How do you obtain one-off compensation from ZUS for an accident at work?

Who this applies to

People covered by accident insurance who have had an accident at work or contracted an occupational disease: employees, and also contractors under a contract of mandate (umowa zlecenia) with compulsory pension and disability contributions. Compensation is also due to family members of a person who died as a result of an accident (Article 6(1) of the Accident Insurance Act). It does not apply to an accident on the way to or from work, which is described in the guide Accident on the way to or from work.

The condition is an impairment that is:

• permanent, i.e. an impairment of bodily function with no prospect of improvement,
• long-term, i.e. an impairment of bodily function for a period exceeding 6 months, which may improve (Article 11(2)-(3)).

The assessment of the impairment and its link with the accident is carried out after treatment and rehabilitation have ended (Article 11(4)).

What to do

1. Take care of the accident report. The basis is the accident report drawn up at the employer, or at the principal an accident card (Article 5(1)(6)). ZUS refuses benefits when you do not present a report or card, when the document does not recognise the event as an accident at work, or when the document contains unfounded statements (Article 22(1)). The procedure is described in the guide Accident at work, and you can prepare the report in the generator.
2. Finish treatment and rehabilitation. The application is submitted only after they have ended, because only then can it be assessed whether the impairment is permanent or long-term (Article 11(4)). Before that, you receive sickness benefit and rehabilitation benefit from accident insurance at 100% of the assessment basis (Article 9(1)).
3. Gather the documents. According to the ZUS service card, you need: the application for one-off compensation, an OL-9 health certificate issued no earlier than one month before the application is submitted, the accident report or accident card, and if there were any: a final judgment of the labour court on the accident or a decision on an occupational disease. Attach the medical documentation from your treatment.
4. Submit the application through the contribution payer. The application is as a rule submitted through the employer or principal, which passes it to ZUS. People running a business, nannies and people whose workplace has been liquidated submit it directly to ZUS (ZUS service card).
5. Attend the examination by the certifying doctor. The degree of impairment and its link with the accident are established by a ZUS certifying doctor or a ZUS medical board (Article 16).
6. Check the opinion and, if necessary, lodge an objection. You can object to the certifying doctor's opinion before the ZUS medical board within 14 days of service of the opinion. You lodge the objection through the ZUS unit competent for your place of residence (Article 14(2a) of the Act of 17.12.1998 on retirement and disability pensions from the Social Insurance Fund, hereinafter: the Pensions Act). A late objection is not considered, unless ZUS restores the deadline (Article 14(2c)). This is an important step: if you do not lodge an objection, the court will reject a later appeal against a decision based solely on the certifying doctor's opinion (Article 477(9) § 3(1) of the Code of Civil Procedure, KPC).
7. Wait for the decision. ZUS issues a decision within 14 days of receiving the opinion of the certifying doctor or the medical board, or of clarification of the last circumstance necessary to issue the decision. It pays the compensation of its own motion within 30 days of issuing the decision (Article 15 of the Accident Insurance Act).
8. Appeal against an unfavourable decision. You lodge an appeal within one month of service of the decision, in writing to the ZUS unit that issued it, or orally for the record (Article 477(9) § 1 KPC). ZUS passes the appeal to the court within 30 days or changes the decision itself (Article 477(9) § 2). Cases for compensation for an accident at work are heard by the district court (Article 477(8) § 2(3) KPC). The appeal is not subject to a fee (Article 96(1)(4) of the Act on court costs in civil cases). The court rejects a late appeal, unless the delay is not excessive and occurred for reasons beyond your control (Article 477(9) § 3).

How much the compensation is

The Act defines the compensation as 20% of the average wage for every percentage point of impairment (Article 12(1) of the Accident Insurance Act). The amounts are announced by the minister. In the period from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 the following apply (M.P. 2026 item 292):

If the impairment worsens by at least 10 percentage points, the compensation is increased by 20% of the average wage for every additional percentage point. In establishing the amount, the average wage in force on the day the decision is issued is used, and the result is rounded to full zlotys (Article 12(1)-(6)).

