Parents of first-graders who have not yet applied for the state assistance "School Package" must hurry: applications for the 5,000 hryvnia payment can be submitted until November 1, 2026, inclusive. As of October 27, according to the Ministry of Social Policy, over 202,000 applications have already been submitted, of which nearly 194,000 have been approved. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to the official statement of the Ministry of Social Policy on Telegram.
How Many Families Have Already Received the Payment and Who Is Eligible
The "School Package" program is intended for families whose children entered the first grade for the first time in 2026. According to the Ministry of Education and Science, over 241,000 children became first-graders this academic year. Thus, just over 83% of families out of the total potential beneficiaries have already applied for the assistance. The payment is targeted and provided for each first-grader in a fixed amount of 5,000 hryvnias.
What Funds Can Be Spent On
The "School Package" funds are intended exclusively for purchasing items necessary for studying. Parents can buy stationery, textbooks, children's clothing, and shoes. At the same time, the payment is targeted: it can only be spent at retail locations whose payment terminals have one of 30 permitted MCC codes. The current list of codes is published in the "Questions and answers about assistance to families with children" section on the official website of the Ministry of Social Policy.
How to Apply
The application for participation in the program is submitted in electronic format via the state mobile application "Diia". This avoids queues and speeds up application processing. At the initial stage, back in August 2026, families of first-graders had already begun receiving the first payments under the program, which confirms the functionality of the mechanism and the readiness of the infrastructure for a massive flow of requests.
Program Budget and Prospects
At the initial stage, the state allocated over 308 million hryvnias for the implementation of the "School Package" program. Given that the target audience is over 241,000 first-graders, and the payment amount is 5,000 hryvnias per child, the total volume of obligations under the program may significantly exceed the initial estimate. Nevertheless, according to the Ministry of Social Policy, the application approval process is proceeding actively: out of 202,000 submitted requests, nearly 194,000 have already been approved, indicating the high throughput capacity of the system.
Parents who have not yet submitted an application are advised not to postpone the process until the last days to avoid possible technical glitches in the "Diia" system during peak periods. After November 1, the acceptance of new applications for the "School Package" program for the current academic year will be closed.
