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What will care for your parent really cost?

Most families pay the full private rate because nobody told them two publicly funded routes exist. Enter the senior's income and we will show all three side by side.

The result at once, no form to fill in
Three funding routes side by side
Statutory rates as at July 2026

A smiling older couple sitting together in a garden

Your situation

Four questions. The result updates as you type.

Senior's net monthly incomePLN 3,000

The pension or disability benefit actually paid out, including the care supplement. This is the single most important figure here.

Senior's marital situation

A spouse is first in line among the relatives who can be assessed for a DPS contribution.

Income per head in the spouse's or children's household

This only matters for DPS. Below PLN 2,469 per person the statute exempts the family entirely.

How independent is the senior?

This decides whether NFZ-funded ZOL is on the table at all. Formally it is measured on the Barthel scale.

Estimated monthly cost

Three funding routes, the same situation.

DPS - social care home instead of a private facility is roughly PLN 3,125 less per month, or PLN 37,500 a year.

DPS - social care home

Usually availableCheapest route available

Public facility, open-ended stay

Total per monthPLN 2,100 to PLN 9,000

From the senior's pension: PLN 2,100
From the family's pocket: PLN 0 to PLN 6,900
The senior keeps: PLN 900
Covered by the gmina: PLN 0 to PLN 6,900

Why this figure: A DPS resident hands over no more than 70% of their income, and that is a hard rule from art. 61 of the Social Assistance Act. The gmina covers the rest of the full cost. The remaining 30% of the pension stays with the senior for their own spending and nobody can touch it. Relatives (the spouse first, then the children) contribute only out of income above PLN 2,469 per person in their own household. After contributing, their income may not drop below that line.

First step: File an application for a DPS placement at the MOPS or GOPS covering the senior's place of residence. A social worker will run a home assessment and set the final amount in the decision.

Worth knowing: Expect a waiting list. In larger cities a free place can take many months, and the full cost of upkeep is set separately by the starosta for each facility.

ZOL or ZPO funded by the NFZ

Depends on assessment

Medical care financed by the national health fund

Total per monthPLN 2,100

From the senior's pension: PLN 2,100
From the family's pocket: 0 zł
The senior keeps: PLN 900
Medical care is funded by the NFZ: -

Why this figure: The patient pays for board and lodging only: 250% of the minimum pension, which is PLN 4,946, but never more than 70% of their income. Treatment, nursing, medication, rehabilitation and incontinence supplies are all paid for by the NFZ. Relatives owe nothing here, because health law has no equivalent of art. 61. Admission requires a score of 40 points or fewer on the Barthel scale plus a referral from a doctor working under the public health contract.

First step: Ask the GP or the hospital consultant for a ZOL referral. The application is filed together with a nursing assessment, the Barthel score and proof of income.

Worth knowing: A ZOL is a medical service, not a permanent home. Stays are time-limited and have to be re-approved. People whose primary condition is advanced cancer, mental illness or addiction are not admitted; hospice or psychiatric care is the right route for them.

Private facility

Usually available

Full market rate, no public funding

Total per monthPLN 5,225 to PLN 6,500

From the senior's pension: PLN 3,000
From the family's pocket: PLN 2,225 to PLN 3,500
The senior keeps: PLN 0
Covered by the gmina: PLN 0

Why this figure: There is no subsidy at all and the family covers the entire invoice. The senior's pension goes in first and the rest has to be topped up. The band shown is the quartile range of starting prices across 214 priced listings in our database.

First step: Call several facilities and ask for the full price list in writing. The headline rate often excludes incontinence products, rehabilitation and the surcharge for caring for a bedbound resident.

Worth knowing: The big advantage of a private facility is that a place is usually available straight away. It is often the only option when the senior does not qualify for a ZOL and the DPS queue is long.

You know the cost. Now let us find an actual place.

Tell us what your relative needs and we will shortlist facilities that meet those conditions and have vacancies, free of charge.

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Where these numbers come from

Every amount in the calculator has a legal basis. Figures as of July 2026.

Show the details

Indicator	Value	Basis
Minimum pension	PLN 1,978	Announcement of the President of ZUS of 17 February 2026 (M.P. 2026 item 220). In force since 1 March 2026.
Income threshold - person living alone	PLN 1,010	Art. 8 of the Social Assistance Act; amount set by the Council of Ministers regulation of 12 July 2024 (Dz.U. 2024 item 1044). In force since 1 January 2025.
Income threshold - per person in a family	PLN 823	Same basis as above. Reviewed every three years, so the next change is expected on 1 January 2027.
Resident's share of the DPS cost	70%	Art. 61(2)(1) of the Act of 12 March 2004 on social assistance.
Threshold exempting relatives from a DPS contribution	PLN 2,469	300% of the income threshold per person in a family, art. 61(2)(2) of the Social Assistance Act.
Ceiling on the ZOL charge	PLN 4,946 / 70%	250% of the minimum pension, art. 18(1) of the Act of 27 August 2004 on health care services financed from public funds. The charge still cannot exceed 70% of income.
Barthel score qualifying for a ZOL	40 pts	Regulation of the Minister of Health of 25 June 2012 on referrals to care and treatment and nursing and care facilities (Dz.U. 2012 item 731).
Full cost of a DPS placement	PLN 5,900 - PLN 9,000	Set by the starosta or wójt and published in the regional official journal (art. 60 of the Social Assistance Act), so it differs in every powiat. The band shown is the typical range in 2026 announcements; in large cities the figures run considerably higher.
Price at a private facility	PLN 5,225 - PLN 6,500	Quartile range of starting prices across 214 priced listings in our database as of July 2026. The median is PLN 5,950.

