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Ukraine has introduced new rules for awarding old-age pensions, making it easier for some workers to confirm their insurance record and reducing the number of documents they need to provide themselves.
The changes took effect on August 2 under Law No. 4851-IX. Under the new procedure, the Pension Fund of Ukraine will obtain certain information directly from state registers when the necessary data is already available, meaning applicants will no longer have to submit additional certificates.
The reform also addresses situations in which an employer reported an employee’s wages but failed to pay the required unified social contribution (SSC).
Certain periods of employment can now be included in a person’s insurance record even if the employer has outstanding SSC payments, provided that two conditions are met: the employer submitted the required wage reports on time, and the accrued contribution was at least equal to the minimum insurance contribution.
Such periods can help workers meet the minimum insurance-record requirement for retirement. However, they will not increase the amount of the pension itself.
How much insurance record is required
In 2026, Ukrainians need at least:
- 33 years of insurance record to retire at age 60;
- 23 years to retire at age 63;
- 15 years to retire at age 65.
The requirements will gradually increase in the coming years. In 2027, retirement at 60 will require 34 years of insurance record, while retirement at 63 will require 24 years. By 2028, the requirements will rise to 35 and 25 years respectively.
The requirement for retirement at age 65 will remain at 15 years.
Who could benefit from the changes
The new rules could particularly help people whose employers formally reported their wages but failed to transfer SSC payments because of accumulated debts.
For example, a person reaching the age of 60 in 2026 with 32 years of confirmed insurance record could have additional periods of employment credited if the employer properly reported their wages and the accrued contributions met the minimum requirement.
This could allow the person to reach the 33-year threshold needed to qualify for an old-age pension at 60.
The reform is intended to simplify the pension application process, reduce paperwork and prevent employees from losing insurance-record periods because of unpaid contributions that were the responsibility of their employers.
