The Pension Fund of Ukraine (PFU) has published an explanation detailing which specific housing and utility services a housing subsidy can cover, and under what conditions a household is entitled to separate assistance for heating costs. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing an official statement from the fund. The explanation is timely ahead of the 2026/2027 heating season and is intended to clarify for citizens the scope of the subsidy, which often raises questions when submitting applications.

Which services are covered by the housing subsidy

According to the PFU's explanation, the housing subsidy can cover households' expenses for a range of housing and utility services. The fund emphasizes that the subsidy is not limited to basic payments only: it may include certain expenses related to the payment of utility services. At the same time, separate rules for granting assistance apply to some types of heating, which differ from the standard procedure for calculating the subsidy on general utility payments.

Stove heating: a separate type of assistance and its limitations

A special procedure is provided for households that use stove heating. A subsidy for the purchase of solid or liquid household stove fuel is granted under a strict condition: the household must not simultaneously receive a utility service for another type of heating. In other words, such assistance is available in homes where gas, electric, or centralized heating is not used for warmth. If any one of these types is present in the home, the right to a subsidy for stove fuel is lost.

Mixed heating: subsidy for only one type

The PFU's explanation contains an important clarification for cases where a building is heated simultaneously by thermal energy and by gas or electricity. In such a situation, the subsidy is granted for only one of these types of heating, not both. This means that a household in which, for example, part of the premises is heated by centralized thermal energy and part by gas equipment will not be able to receive a subsidy in parallel for both heat sources.

Exception for apartment buildings with autonomous heating

The fund provided a separate exception for apartment buildings in which consumers have installed autonomous heating systems. If they continue to be charged for the thermal energy supply service in the part of the expenses related to heating common areas (stairwells, attics, basements), the subsidy may be granted for this portion of the payment as well. Thus, even with their own boiler or gas equipment, an apartment owner in a multi-unit building retains the right to assistance with paying for the heating of common areas.

Practical takeaway for citizens

Summing up the explanation, the PFU emphasizes that the possibility of receiving assistance for heating directly depends on which specific type of heating is actually used in a given home. Citizens planning to submit a subsidy application within the 2026/2027 heating season are advised to determine the type of their heating in advance and ensure that it is not duplicated by another type for which a utility service is already being charged. This will help avoid a refusal to grant assistance or the need to review an already issued decision.