A sub account is part of an account that is insured with ZUS. Does everyone have it?
A ZUS subsidiary account is a separate part of the primary account. Unlike the money accumulated in the primary pension account, the money in the subsidiary account is what is called inheritance money subject to divisibility and inheritance. Does everyone have a ZUS sub account? How do I check if I have a ZUS sub account? Can I withdraw money from the sub account during my lifetime?
Pension contributions are deposited in ZUS. Each insured employee has his own account, which contains information, for example, about the course of insurance and the amount of premiums. The account is created automatically by the office at the time the insurance application for a particular person is received for the first time. A large group of insureds also have a ZUS sub-account.
Who has a ZUS sub account?
A separate account where money is saved for retirement, that is, a sub-account, is also called the second column. Most insurance companies have them, but not all.
The office opened subsidiary accounts for every insured person born after December 31, 1968 and born before, and who had a contract with the Open Retirement Fund (OFE). 4.38 percent goes to the subsidiary account in ZUS. The basis for a pension contribution, if the insured has paid contributions to the OFE. If there is no agreement with the OFE, 7.3 percent of the amount goes to the ZUS sub-account. Pension contribution base. However, not everyone knows that when it comes to the money accumulated in the subsidiary account, different rules apply than in the case of the first pillar, that is, the main contribution to the pension in the ZUS. The difference is that the funds saved in the sub account are divided and inherited by the authorized persons. This is the case with:
- divorce
- Dissolution of marriage
- ending the property community;
- The death of the person to whom the sub-account belongs.
How do I check if I have a ZUS sub account?
If we want to check if we have a sub account in ZUS, we can do that using PUE ZUS. We need to log in to PUE ZUS, then enter the “Insured Person Panel”, select the “Account Status Information” tab.
How do you inherit money from a subsidiary account?
ZUS has detailed three cases that enable the funds accumulated in a sub-account to be inherited.
1. Legacy from an OFE member who has not reached retirement age.
In Poland, the retirement age is currently 60 for women and 65 for men. If the insured person was a member of the OFE, but has not reached retirement age, then upon his death, we first inform the OFE about this. You must submit the relevant documents and request payment of contributions to the fund. If the deceased had named an heir, the money would be divided according to the remaining instructions. Then, within 14 days, the fund must inform ZUS of the event, which will divide the funds accumulated in the sub-account in the same way as the OFE. The office has three months to do so.
2. The legacy of the insured who did not join the OFE
Insured persons who were not members of the OFE and at the same time the money was transferred to the ZUS subsidiary account had to submit a declaration regarding property relations with their spouse. Therefore, after the death of the insured person, half of the money is automatically transferred to the spouse, and the money is transferred to his / her sub-account.
The deceased can also indicate earlier the persons entitled to inherit, and thus the second half of the accrued contributions is paid in accordance with the instructions. If there is no specific person, half of the contributions go to the estate. Inheritance law applies here. The authorized persons may also submit a request to withdraw funds from the sub-account. The application must be delivered to your ZUS branch. The office has three months to transfer the money to the applicant.
3. Legacy from an OFE member who has reached retirement age
People who have reached retirement age have already transferred all the money accumulated in the OFE to a sub-account in the ZUS. A “safety slider” is used here, which is intended to protect funds invested by open-ended pension funds from volatility in the financial market 10 years before retirement. Therefore, the funds are obliged to gradually transfer the accumulated funds to the ZUS. With regard to inheritance, the same procedure applies as in the case of persons who have not joined the OFE.
If we do not know whether the deceased was a member of the OFE, and whether he had a sub-account at all, we must contact the ZUS branch, where we will obtain information.
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