The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine announces a radical tightening of control over employee exemptions (brony) in the technology sector. The head of the ministry, Oksana Ferchuk, stated that the state is moving to stop manipulations with lists of those liable for military service, where companies reduce their actual workforce but continue to hold state exemptions for dismissed specialists.
Digital Audit and Synchronization with the Tax Service
The trigger for the Ministry of Digital Transformation's strict reaction was the results of an all-Ukrainian audit of enterprises with 'critically important' status. It turned out that against the backdrop of a prolonged decline in IT export volumes, companies were massively cutting staff, yet 'forgot' to notify the Ministry of Economy about the cancellation of exemptions for former employees. As a result, hundreds of dismissed specialists continued to be legally listed as exempt, bringing no income to the budget.
To eliminate this loophole, a system of end-to-end monitoring is launching on Monday, August 17, 2026. The 'Diia.Broniuвання' platform has received direct integration with the databases of the State Tax Service and the Pension Fund. Now, the system tracks the payment of the single social contribution (ESC) in real-time. As soon as the fact of an employee's dismissal or transfer to unpaid leave is confirmed, their exemption in the 'Obrіg' registry will be automatically cancelled within 24 hours.
Collective Punishment for Hiding Staff Reductions
Minister Ferchuk directly warned IT business leadership about personal responsibility. If an automatic check reveals that a company intentionally concealed actual staff reductions, and the number of exempted employees exceeded the legal limit of 50% of the current workforce, sanctions will be immediate.
Such an enterprise will be unilaterally stripped of its critically important status, which will result in the immediate revocation of exemptions for the entire workforce. The Cabinet of Ministers is methodically cleaning the system of 'gray areas' in the run-up to the winter campaign, signaling to business that state protection is provided exclusively to those who are currently ensuring the country's economic and digital defense.
Contradictory Data
There is a discrepancy in the interpretation of the effective dates of the new rules. The official statement by Oksana Ferchuk indicates the launch of automatic synchronization on August 17, 2026. However, a number of industry sources and representatives of IT associations report that the technical readiness of the 'Diia' system for full integration with the State Tax Service registries may not be completed until the end of the month. At the same time, representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers insist on an immediate transition to strict control, asserting that current algorithms already allow for the detection of discrepancies in staffing schedules.
Context of the 'Exemption Tax'
The tightening of control is happening in parallel with the Verkhovna Rada's preparation to adopt a law on economic exemptions, which is stalling in parliament. The government is trying to maximize the cleaning of free IT quotas from illegal beneficiaries, forcing the industry to either pay an increased military levy for each specialist or strictly adhere to labor discipline.
