New retirement rules: how the system will change and who will be affected by the strictest regulations

In 2026, Ukraine will change the requirements for the minimum insurance period required for the assignment of an old-age pension. Since the norm increases every year, future pensioners should check now whether they have enough years of service.

This is reported by “Pryamiy” .

Below are the current requirements, a list of periods that count towards seniority, and instructions on how to check your data in the Pension Fund.

Minimum length of service for retirement in 2026

Law No. 1058 defines the following conditions for receiving an old-age pension:

at 60 years of age – at least 33 years of insurance experience;

at 63 years old – from 23 to 33 years old;

at 65 years old – from 15 to 23 years old.

Example: if a person has 28 years of experience, then at age 60 they will not be granted a pension – they must wait until age 63.

What counts towards insurance experience?

Insurance experience is not just official work. It includes:

military service;

the period of receiving a disability pension and caring for a person with a disability;

sick leave and vacation;

activities of individual entrepreneurs subject to payment of contributions;

work abroad in countries with which social security agreements have been concluded;

Childcare for children under 3 years old has been automatically credited since 2005.

How to confirm experience

Periods of work after 2004 are recorded in state registers automatically.

Experience before 2004 is confirmed by:

work book;

certificates or other documents if the book is lost;

by decision of the PFU commission or court – if the enterprise is liquidated, is under occupation, or some of the records are incorrect.

Is it possible to buy additional experience?

Yes. Ukrainians can independently purchase the missing months or years of insurance experience.
This can be done at any age, and the cost depends on the minimum wage.

If you are a few months short, buying is usually economically justified. If the deficit is larger, it is sometimes more profitable to wait until you are 63 or 65.

How to find out your experience at PFU

Information about the internship can be viewed:

in your personal account on the Pension Fund portal;

in the PFU mobile application;

by submitting a request to the Foundation.

Periods before 2004 are reflected according to work book data, after 2004 – according to social security contributions.

As a reminder, in 2026 the Cabinet of Ministers plans to increase minimum pensions and index them. However, even after the increase, the average amount of payments in Ukraine will remain one of the lowest in Europe.

As reported, in 2025, a significant number of Ukrainian pensioners must undergo an identification procedure – a mandatory identity check, without which payments may be temporarily suspended.

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