ZUS Z-15A — Claim for care allowance while caring for a child (Poland)

What is ZUS Z-15A childcare allowance claim?

Z-15A (Wniosek o zasiłek opiekuńczy z powodu sprawowania opieki nad dzieckiem) is the ZUS application for the care allowance when you stay off work to look after a child. It covers a healthy child under 8 whose nursery, kindergarten, school or nanny is unexpectedly unavailable, a sick child (including an adult child), a disabled child under 18, and the extra allowance for a newborn in its first 8 weeks when the insured mother is in hospital, has abandoned the child, or holds a certificate of incapacity for independent living or of severe disability. For a sick family member who isn't a child, ZUS uses the sister form Z-15B instead.

Besides your own details, the form asks about the child, the child's other parent, your spouse if they aren't the child's parent, and any other family member who drew care allowance this year — because the yearly day limits apply to the whole family together. It also asks whether someone else at home could look after the child, which matters because the allowance is normally paid only when nobody else can.

FileIt walks you through each part in plain English, pre-fills your name and date of birth from your People records, checks every PESEL, NIP, REGON and bank account number against its check digits, ticks the right day-count boxes for you, and prints your answers — in capitals, as ZUS asks — into ZUS's own PDF. The finished form is saved in your FileIt vault. You print it, sign it and hand it in yourself; FileIt never sends anything to your employer or to ZUS.

Who needs to fill out ZUS Z-15A childcare allowance claim?

• Employees and other people covered by sickness insurance in Poland who take time off to look after a sick child.
• Parents of a healthy child under 8 whose nursery, children's club, kindergarten or school closed unexpectedly, or whose nanny or day carer fell ill.
• Parents whose spouse or the child's other parent — the one who normally looks after the child — has given birth, is ill or is in hospital.
• Parents of a disabled child under 18 in the situations the form's Information pages describe.
• A parent or family member caring for a newborn in its first 8 weeks when the insured mother cannot, for the reasons listed on the form.
• Self-employed people who pay voluntary sickness insurance and claim the allowance directly from ZUS.

When to use ZUS Z-15A childcare allowance claim

• When you have a medical certificate (e-ZLA) for looking after a sick child and your employer or ZUS asks you for the application.
• When a nursery, kindergarten or school closes at short notice — the Information pages mention notice of less than 7 days.
• When you need to claim for a further period of care, for example after a new medical certificate.
• At the start of care for a newborn if the mother is in hospital or otherwise unable to care for the child.
• Whenever a new calendar year starts, because the day limits reset each year and the form asks about days already used this year.

What you need before you start

• Your PESEL number (or, if you have none, an identity document and your date of birth).
• Your home address and, optionally, a phone number.
• Your employer's NIP (or its REGON or PESEL) and full name.
• Your bank account number if you want the allowance paid into it — otherwise ZUS sends it by postal order.
• The dates of care and, if you have one, the series and number of the medical certificate.
• The child's PESEL (or identity document and date of birth) and first name and surname.
• The other parent's PESEL and name, whether they work (and in shifts), and how many days of care allowance they used this year.
• The same details for your spouse if they are not the child's parent, and for any other family member who drew the allowance this year.
• Supporting documents: the medical certificate, a statement that the nursery or school closed, or a disability certificate, as the Information pages list.

What’s on ZUS Z-15A childcare allowance claim

The 2026 edition has 9 pages. FileIt asks for it in 11 parts:

1. Your details (Twoje dane)Applicant
2. Your payer of contributions (Dane płatnika składek)Applicant
3. Bank account (Rachunek bankowy)Applicant
4. Period of the claim (Okres, za który ubiegasz się o zasiłek opiekuńczy)Applicant
5. The child you are caring for (Dane dziecka, nad którym sprawujesz opiekę)Applicant
6. Your statements (Oświadczam, że)Applicant
7. The child's other parent (Dane drugiego rodzica dziecka — matki lub ojca)Applicant
8. Your spouse, if not the child's parent (Dane Twojego małżonka)Applicant
9. Another family member who drew care allowance for this child (Dane innego członka rodziny — 1)Applicant
10. Another family member who drew care allowance for someone else (Dane innego członka rodziny — 2)Applicant
11. Remarks and signature (Uwagi, Podpis)Applicant

How to fill out ZUS Z-15A childcare allowance claim, step by step

1 Your details (Twoje dane)

Give your PESEL, first name, surname and address. The identity document and date of birth boxes are only for people with no PESEL. The phone number is optional but helps whoever handles your claim to reach you.

ZUS asks for capital letters. FileIt prints everything in capitals and uses a font with Polish letters, so names like Wiśniewska or Łukasz come out correctly.

