Fact Sheet

Basis principle

The Agricultural Social Insurance Fund (KRUS) as institution was established by the Polish Parliament Act of 20 December 1990, which entered into force on 1 January 1991. This Act introduced modern solutions that brought the Polish social insurance system for farmers closer to similar insurance systems in many European countries, such as Austria, France or Germany.

The Fund is one of the national institutions of government administration, servicing the social insurance system for farmers and their families and performing other commissioned tasks financed from the state budget for the agricultural population – in the field of social policy, health protection and in other areas.

Financial compensation

Yes

Medical treatment responsibilities

No but the Fund carries out tasks assigned in the field of health insurance based on separate regulations – the Act of August 27, 2004 on Health Care Services Financed from Public Funds. In this respect, it covers health insurance for farmers, their household members and their family members and helpers, as well as retirees and pensioners and their family members, and settles health insurance premiums. Data held in the KRUS register about insured persons and health insurance premiums paid for them are transferred to the competent health insurance institution.

Prevention responsibilities

Yes

Research in OS&H issues responsibilities

No

Rehabilitation of victims of occupational injuries responsibilities

Yes

Specific insurance against accidents at work and occupational diseases

Yes

The Farmers’ Social Insurance Act distinguishes two types of insurance:

• old-age and disability pension insurance;
• accident, sickness and maternity insurance.

Is this insurance compulsory?

The accident, sickness and maternity insurance is compulsory and can also be voluntary.

It is compulsory to full extent for:

• the farmer, i.e. an adult natural person living and conducting agricultural activity in the territory of the Republic of Poland in person and self-employed on a farm he/she owns, with an area of over 1 conversion ha of arable land (including within the group of agricultural producers), or in a special division of agricultural production, the size and type of which are specified in the Annex to the Farmers’ Social Insurance Act, as well as the person who allocated the land of his/her farm for afforestation;
• the farmer’s spouse, if he/she works on an agricultural holding or in a household directly related to this agricultural holding;
• a household member, i.e. a person close to a farmer who is at least 16 years old, stays with the farmer in a common household or lives within his/her farm or in close proximity, permanently works on this farm and does not have an employment contract of any kind with the farmer,

if they are not subject to other social insurance system in Poland or have no already determined entitlement to an old-age or disability pension or the right to social insurance benefits.

It is compulsory to a  limited extent for the farmer’s helpers, i.e. adults who provide assistance to the farmer for a fee when harvesting hops, fruit, vegetables, tobacco, herbs and herbal plants under a harvest help agreement. In this case it gives the right only to a one-off compensation for permanent or long-term damage to health or death as a result of an accident at work on a farm or an agricultural occupational disease.

Contributions

Yes

Insurance contributions for all persons insured on a farm are paid by the farmer, with the exception of:

• contributions for persons subject to old-age and disability insurance upon request due to the receipt of a nursing allowance, special care allowance or allowance for a guardian, which is paid by an authority paying this benefit or allowance;
• contributions for old-age and disability pension insurance for a farmer or a household member and a family member of a farmer or a household member subject to insurance, while caring for a child, financed from the state budget.

The amount of the contribution for accident, sickness and maternity insurance is determined by the Farmers’ Social Insurance Council. The President of the Fund announces the amount of the fee in the Official Journal of the Republic of Poland “Monitor Polski”.

The accident, sickness and maternity insurance contribution is calculated in an equal amount for each insured person, excluding persons covered by accident, sickness and maternity insurance upon request to a limited extent, for whom 1/3 of the basic contribution is charged.

The contribution for accident, sickness and maternity insurance for the farmer’s helper is due in full every month.

People covered

Social insurance for farmers, in accordance with the principles set out in the Farmers’ Social Insurance Act of 20 December 1990, applies to farmers and household members working with them and farmer’s helpers who:

1. are Polish citizens;
2. are citizens of Member States of the European Union or Member States of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area or the Swiss Confederation;
3. within the meaning of Art. 2 point 4 letter and the Act of 14 July 2006 on the entry into, stay and departure from the territory of the Republic of Poland of citizens of European Union Member States and their family members (Journal of Laws of 2024, items 633 and 1688 and of 2025, item 619) are family members of the persons referred to in point 2, joining or staying with these persons;
4. within the meaning of Art. 2 point 4 letter b of the Act of 14 July 2006 on entry into, stay in and departure from the territory of the Republic of Poland of citizens of European Union Member States and their family members are family members of a Polish citizen staying with him in the territory of the Republic of Poland;
5. are persons referred to in Art. 19 section 2 and 3 or art. 19a of the Act of 14 July 2006 on entry into, stay in and departure from the territory of the Republic of Poland of citizens of European Union Member States and their family members;
6. are citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland referred to in Art. 10 section 1 letter b and d of the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community (OJ EU L 29 of 31/01/2020, p. 7, as amended6)), or members of their families referred to in Art. 10 section 1 letter e and f of this agreement;
7. are foreigners referred to in Art. 3 section 1 or 3 of the Act of March 20, 2025 on the conditions of admissibility of entrusting work to foreigners in the territory of the Republic of Poland (Journal of Laws, item 621).”

Is insurance different for accidents at work and for occupational diseases?

No

Risks covered

Accidents at work and occupational diseases in agriculture, sickness, maternity, retirement, invalidity, survivorship (spouses and orphans), death (funeral benefit).

Web: www.gov.pl/web/krus
Contact email: sekretariat.prezesa@krus.gov.pl

Information provided by KRUS – September 2025