The Rada has authorised the verification of employment history without an employment record book – what the law changes
This is set out in Bill No. 13705-d, which has been adopted by the Verkhovna Rada, and in a statement from parliament.
Bill No. 13705-d amends the Law of Ukraine “On Compulsory State Pension Insurance” regarding the confirmation of insurance periods. The Verkhovna Rada explained that the document aims to improve the legal mechanisms for confirming insurance periods and to simplify the procedures for awarding and recalculating pensions for people who lack the necessary documents.
Parliament explicitly states that the problem has been exacerbated by the war. This concerns the widespread destruction or loss of archives belonging to enterprises, institutions and organisations, as well as the lack of access to documents in the temporarily occupied territories. This particularly applies to periods of employment prior to 1 July 2000, when personalised records were not yet in use within the compulsory state social insurance system.
What exactly does the law change?
One of the key innovations is that if there is no data in the state registers for the award or recalculation of a pension, the Pension Fund will be required to inform the individual of the absence of such information and the need to submit it, as well as to assist in restoring this data. It is precisely this approach that the authors of the legislative amendments describe as part of simplifying the procedure for confirming length of service.
In the absence of an employment record book or relevant entries therein, length of service, as stated in the explanatory notes to the law, may be established on the basis of the testimony of at least two witnesses who know the applicant through shared employment. Furthermore, confirmation is possible using data from state electronic registers and information systems or through a court ruling establishing the period of employment and the nature of the work performed.
Separately, the law provides that, under certain conditions, periods of employment for which the employer did not pay the single social contribution due to outstanding debts may also be counted towards the insurance record. This provision is one of the most sensitive, as it concerns cases where an employee actually worked but, due to the employer’s debts, was unable to fully confirm their insurance record for a pension.
At the same time, the main document for confirming employment history for the period prior to the introduction of personalised records remains, as before, the employment record book. If this is not available, a person may submit other documents – from their place of work, study, or service, or archive certificates, provided they have been preserved and are accessible.
Draft Law No. 13705-d was registered on 31 October 2025; on 5 November 2025, parliament adopted it in principle, and on 9 April 2026, it was passed at second reading and in its entirety. 242 MPs voted in favour of its final adoption.
As reported by ThePublic, Pension Fund officials have declared millions in income, flats and cash.
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