial costs associated with taking in a child.
Complete guide to Becik program (archived)
The 'Becik' program (full name: 'One-time benefit for partial coverage of expenses related to taking a child for upbringing') was a one-time cash benefit of 1000 PLN granted to foster families and adoptive families. The program was introduced by the Act of July 24, 2014 amending the Act on Family Support and Child Care System, and came into force on September 1, 2013. The benefit was intended for partial coverage of expenses related to taking a child for upbringing in foster care or through adoption. It aimed to support foster and adoptive families in covering initial costs associated with taking in a child - purchasing baby equipment, children's furniture, household appliances, clothing, and other necessary items. The program was valid for children taken for upbringing in the period from September 1, 2013 to December 31, 2023. From January 1, 2024, the program has been terminated and it is not possible to submit new applications. The benefit was paid once, in the amount of 1000 PLN for each child taken for upbringing. A foster family or adoptive person could receive the benefit for each child taken for upbringing within the program. The application for the benefit could be submitted within 12 months from the date of taking the child for upbringing. The program required no income threshold - every foster family or adoptive person could receive the benefit regardless of income level. The benefit was paid by Social Assistance Centers or family support centers appropriate for the place of residence of the foster family or adoptive person. After the Becik program ended, foster and adoptive families can use other forms of support, such as 800+ benefit or supplements to remuneration for foster families.
PROGRAM CONDITIONS (archived):
- Program in force from September 1, 2013 to December 31, 2023
- Benefit amount: 1000 PLN once per child
- No income threshold
- Application could be submitted within 12 months of adoption/taking
- Program ENDED - new applications not accepted
Who could receive the benefit:
- Foster families (family, professional)
- Persons who adopted a child
- Professional foster families serving as foster family
- Child had to be taken for upbringing during program validity period
Alternative support forms (currently available):
- 800+ child benefit for each child
- Supplement to remuneration for foster families
- Allowance for covering child's maintenance costs
- Material aid for students (scholarships)
- Support from EU and local programs
Important - program ended!
- Benefit NO LONGER available from January 1, 2024
- Applies to children born: September 2013 - December 2023
- Application could be submitted within 12 months of adoption
- Program has been replaced with other forms of support
⚠️ These are ESTIMATE calculations for informational purposes only.
Calculated in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
What disqualifies people from becikowe is usually a document, not their income
The one-off birth grant is 1000 zł and the income threshold is 1922 zł per person, which most families meet. The condition that catches people is different: the mother must have been under medical care no later than the tenth week of pregnancy, and it has to be certified. Miss that documentation and the money is gone regardless of what you earn.
How it works
- Checks each child against the eligibility window and the carer condition.
- Applies the flat 1000 zł grant per qualifying child.
- Totals the amount across the children you enter.
grant = 1000 zł per qualifying child, paid once income threshold: 1922 zł per person in the family condition: medical care from no later than week 10 of pregnancy, certified claim within 12 months of the birth, or of taking the child in
Worked example
Why the deadline and the certificate matter more than the arithmetic.
- the amount does not vary — it is 1000 zł, not scaled by income or family size
- the income test is a simple pass or fail against 1922 zł per person
- the week-10 medical care certificate is a separate, non-negotiable condition
- the claim has to be made within twelve months
- an adoptive or actual carer who takes a child in claims on the same terms
A thousand zloty, subject to three independent gates: income, documentation and timing. Only one of them is about money, and it is the one that stops people least often.
Reading the result
- The twelve-month deadline is absolute and catches people in the exhausting first year. It runs from the birth, or from the day the child was taken into care, and there is no discretion to extend it.
- Adoptive parents and actual carers claim on the same terms as birth parents, which is why this page asks whether the child was taken in rather than assuming a birth. The week-10 medical condition is applied differently in those cases — check the current rules for your situation.
- Becikowe sits alongside, not instead of, the other family benefits. Receiving it does not affect the zasiłek rodzinny, Dobry Start or the nursery benefit, and each is applied for separately.
- Amounts and thresholds are set by regulation and change; 1000 zł and 1922 zł are the published figures at the time of writing. Confirm on gov.pl before relying on them, and take the decision of your local office as binding rather than this page.
Common questions
- How much is becikowe and who can get it?
- 1000 zł per child, paid once, with an income threshold of 1922 zł per person in the family. The amount does not change with income or family size; the income test is simply pass or fail. Adoptive parents and actual carers who take a child in claim on the same terms as birth parents.
- Why can a family be refused becikowe even with a low income?
- Usually because of a missing document. The mother must have been under medical care no later than the tenth week of pregnancy, and this has to be confirmed by a certificate; without it the grant is lost regardless of income. For adoptive parents and actual carers this condition is applied differently, so check the current rules for your situation.
- What is the deadline to apply for becikowe?
- 12 months from the child's birth, or from the day the child was taken into care. The deadline is absolute and cannot be extended, so it is worth applying early in the first year. Becikowe does not affect the zasiłek rodzinny, Dobry Start or the nursery benefit, and each is applied for separately.