The Pension Fund of Ukraine has clarified that citizens who, by the age of 65, do not have enough insurance record (work history) to qualify for an old-age pension will not be left without state support. Instead of an insurance pension, they are entitled to a separate monthly payment, commonly referred to in everyday language as a “social pension.” This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the Pension Fund of Ukraine.
Who is entitled to a social pension
The right to this payment arises for people who have reached the age of 65 but have fewer than 15 years of insurance record. The fifteen-year record is precisely the minimum requirement for an old-age pension, and without it, an insurance pension is not granted. In this case, the social pension becomes an alternative source of income, although its logic is fundamentally different from the calculation of an insurance payment.
Amount of the payment in 2026
Unlike an insurance pension, the social pension is not tied to a person’s previous salary or position and is fixed for everyone who meets the conditions. The basic component is defined as 30% of the subsistence minimum for persons who have lost their working capacity; however, taking the additional top-up into account, the final amount cannot be lower than 100% of this subsistence minimum. In 2026, this amounts to 2,595 hryvnia.
How and when the money is paid
The payment is made monthly. The Pension Fund finances pensions and social payments up to the 25th of the current month, so the actual date of receipt may vary among beneficiaries depending on the funding schedule and the chosen method of collection. Experts emphasize: it is precisely the insurance record and the payment of contributions that are of key importance for a future pension, so before retiring it is worth checking the record data with the fund. If the employer did not pay the unified social contribution or the data were entered incorrectly, the record can in some cases be confirmed with documents.
How to buy up the missing record
Ukrainians can independently buy up insurance record if they are short on it for a future pension. The transaction can be carried out for oneself or for another beneficiary — for example, children can pay for their parents’ record. To do this, a contract for voluntary participation in the system of compulsory state social insurance is concluded with the Pension Fund, and there are two types of it.
Two types of voluntary participation contracts
The first option is cheaper but longer: it is concluded for a specific term — at least one year and up to five years, payments are made monthly, and one can retire only after the contract term expires. The voluntary contribution cannot be less than the minimum insurance amount — 22% of the minimum wage. To have one full month counted toward the record in September 2026, one must pay 1,902 hryvnia 34 kopecks. The second option allows one to buy up the missing record in a single transaction and retire immediately, without waiting for the term to end: the record can be bought up for one to two months, or for a year and up to a maximum of five years. This method is faster but twice as expensive — a minimum of 44% of the minimum wage per month, i.e. 3,804 hryvnia 68 kopecks in 2026.
Contradictory data
When fact-checking, it is important to distinguish between the Ukrainian and Russian pension systems: some Russian-language sources describe the procedures and payment amounts in force in Russia and cite different figures that do not apply to Ukraine. According to the Pension Fund of Ukraine, the social pension in 2026 is 2,595 hryvnia, and the cost of buying up record is 1,902.34 UAH (long-term contract) or 3,804.68 UAH (short-term) per month. Russian publications with different amounts reflect a different jurisdiction and should not be used as a basis for Ukrainian calculations.
Related payments in 2026
Certain categories are also entitled to special top-ups. Non-working pensioners who permanently reside in the resettlement zone after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident and who have been granted the status of a victim of the catastrophe (who lived or worked there before January 1, 1993) are granted a monthly top-up of 2,595 hryvnia in 2026. A separate pension for special merits to the state is awarded to those who fought for Ukraine’s independence in the 20th century; from March 2026 its amount is 5,667 hryvnia 51 kopecks and is reviewed annually taking the increase coefficient into account.
