COVID-19 and business - Polish anti-crisis packages
For general information about the Polish anti-crisis shield,
visit the following websites:
Information on the activities of the PFR, which offers micro-companies and SMEs financial subsidies obtainable via banks. Large companies are able to take up several types of financing available directly from the Polish Development Fund.
The main page published by the Polish government containing information about the shield - a package of solutions prepared by the government to protect the Polish state and citizens from the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
For the latest information about the anti-crisis shield, please visit:
Information service for entrepreneurs implemented by the Polish government.
All foreign companies registered in Poland are eligible for help.
On the special portal about the anti-crisis shield, the measures have been divided based on the company’s size:
- One person company
- Micro company (up to 10 persons)
- Small company (up to 50 persons)
- Medium-size company (up to 250 persons)
- Big company (over 250 persons)
Companies can check measures applicable in their case using the links below:
Measures available for small companies
Measures available for medium-size companies
Measures available for big companies
The anti-crisis shield is based on five pillars:
• Protection of jobs and employee safety – PLN 30 bn
The government aims to contribute to employees’ salaries in order to protect jobs. Companies, which recorded a decrease in turnover, can receive a grant of 40% of the average salary in the Polish economy in the case of working time reduction or 50% of the minimum salary in the case of economic downturn. The government also offers financial assistance for the self-employed and employed persons under the contract of mandate and other specific work contracts (one-off payment of 80% of the minimum salary), assistance for parents in a form of care allowance or suspension of loan repayment for 3 months. The Polish Competition and Consumer Protection Office will also monitor the prices and check if their increase is justified in the market.
• Financing of entrepreneurs – PLN 74.2 bn
It is the biggest package of the government aimed at saving companies. It includes a loan for micro companies of PLN 5000 to safe jobs, possibility of obtaining loans on preferential conditions, more beneficial conditions for settling losses from 2020, suspension of social contributions for the Social Insurance agency for 3 months, favourable tax regulation prolonging deadlines retail tax suspension, support for transportation companies and much more.
• Health care – PLN 7.5 bn
Main focus will be the areas which are frontline when it comes to combating the virus. Investments will be made in medical infrastructure, for example adjusting medical units to the needs of the elderly or building daily medical care centres. The government will put emphasis on digitalisation of health care systems e.g. pilot project for e-services from the National Health Fund or building the fast Internet network in medical centres in rural areas.
• Strengthening the financial system – PLN 70.3 bn
The Polish government has launched two packages: regulation package of the Ministry of Finance and the Financial Supervision Authority and Liquidity Package of the Polish National Bank (for example lowering capital buffers, REPO operations enabling increased liquidity in the banking sector; lowering the base interest rate from 1.5% to 1.0% and the required reserve rate from 3.5% to 0.5% increasing liquidity in the banking sector; potential LTRO operations and similar operations used by the European Central Bank).
• Public investments – PLN 30 bn
The Polish government wants to stimulate investments as companies’ capabilities will be lower. Main focus areas are infrastructure, modernisation of schools and hospitals, energy transformation, digitalisation, biotechnology and pharmacy, environment protection policy.
More information on the anti-crisis shield and its pillars can be found here.
For information in Polish, please refer to the special webpage about the anti-crisis shield available here or call the special information helpline on +48 732 122 500 or
+48 22 484 84 84, available from Monday to Friday between 8-16.