Minimum pension
PLN 1,978
Announcement of the President of ZUS of 17 February 2026 (M.P. 2026 item 220). In force since 1 March 2026.
Income threshold - person living alone
PLN 1,010
Art. 8 of the Social Assistance Act; amount set by the Council of Ministers regulation of 12 July 2024 (Dz.U. 2024 item 1044). In force since 1 January 2025.
Income threshold - per person in a family
PLN 823
Same basis as above. Reviewed every three years, so the next change is expected on 1 January 2027.
Resident's share of the DPS cost
70%
Art. 61(2)(1) of the Act of 12 March 2004 on social assistance.
Threshold exempting relatives from a DPS contribution
PLN 2,469
300% of the income threshold per person in a family, art. 61(2)(2) of the Social Assistance Act.
Ceiling on the ZOL charge
PLN 4,946 / 70%
250% of the minimum pension, art. 18(1) of the Act of 27 August 2004 on health care services financed from public funds. The charge still cannot exceed 70% of income.
Barthel score qualifying for a ZOL
40 pts
Regulation of the Minister of Health of 25 June 2012 on referrals to care and treatment and nursing and care facilities (Dz.U. 2012 item 731).
Full cost of a DPS placement
PLN 5,900 - PLN 9,000
Set by the starosta or wójt and published in the regional official journal (art. 60 of the Social Assistance Act), so it differs in every powiat. The band shown is the typical range in 2026 announcements; in large cities the figures run considerably higher.
Price at a private facility
PLN 5,225 - PLN 6,500
Quartile range of starting prices across 214 priced listings in our database as of July 2026. The median is PLN 5,950.

Common questions about who pays

Will a care home take the whole pension?

Not in a DPS or a ZOL. A DPS resident hands over at most 70% of their income; in a ZOL it is at most 70% and never more than PLN 4,946. The remaining 30% stays with the senior and is protected by statute. A private facility works differently: there you pay the full list price, so the pension usually goes in entirely and the family tops up the rest.

Can the MOPS make me contribute towards my parent's stay?

Only for a DPS, and only above the threshold. Art. 61 of the Social Assistance Act sets the order: the resident, then the spouse, then descendants before ascendants, and the gmina last. A relative contributes only out of income above PLN 2,469 per person in their household, and may not fall below that line after paying. For an NFZ-funded ZOL no such obligation exists at all.

What is the real difference between a ZOL and a DPS?

A ZOL is a health service, a DPS is a social assistance service. A doctor refers you to a ZOL, a Barthel score of 40 points or fewer is required, the stay is time-limited and the NFZ pays for treatment, nursing and medication. The gmina refers you to a DPS after a home assessment, the stay is open-ended, but relatives can be called on to contribute. The monthly figure out of the senior's pocket works out very similarly - the real difference is who else pays and how long you can stay.

What if the pension does not cover the cost?

That is entirely normal and it is not an obstacle to admission. In a DPS the gmina covers the difference between the full cost of upkeep and what the resident and any liable relatives paid. A low income does not close the door to a public placement.

Do the care supplement and the supplementary benefit count as income?

The care supplement does, because it is part of the benefit paid out. The supplementary benefit for people unable to live independently is more tangled: the legislator excluded it from the income of liable relatives for DPS charges, but made no such exclusion for ZOL charges. If the senior receives it, ask the MOPS or the facility for the calculation in writing.

Can you apply to be released from the charge?

Yes, for a DPS. Art. 64 of the Social Assistance Act allows a full or partial waiver on application. The grounds include long-term illness, disability, unemployment, a death in the family, relatives living off a single benefit, and cases where the resident themselves seriously failed in their family duties towards the person now being charged. The waiver is not automatic - you have to apply for it and document it.

This is an estimate, not legal advice

The result shows an order of magnitude based on the rules in force in July 2026 and the figures you entered. The final amount is set by decision of the gmina or MOPS (for a DPS), by the facility together with the NFZ (for a ZOL), or by your contract with the facility (for a private stay). The full cost of upkeep in a DPS is fixed separately in each powiat, and private prices move during the year. Do not make financial decisions on the strength of this calculator alone.

Legal position: July 2026.