The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has changed the procedure for paying housing allowances to internally displaced persons (IDPs) to close a gap that left some families with children without money for August 2026. This was announced by Member of Parliament Pavlo Frolov in his Telegram channel, referenced by RBC-Ukraine. According to him, this primarily concerns those IDPs whose previous payment period ended on July 31: due to a September government decree extending IDP assistance for another six months, the new rules only came into effect on September 1, and no funds were accrued for August.
Automatic Accrual: No Applications Need to Be Submitted
According to the updated procedure, payments for August to IDP children and families meeting the established criteria will be calculated automatically. Separate applications or appeals to social protection authorities are not required. Frolov emphasized that assistance to IDP children continues to be provided automatically and without taking parental income into account, preserving the core principle of targeted yet simplified support for the most vulnerable category.
Legal Collision and Parliamentary Pressure
The MP explained that the government decided to adjust the procedure after persistent demands from parliamentarians to resolve a legal conflict that arose at the intersection of two regulatory acts. The September decree extending the IDP assistance program for six months effectively created a "blind spot" for those whose previous payment cycle expired at the end of July. This exact group—families with children, the elderly, people with disabilities—was the most affected: for them, August became a month without any housing allowance at all.
New IDP Law: What Changes in Registration Starting October 22
In parallel with the adjustment of payments, a systemic reform of IDP registration is taking place. A new law on internally displaced persons came into force on October 22, 2026. At the same time, IDP certificates issued earlier retain full legal force; there is no need to re-register. Meanwhile, the new law clearly sets out the grounds under which an IDP can be deregistered, including without their personal application. Among such grounds is a prolonged stay outside Ukraine, which, according to the legislators, should improve the accuracy of budget fund distribution and eliminate cases where allowances are received by individuals who do not actually need them.
Increase in Allowances Starting from 2027
The Budget Committee of the Verkhovna Rada has included amendments in its instructions to the government providing for an increase in the amount of the housing allowance starting from 2027. Under the new parameters, the amount will grow by 1,000 hryvnias: for adult IDPs, it will be 3,000 hryvnias per month, and for children and people with disabilities, 4,000 hryvnias. These changes are currently in the coordination stage and will enter into force no earlier than the beginning of the next budget cycle.
Context: IDP Assistance Program in 2026
The housing allowance for internally displaced persons is a key element of state social support formed in response to mass population displacement since the beginning of the full-scale war. The program has been extended and adjusted several times: the September Cabinet decree mentioned by Frolov was the latest six-month extension. Regular changes in the accrual and registration procedures, as the current situation shows, generate legal inconsistencies that then have to be fixed with targeted amendments. Commenting on the situation, MP Frolov emphasized that the automation of payments and the clear consolidation of grounds for deregistration are two interrelated areas designed to simultaneously simplify access to assistance and increase the transparency of budget spending.
