ZUS Algorithm Wrongly Denies 23,000 Contribution Relief Requests
Poland's social insurance agency ZUS acknowledged that an algorithm error caused it to wrongly deny or partially deny contribution relief to 23,000 applicants. The agency stated it would correct the decisions through internal audit for applicants who met eligibility criteria but were incorrectly denied relief from voluntary sickness insurance contributions.
What happened
The Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych (ZUS) began sending 23,000 decision letters on 11 January 2025 denying contribution relief (wakacje składkowe) requests that included both full and partial denials.
ZUS acknowledged that some partial denials may have originated from an algorithm error in the system handling requests, particularly cases where the algorithm granted relief from mandatory insurance contributions but incorrectly denied relief from voluntary sickness insurance despite the applicant being eligible.
Reported impact
Over 1.4 million applicants had already received the relief as of the announcement, while 23,000 faced denials or partial denials.
ZUS stated that applicants who had registered for voluntary sickness insurance on time would receive full relief, and the agency would correct affected decisions through internal audit and notify payers accordingly.
Index analysis
The algorithmic error affected partial denial decisions where mandatory insurance relief was granted but voluntary sickness insurance relief was incorrectly withheld despite the applicant meeting eligibility criteria in the month of application and the preceding month.
Governance controls
ZUS announced it would conduct internal audit (autokontroli) to identify and correct algorithmically-caused denials, with affected payers to be notified of corrections.
Applicants who received partial or full denials could appeal to court through ZUS.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.