Pensioners in Ukraine now have the option to stop receiving payments via post and receive funds directly to a bank card — and this can be done fully remotely, without visiting a Pension Fund service center. According to RBC-Ukraine, citing the Pension Fund of Ukraine (PFU), changing the payment method requires submitting a single electronic application, sparing the elderly from queues and gathering unnecessary documents. The digitization of this procedure fits into the broader trend of moving social payments to electronic format, which the state is actively promoting in 2026.
How to submit an application online
The procedure is initiated by the pensioner themselves via the official web portal of the Pension Fund of Ukraine at portal.pfu.gov.ua. According to the fund, the entire process takes a few minutes: the electronic form requires filling in basic personal data and specifying the bank account details where the funds will be credited. The operation does not require presence at a territorial PFU office or any paper documents — access to the internet and current bank account data are sufficient.
Automatic redirection of funds
After a successful application submission, the fund's mechanism is automatically reconfigured: payments are redirected from the postal channel to the specified bank account without additional manual actions by the recipient. This means that after approval of the electronic request, the pensioner does not need to contact the fund again to 'activate' the new payment method — the system itself switches the payment flow to the card.
Contradictory data
An important caveat concerns clients of Ukreximbank: from October 1, 2026, the bank is ceasing pension, subsidy, and benefit payments, meaning its clients will be automatically transferred to service via 'Ukrposhta'. Thus, for this category of recipients, the recommendation to 'transfer pension to a card' may become irrelevant or require choosing another bank; if the address in the PFU is current, funds will be paid out in cash at home without additional actions. Two models — bank card and postal service — will coexist in parallel in 2026 for different groups of recipients, and it is important for the pensioner to consider which specific bank serves them.
Context: payments abroad and document package
Separately, lawyers remind that the Pension Fund does not always agree to pay pensions to Ukrainians who have moved abroad: the decision depends on the existence of an international agreement with the country of residence and passing annual physical identification. Furthermore, an already assigned pension may be suspended if the recipient fails to timely inform the fund of a change of residence. Against this backdrop, experts advise citizens to prepare not only a 'worry suitcase' but also a package of copies of key documents that simplify the restoration of passports, certificates, and property rights.
Thus, transferring pension payments to a bank card via the PFU portal becomes a convenient tool for most recipients; however, when planning the method of receiving money in 2026, it is important to consider both the technical capabilities of the online application and specific restrictions related to service in certain banks and living abroad.
