--- title: "Teachers' salaries in Ukraine to rise by 20% from September 1: what will change in the payment system" description: "From September 1, 2026, teachers' salaries in Ukraine will rise by 20%, and the unified tariff grid will be abolished. The salary will be tied to the average wage in the economy, Prime Minister Serhiy Horenko announced." date: 2026-08-31T16:10:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/teachers-salaries-ukraine-rise-20-september-1-2026 tags: [ukraine, teachers-salaries, education, wages, government] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Teachers' salaries in Ukraine to rise by 20% from September 1: what will change in the payment system ![A teacher leads a lesson in a primary school classroom decorated with a Welcome to School mural — illustration for the news on a 20% raise for Ukrainian educators from September 1](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/31/zarplaty-pedagogov-vyrosut-na-20-s-1-sentyabrya-2026/zarplaty-pedagogov-vyrosut-na-20-s-1-sentyabrya-2026-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - From September 1, 2026, the salaries of pedagogical and scientific-pedagogical workers in Ukraine will increase by 20%. - The unified tariff grid is being abolished: the salary will depend on the position and a base amount equal to the average wage in the economy. - At the beginning of 2026, the position salaries of teachers had already risen by 30%, while for preschool and a number of other areas the increase is of a recommended nature. From September 1, 2026, the salaries of pedagogical and scientific-pedagogical workers in Ukraine will increase by 20%, and along with them, the very logic of calculating payments will undergo a fundamental change. According to RBC-Ukraine, this was announced by Prime Minister Serhiy Horenko. In his words, the key element of the reform is the abandonment of the current unified tariff grid: a teacher's salary will be calculated based on the position held and a base amount tied to the average wage in the country's economy. Thus, the state is effectively shifting the "anchor" of labor compensation from a fixed grid to a dynamic macroeconomic indicator. ### New pay model Abandoning the unified tariff grid means that from now on the size of the position salary will directly depend on two variables: the specific position and the level of the average wage in the economy. The Prime Minister emphasized that the new system will cover schools, higher education, inclusive resource centers, and state educational institutions. For a number of areas — preschool and out-of-school education, vocational and vocational higher education, as well as local self-government bodies — the increase in teachers' salaries from September 1, 2026 is of a recommended nature. This distinction between mandatory and recommended coverage is becoming one of the most discussed aspects of the announced reform. ### What exactly will rise The central element of the increase is precisely the position salaries of teachers, since it is from them, under the current methodology, that most allowances and surcharges are calculated. The growth of the base salary automatically "pulls up" all derivative payments, making the effect on a teacher's final salary more noticeable than it might appear at first glance when looking only at the 20% figure. The Prime Minister also reminded that at the beginning of 2026 the position salaries of teachers had already been increased by 30%, meaning the September increase will be the next stage of a sequential indexation. ### Additional payments The government, according to Horenko, not only retains but also introduces additional payments for certain categories of teachers. The specific list and amounts of such surcharges were not disclosed in the announcement; however, the very fact of their expansion indicates that the reform affects not only the base salary but also the structure of incentive and compensatory payments. This is especially important for teachers with a high workload, those working in difficult conditions, and in shortage specialties. ### Contradictory data When comparing the statements and figures, several inconsistencies emerge that should be taken into account. First, the headlines and announcements mention a one-time "20% increase," while at the same time the Prime Minister notes that at the beginning of the year the salaries had already grown by 30% — that is, the talk is of a cumulative effect of two waves, not an isolated event, and the total annual growth significantly exceeds 20%. Second, the wording about the "coverage" of all levels of education by the new system is at odds with the fact that for preschool, vocational, and a number of other areas the increase is designated only as a recommendation, not a mandatory requirement. Finally, the base amount of the new model is tied to the average wage in the economy, which, according to State Statistics Service data, stood at 32,243 hryvnias in July 2026 and fell by 1.6% compared to June — this means that the "anchor" of the new system was in a phase of short-term decline at the moment the reform was launched, which may soften the real effect of the increase in the first months. ### Context: average wage and timelines To assess the scale of the changes, it is important to consider the macroeconomic backdrop: according to data from the State Statistics Service, in July 2026 the average nominal wage in Ukraine stood at 32,243 hryvnias, which is 1.6% lower than the figure for June 2026. Tying the teacher's salary to this indicator makes the system more flexible in the long term but more vulnerable to fluctuations in the average wage in the short term. Thus, the 20% September increase and the abolition of the unified tariff grid form a new institutional framework for labor compensation in the education sector, the consequences of which will be assessed at the end of the first school year under the new model. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Teachers' salaries to rise as early as September 1: how much will be paid as extra](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/zarplati-pedagogiv-virostut-vzhe-1-veresnya-1788191639.html) - Первичный источник анонса: повышение на 20% с 1 сентября, отказ от единой тарифной сетки, заявление премьера Корецкого. - [Increase in Ukrainian teachers' salaries from September 1, 2026](https://novosti.ua/business/zarplaty-uchiteley-v-ukraine-vyrastut-na-20-s-sentyabrya-2026) - Подтверждает дату 1 сентября 2026 и размер повышения на 20%. - [Government announced a new increase in teachers' salaries from September](https://gazeta.ua/ru/articles/economics/_pravitelstvo-anonsirovalo-novoe-povyshenie-zarplat-pedagogov-s-sentyabrya/1249887) - Подтверждает анонс правительства нового повышения с сентября. - [MON announced a salary increase for kindergarten caregivers from January](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/zarplati-vihovateliv-sadochkah-mozhut-zrosti-1787131533.html) - Первичный источник анонса: повышение на 20% с 1 сентября, отказ от единой тарифной сетки, заявление премьера Корецкого. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: By how much will teachers' salaries rise from September 1, 2026? **A:** By 20%. At the same time, Prime Minister Serhiy Horenko reminded that at the beginning of 2026 the position salaries of teachers had already been increased by 30%, so the total annual growth is cumulative in nature. ### Q: What will change in the payment calculation system? **A:** The unified tariff grid will be abandoned. The salary will depend on the position and a base amount equal to the average wage in the country's economy. Most allowances and surcharges are calculated from the position salary. ### Q: Who is covered by the new system? **A:** Mandatory — schools, higher education, inclusive resource centers, and state educational institutions. For preschool and out-of-school education, vocational and vocational higher education, as well as local self-government bodies, the increase from September 1, 2026 is of a recommended nature.