Pension indexation, new rules for calculating IDP payments. What else will change for Ukrainians on March 1
Kyiv • UNN
Starting March 1, Ukraine will index pensions and introduce new rules for calculating benefits for internally displaced persons.
Starting March 1, Ukraine will have a scheduled indexation of pensions, and new rules for calculating payments to internally displaced persons will come into effect, UNN reports.
Indexation and increase of minimum pensions
The pension indexation will affect more than 10 million Ukrainian pensioners. Among them are ordinary payers of insurance contributions, pensioners of the military and security forces, Chernobyl victims, and people who receive payments due to workplace injuries.
Taking into account inflation and the average salary, pensions will be raised by almost 8% instead of the planned 13%.
On average, pensions will increase by UAH 32o, bringing the average pension in Ukraine to just over UAH 5,700.
At the same time, the maximum amount of indexation will not exceed UAH 1,500. The pensions that have been granted will increase by only UAH 100 in 2021-23.
Also, starting from March 1, the minimum pensions for the following categories will be recalculated and increased depending on age and insurance record:
- pensioners with a short insurance period - from UAH 2520 to UAH 2725;
- pensioners under the age of 70 with 30/35 years of service, respectively, for women/men - from UAH 2760 to 2980;
- for non-working pensioners aged 65 to 70 with 30/35 years of service for women/men, respectively, and for pensioners aged over 80 with 20/25 years of service for women/men, respectively, from UAH 3,120 to UAH 3,370;
- pensioners aged 70 and over with 30/35 years of service, respectively, for women/men - from UAH 3000 to UAH 3240.
New rules for calculating IDP payments
Starting March 1, 2024, stricter rules for calculating payments to internally displaced persons will be introduced.
Payments will be automatically extended for six months:
- persons with disabilities of groups I or II, children with disabilities under the age of 18, and seriously ill children;
- orphans deprived of parental care, persons among them under the age of 23, as well as foster parents and adoptive parents;
- pensioners whose pension does not exceed UAH 9444.
Payments will also be extended for six months, but only after submitting a new application:
- pregnant women after the 30th week of pregnancy;
- a minor child who arrived in a new community unaccompanied by a legal representative;
- persons who have lost their ability to work but are not entitled to a pension payment and/or receive state social assistance (if the average monthly total income per person in such a family does not exceed UAH 9444);
- persons of working age who are not employed but have registered with the employment center and have children attending kindergartens or educational institutions;
- persons who care for a person with a disability of group I, a child with a disability under the age of 18, a person with a disability of group I or II due to a mental disorder, a person who has reached the age of 80, or a seriously ill child.
Also, parents who are unable to work while caring for their children can apply for payments under the new application if the total income per family member per month does not exceed UAH 9444 and if such families live in the territory where hostilities are ongoing or may occur. In particular:
- persons of working age who are not employed and are caring for a child under 14 years of age;
- Families with three or more children under the age of 18 (all children live in the family and are not raised in boarding schools), and reside in the territory where hostilities are ongoing or may be ongoing;
- families living in conditionally safe regions of Ukraine, if there is no possibility to send a child to a kindergarten in their settlements, and schooling takes place online or in a mixed format;
- Families with an unemployed able-bodied person who, as of the date of application for assistance, was registered with the employment center as unemployed or looking for work and has children attending preschool or studying at school/vocational school/university.