2 Your payer of contributions (Dane płatnika składek)

This is usually your employer. Give its NIP; the REGON only if it has no NIP; a PESEL or identity document only if it has neither — for example a private person who employs you. Then its full name, or first name and surname. FileIt can pre-fill the name from the employer on your People record.

3 Bank account (Rachunek bankowy)

Optional. Enter the 26-digit Polish account number if you want the allowance paid into it. If you leave it out and ZUS pays you, the allowance goes by postal order to your address. FileIt checks the number's IBAN check digits so a typo is caught before you print.

4 Period of the claim (Okres, za który ubiegasz się o zasiłek)

Write the date or dates of care (from–to) and, if you received a medical certificate, its series and number if you remember them.

5 The child you are caring for (Dane dziecka)

The child's PESEL, first name and surname — or an identity document and date of birth if the child has no PESEL yet. Then say whether the child holds a certificate of severe disability, or a disability certificate stating the need for another person's constant or long-term care. If so, attach it.

6 Your statements (Oświadczam, że)

1. Whether someone else in your household could look after the child during the period, and on which days. The allowance is generally paid only if nobody else can, except for a sick child under 2.

2. If ZUS pays your allowance, whether you work shifts, and your working hours during the period.

3. For a child over 14, whether you share a household with the child during the care. 4. If you changed employer this calendar year, whether you drew care allowance through the previous one — and if so, how many days in each of the three categories.

7 The child's other parent (Dane drugiego rodzica dziecka)

The other parent's identification and name, whether they work and whether in shifts (with their hours), and whether they drew care allowance this calendar year — with the days in each category. Tick the box if the other parent is unknown.

8 Your spouse, if not the child's parent (Dane Twojego małżonka)

Fill this in only if you are married and your spouse is not the child's parent. It asks the same questions as the other parent's section.

9 Other family members (Dane innego członka rodziny)

Part 1 is for a family member who drew care allowance this year for the same child; part 2 for one who drew it for a different child or another family member — with the days by category and who cared for whom, described by their relationship to you (for example husband, or mother-in-law).

10 Remarks, date and signature (Uwagi, Data, Podpis)

Add anything else the allowance payer should know, date the form and sign it by hand. By signing you declare the information is true and undertake to tell the payer if it changes.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Counting the extra newborn allowance (up to 56 days in the first 8 weeks) in the day totals — the form says not to include it.
• Forgetting days of care allowance the other parent or another family member already used this year; the yearly limits apply to the whole family.
• Answering 'no' to the household-member question when someone at home could in fact look after the child.
• Leaving out the medical certificate, the nursery-closure statement or the disability certificate the claim depends on.
• When ZUS pays the allowance, not attaching the payer's certificate Z-3, Z-3a or Z-3b (or ZAS-12 for a further period).
• Typing a PESEL or bank account number with a transposed digit — FileIt checks the check digits for you.
• Filling in the spouse section when your spouse is the child's parent; their details belong in the other parent's section.

After you fill it out

Print the form and sign it by hand. Give it to whoever pays your sickness benefits: usually your employer, or ZUS if ZUS pays you directly. ZUS also offers this application as an electronic form on its PUE/eZUS platform; the PDF from FileIt is the paper version. FileIt never sends it anywhere for you.

Attach what the form's Information pages list for your situation — a medical certificate (e-ZLA or its printout), your statement that the nursery or school closed, a certificate about the other parent's illness or hospital stay, or the child's disability certificate. If ZUS pays the allowance, it also needs your payer's certificate.

A copy stays in your FileIt vault under the person you filled it for, so the details and day counts are easy to reuse for the next claim in the same year.

ZUS Z-15A childcare allowance claim: frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Blank form (PDF), published by Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych — Social Insurance Institution of Poland (ZUS): https://www.zus.pl/documents/10182/788036/Z-15A_do+wype%C5%82niena+i+wydruku.pdf/4014ad88-e3fd-4217-ab6c-8aa9cb034c82
• Official instructions and guidance: https://www.zus.pl/wzory-formularzy/zasilki/zasilek-opiekunczy/-/asset_publisher/fsx6FjlKBadA/content/oswiadczenie-zus-z-15
• Edition shown on this page: Z-15A, ZUS file of August 2026 (form printing order 82/23, Information order 569/26) (checked 2026-09-26).

FileIt is not affiliated with or endorsed by Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych — Social Insurance Institution of Poland (ZUS) or any government. This page explains the form in general terms and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Always read the official instructions, and check that you are using the edition the recipient accepts. Page last reviewed 2026-09-26.

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