Personal Assistant for People with Disabilities
Ministerial programme of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, funded from the Solidarity Fund. The assistant helps with daily activities — leaving the house, shopping, doctor visits, paperwork, rehabilitation, cultural events. Gives the person with a disability independence, and caregivers — a break.
Check if you qualify →Who qualifies for a personal assistant?
- Adults with a significant or moderate disability certificate
- Children up to age 16 with a disability certificate (with constant-care indication)
- Persons with an equivalent ruling (Group I or II disability, total inability to work and function independently)
- No income criterion — the certificate decides, not earnings
- Free service for the participant — costs covered by the Solidarity Fund
The programme is run by communes, counties and NGOs that joined the 2026 edition. If your commune does not participate, check the list of approved NGOs on the MRPiPS website or ask in a neighbouring commune.
How to get an assistant?
Step 1: MOPS / MOPR / PCPR
Contact the social-assistance office in your commune or the county family-support centre. A social worker will tell you whether the local government joined the 2026 programme and what hour pool is available.
Step 2: application form
Fill out the application form (template on the MRPiPS website). Required: copy of the disability certificate, personal details, preferred scope of support (shopping, transport, help at home, participation in events).
Step 3: choosing the assistant
You can select the assistant yourself (a close relative cannot perform this role) or use the pool of the organisation running the programme. The assistant must have qualifications (disability assistant, medical carer, special educator) or at least 6 months of documented experience.
Hour limits
Significant grade or equivalent: up to 840 h/year. Moderate grade: up to 480 h/year. Child with certificate: up to 360 h/year. Hours settled monthly, flexibly through the day.
Frequently asked questions
- How many assistant hours are available in 2026?
- Significant grade or equivalent ruling — up to 840 h/year (~70 h/month). Moderate grade — up to 480 h/year (~40 h/month). Child with certificate to age 16 — up to 360 h/year. Monthly limit is set by the programme operator.
- How much does it cost?
- For the participant — PLN 0. The full cost of the assistant's work is covered by the Solidarity Fund. No co-payment, no income criterion.
- Can the assistant be a family member?
- No. The assistant cannot be a direct-line relative (parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren) nor live in the same household. More distant family (cousins), friends, or applicants from ads are allowed.
- Can AOON be combined with the caregiving benefit?
- Yes — an assistant is a service (not a cash benefit), so it does not affect entitlement to the caregiving benefit, nursing allowance, supportive benefit or social pension. Can be combined without restrictions.
- What if my commune did not join the programme?
- Check neighbouring communes or the list of approved NGOs on the MRPiPS website — organisations often work regionally, not only in one commune. You can also ask your MOPS if they plan to join the next edition.
Have a disability certificate?
Check in the calculator which forms of support — personal assistant, respite care, supportive benefit — you can combine in your situation.
Open the calculator →