Exceptions and caveats

• Sole fault of the injured person. Benefits are not payable when the sole cause of the accident was a proven breach by you of the provisions on the protection of life and health, caused intentionally or through gross negligence (Article 21(1)). It must be the sole cause. When the employer also contributed to the accident, e.g. by a lack of safeguards, the exclusion does not operate.
• Intoxication and narcotic substances. Compensation is not payable when, while intoxicated or under the influence of narcotic or psychotropic substances, you contributed significantly to the accident (Article 21(2)). Refusing to undergo a test, or obstructing it, also results in refusal of benefits (Article 21(3)).
• Deficiencies in the documents. If the report or accident card has formal deficiencies, ZUS returns them to be completed (Article 22(2)). When the report states that the event is not an accident at work, raise objections to the report before it is approved.
• Changes to the law. The Accident Insurance Act is amended by the Act of 18.12.2025 (Dz.U. 2026 item 26) from 1.01.2027. We do not discuss this amendment.
• When to see a lawyer. When a low percentage of impairment has been assessed despite serious consequences, when the report attributes sole fault or intoxication to you, when ZUS refuses because of deficiencies in the report and the employer does not want to correct it, and when you are considering claims against the employer beyond the ZUS benefits. The 14-day and one-month deadlines run regardless of any consultation.

Example

Assumptions: a production worker suffered a fractured forearm with limited wrist mobility in an accident at work. The accident report recognised the event as an accident at work, with no allegation of fault on the employee's part. Treatment and rehabilitation ended after 7 months. The ZUS decision is issued in October 2026.

1. After rehabilitation ends, the employee asks the treating doctor for an OL-9 certificate and, within a month of its issue, submits the application to the employer, attaching the report and the medical documentation.
2. The employer passes the application to ZUS. The certifying doctor examines the employee and assesses 8% long-term impairment.
3. The employee believes the limitation of mobility is greater. Within 14 days of service of the opinion, he lodges an objection to the medical board through his ZUS branch, attaching the result of an orthopaedic examination.
4. The board establishes 10% impairment. ZUS issues a decision within 14 days and within 30 days pays 10 x PLN 1,781, i.e. PLN 17,810.
5. Had the employee not lodged an objection and then appealed against the decision based on 8%, the court would have rejected the appeal.

Documents and deadlines

Frequently asked questions

Can I submit the application while on sick leave?

The assessment of the impairment takes place after treatment and rehabilitation have ended (Article 11(4)). An application submitted earlier will not allow it to be established whether the impairment is permanent or long-term. During treatment you receive sickness benefit at 100% (Article 9(1)).

Does compensation from ZUS close the way to claims against the employer?

The Accident Insurance Act regulates benefits from insurance. Civil claims against the employer are a separate matter which requires a lawyer's assessment. Cases for compensation from the employer in respect of accidents at work belong to labour law cases (Article 476 § 1 KPC).

Useful tools

• Accident at work report generator

Related guides

• Accident at work: what must the employer do and what rights does the injured employee have?
• Accident on the way to or from work: what you are entitled to and how to report it?
• Accident of a courier or app driver: insurance and reporting
• PIP, ZUS or labour court: who should you turn to with a problem at work?
• Can an employer dismiss an employee during sick leave (L4)?

Sources (documents in Polish)

• Ustawa z 30.10.2002 o ubezpieczeniu społecznym z tytułu wypadków przy pracy i chorób zawodowych, t.j. Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1644 (art. 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 21, 22)
• Obwieszczenie MRPiPS z 10.03.2026 w sprawie wysokości kwot jednorazowych odszkodowań z tytułu wypadku przy pracy lub choroby zawodowej, M.P. 2026 poz. 292
• Ustawa z 17.12.1998 o emeryturach i rentach z Funduszu Ubezpieczeń Społecznych, t.j. Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1749 (art. 14)
• Kodeks postępowania cywilnego, t.j. Dz.U. 2026 poz. 468 (art. 477(8), 477(9))
• Ustawa o kosztach sądowych w sprawach cywilnych, t.j. Dz.U. 2025 poz. 1228 (art. 96 ust. 1 pkt 4)
• ZUS, karta usługi: Jednorazowe odszkodowanie z tytułu wypadku przy pracy lub choroby zawodowej

Sources checked on 16 October 2026. Law as at 16 October 2026.

Change history

• 16 October 2026: First publication.