Applications for the 2026 heating voucher could be submitted from 1 July to 31 August. The window is now closed. The subsidy ranged from PLN 1,000 to 3,500 and was paid to lower-income households that pay for heat from the network at more than PLN 170/GJ net.
Who met the conditions
The heating voucher is a one-off support payment for households that felt the sharp rise in district heating prices after the maximum heat delivery price mechanism expired on 30 June 2025. According to the Ministry of Energy and the gov.pl portal, three conditions had to be met at the same time:
- monthly income not higher than PLN 3,272.69 for a single-person household or PLN 2,454.52 per person in a multi-person household,
- using heat from a district heating system supplied by an energy company,
- a single-component net heat price above PLN 170/GJ.
Exceeding the income threshold did not automatically exclude a household from the programme. The “zloty for zloty” rule applied: the voucher was reduced by the amount by which income exceeded the threshold.
How much the 2026 voucher was worth
The amount depended on the net heat price:
- PLN 1,000 — price above PLN 170 up to PLN 200/GJ,
- PLN 2,000 — price above PLN 200 up to PLN 230/GJ,
- PLN 3,500 — price above PLN 230/GJ.
For the second half of 2025, the rates were lower: PLN 500, PLN 1,000 and PLN 1,750. One household at a given address could receive one voucher in a given period. When several people applied, the money went to the first applicant, and the other applications were left unprocessed.
Can you still apply?
No. The act of 12 September 2025 provided for two application windows: for the period 1 July–31 December 2025 (from 3 November to 15 December 2025) and for the whole of 2026 (from 1 July to 31 August 2026). The gov.pl website states: “The application window closed on 31 August 2026.”
How the procedure worked
The application was submitted to the commune (gmina) with jurisdiction over the applicant’s place of residence, electronically via gov.pl or the mObywatel app, or through ePUAP. The application usually included a certificate from the housing cooperative, the residents’ association or the building manager, confirming the use of district heating and its net price. Households that were parties to a contract with the heat supplier did not have to attach a certificate; they provided the data in the application.
Questions about the voucher can be sent to boncieplowniczy@me.gov.pl or to the Ministry of Energy’s helpline: 22 25 00 153 (working days, 10:00–14:00). We wrote about another benefit for older people in our article on the senior voucher and application conditions.
