Amounts of child maintenance in Poland

When is the maintenance amount determined by Polish court?

When the parents of the child are not able to agree on the amount of child alimony, it is necessary to initiate a maintenance court proceeding in Poland. The maintenance for a common child may be determined in a divorce decree or in a separate court proceeding.

How much is child maintenance in Poland?

The maintenance for children in Poland is very individual matter. In Polish Family and Guardianship Code there is not standard, statutory child maintenance amounts which Polish court will consider and grant for the child. The Polish court would determine the maintenance amount taking into consideration:

• child’s justified needs – during the divorce or maintenance preceding the court determines the needs of the child and child’s monthly cost of living to satisfy those needs,
• the financial capacity of the parents – the court considers the following issues: income, possessions, age, education, professional experience, health status and costs of living, number of people in the common household,
• parents’ standard of living – child has right to live at the same standard of living as parents,
• principles of life experience – some costs of living cannot be proved then the court based on the principles of life experience estimates the amount of maintenance.

The amount of alimony in Poland may range from several hundred zlotys to several thousand zlotys per child.