The Social Insurance Institution is intensifying verification of the proper use of sick leaves. In the Lubusz Voivodeship alone in 2025, over 11,000 checks were conducted, resulting in the withdrawal of benefits exceeding one million zlotys. Irregularities often come to light thanks to information from third parties and the activity of the sick on social media, where they post vacation photos while formally unfit for work.

Record Benefit Repayments

In the Lubusz Voivodeship alone, ZUS recovered over 1 million zlotys in improperly received benefits in 2025.

Tips and Social Media

A frequent reason for checks are vacation photos published online and reports from co-workers or neighbors.

New Regulations from 2026

The government plans to introduce greater flexibility in working while on sick leave and new inspection forms from April 13, 2026.

The increased control activity of the Social Insurance Institution is yielding tangible financial results for the state budget. In 2025, officials in the Lubusz Voivodeship alone verified over 11,000 cases of individuals on sick leave. These actions focus on two pillars: verifying the validity of doctors' assessments of work incapacity and checking whether employees use their leave as intended. In the latter area, the payment of nearly 500 allowances totaling 766,000 zlotys was challenged. The main transgressions of insured persons remain vacation trips, renovation work, and additional employment with another employer. The sickness benefit system in Poland has evolved since the times of the Second Polish Republic, when in 1933 regulations on social insurance were unified, creating the foundations of the current support system for employees temporarily unfit for work. The institution emphasizes that while it does not conduct organized monitoring of social media, it systematically receives signals from citizens. „In 2025, residents of the Lubusz Voivodeship who improperly used sick leave had to repay a total of over one million zlotys.” — Agata Muchowska Examples of egregious abuses include, among others, traveling to Zanzibar while on sick leave. Simultaneously, Polish law introduces significant changes for people with disabilities and modifies the rules for paying maternity allowances. Experts point out, however, that confronting the institution remains difficult, although courts increasingly side with the insured in cases of alleged fictitious employment of pregnant women. Changes and Limits in the Sick Leave System: Benefit Amount: 80% of salary → 100% (during pregnancy); Sick Leave Day Limit: 182 days (standard) → 270 days (pregnancy/tuberculosis) From 2026, reforms are planned to increase flexibility in using sick leave, including allowing remote work for one employer while on leave from another. Officials will also receive new tools to control individuals whose insurance entitlement has expired. Despite restrictions, court rulings mitigate some sanctions – an example is the Supreme Court's permission for a person on sick leave to attend a wedding ceremony, recognizing it as an incidental activity not threatening the recovery process.

Mentioned People

  • Agata Muchowska — Regional press spokesperson for the Social Insurance Institution in the Lubusz Voivodeship.
  • Beata Tęgowska — Expert in accounting and payroll analyzing the effects of new legal regulations.