Ukrainians can retire at the age of 60, 63 or 65. The age at which pension payments begin depends on the length of their insurance record, whilst the amount of the pension depends on their official salary and the contributions they have paid.
✨Briefly about the main points
- In 2026, to retire at the age of 60, you will need to have at least 33 years’ insurance record.
- If you have at least 23 years’ service, you may be eligible for a pension at the age of 63.
- To retire at the age of 65, you need at least 15 years’ service.
- The minimum pension for non-working pensioners with a full pensionable service record is 2,595 UAH.
- You can check your length of service on the Pension Fund’s website.
- It is permitted to make up for any missing contribution history by making voluntary insurance contributions.
The retirement age in Ukraine in 2026 depends on the length of service
The general retirement age in Ukraine remains at 60 for both men and women. However, reaching this age does not guarantee that a pension will be granted automatically: a person must have the required length of insurance service.
The following requirements apply in 2026:
| A person’s age | Required length of insurance cover |
|---|---|
| 60 years | at least 33 years old |
| 63 years | aged between 23 and 33 |
| 65 years | aged between 15 and 23 |
The conditions are set out in Article 26 of the Law «On Compulsory State Pension Insurance». The required length of service is determined as at the date on which a person reaches the relevant age. The Pension Fund of Ukraine
For example, if a person turns 60 in 2025 but applies for a pension in 2026, the requirement in force on their birthday applies. In this case, 32 years of service are required to retire, rather than 33.
What happens if you don’t have enough years of service at the age of 60?
A person who has reached the age of 60 but has not accumulated 33 years of insurance contributions will not be granted a pension straight away. They may continue to work officially or make voluntary insurance contributions.
Once a person has accumulated the required 33 years of service, they may apply for pension, without having to wait until they reach the age of 63. For example, if they are five months short of their 60th birthday, entitlement to benefits will arise once they have completed those five months of service.
If the required length of service is not accumulated, the next opportunity to claim a pension will arise at the age of 63 or 65. In this case, the requirements in force on the date the relevant age is reached will be taken into account.
People who, at the age of 65, have less than 15 years’ insurance record are not entitled to a standard old-age pension. Under certain conditions laid down by law, they may be eligible for state social assistance, the amount of which depends on the family’s income and financial circumstances.
Which periods count towards the insurance record?
Insurance history refers to the period during which a person was insured and the single social contribution was paid on their behalf. For a full month to be counted, the amount of the contribution must be no less than the minimum insurance contribution.
Service acquired after 1 January 2004 is calculated on the basis of information from the register of insured persons. Periods of employment prior to that date are confirmed by the employment record book, archive certificates and other documents.
Informal work without payment of social security contributions does not count towards your insurance record. Problems may also arise if the employer has not officially registered the employee or has not paid contributions on their behalf.
Under the conditions laid down by law, the following may be counted towards length of service:
- formal employment with social security contributions;
- business activities for which contributions have been paid;
- military service;
- parental leave;
- periods during which unemployment benefit is received;
- certain periods of study and care, provided they fall within the scope of the relevant legislation.
How to check your insurance record
You can check your insurance record at the Pension Fund’s e-services portal. You may log in using a qualified electronic signature, BankID or «Diya.Signature».
Once you have logged in, you need to open the «My Insurance History» section. This section displays details of your employers, your salary and the contributions paid, dating back to 2004.
It’s also worth checking:
- Have all periods of official employment been entered?;
- whether the surname and other personal details have been entered correctly;
- whether the employer paid social security contributions;
- whether the paper employment record book has been digitised;
- whether there are any missing months or years.
You can obtain OK-5 and OK-7 certificates via the Pension Fund of Ukraine (PFU) portal or the «Diya» app. If there is no information regarding employment prior to 2004, you will need to submit scanned copies of your employment record book and other supporting documents.
How much does it cost to top up your insurance record?
In 2026, the minimum wage is 8,647 UAH, and the minimum insurance contribution is 1,902.34 UAH per month. This is the amount that must be paid under a voluntary insurance scheme in order to accrue one full month of current insurance service.
If a person wishes to pay for past periods of service, the contribution is paid at double the standard rate. In 2026, the minimum cost for one month of past service is 3,804.68 UAH.
For example:
- one month’s past service — 3,804.68 UAH;
- six months — 22,828.08 UAH;
- one year — 45,656.16 UAH.
The amount due for previous periods must be paid in full within ten days of the contract being signed. To complete the formalities, you must contact the tax authority or use the State Tax Service’s online services.
What determines the amount of a pension?
The amount of the pension is determined on an individual basis. It is influenced not only by the number of years worked, but also by the official salary on which insurance contributions were paid.
The following formula is used for the calculation:
Pension = average salary × salary coefficient × length-of-service coefficient.
The average is taken into account wages in Ukraine during the three calendar years preceding the year in which the pension claim is made. The individual coefficient reflects the ratio of a person’s salary to the national average salary for the relevant months.
That is precisely why two people with the same length of service may receive different pensions. If part of their salary was paid off the books and no contributions were made on that portion, that amount will not be taken into account in the calculation.
Minimum and maximum pensions in 2026
From 1 January 2026, the subsistence minimum for people who have lost their capacity to work is 2,595 UAH. The minimum old-age pension for non-working pensioners with a full insurance record is based on this figure.
The maximum pension payment is ten times the minimum subsistence level — 25,950 UAH. Separate rules and restrictions may apply to certain special pensions.
Having 33 years’ insurance record to retire at the age of 60 does not mean that a person will automatically receive the same amount as others. The final amount depends on the total length of the insurance record, salary, allowances, supplements and any indexations that have taken place.
Who is eligible for early retirement?
Certain categories of citizens may be granted a pension before reaching the age of 60. These include:
- combatants;
- people with war-related disabilities;
- family members of the fallen Defenders of Ukraine;
- mothers with many children;
- mothers of children with disabilities from infancy or of seriously ill children;
- workers exposed to harmful and particularly arduous working conditions;
- liquidators and victims of the Chernobyl accident;
- certain employees who have been made redundant or who have left their jobs for health reasons shortly before reaching retirement age.
Separate requirements regarding age, length of service and supporting documents apply to each category; therefore, eligibility for an early pension must be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
When to apply for a pension
You may apply for a pension no earlier than one month before reaching retirement age, or at any time after you become eligible.
If you submit your application no later than three months after your birthday, your pension will be granted from the day following the date on which you reach retirement age. If you apply later, payments will only be made from the date you submit your application.
Documents can be submitted:
- at any Pension Fund service centre, regardless of where you live;
- remotely via the Pension Fund of Ukraine’s e-services portal;
- automatically, provided that the register contains all the necessary information and digitised documents.
Before retiring, it is worth checking your insurance record in good time, digitising your employment record book and correcting any errors. This will help to avoid delays in the payment of your pension.
