Soviet-era service may not count towards a pension: who is affected
This is stated in a clarification issued by the Pension Fund.
Many Ukrainians who will be applying for an old-age pension in 2026 have insurance records dating back to the Soviet era. In some cases, such employment is counted without any additional conditions; however, there are categories of citizens for whom Soviet-era service may be counted only partially or not at all.
To ensure that years of service are not ‘wasted’, it is important to know the rules for including them in the total insurance record. Otherwise, a person may be awarded a smaller pension than they could have received had all periods of employment been taken into account.
The Pension Fund explains that service in the USSR is counted depending on which specific republic of the Union the person worked in.
If a Ukrainian worked in the Ukrainian Soviet Republic, these years are usually added to the service record without any additional conditions. The basis for this is the employment record book.
Different rules apply to those who worked in other republics of the USSR before 1992. Such insurance service may be counted under various conditions.
If a person worked in a country with which Ukraine has a valid international agreement, the service record is counted under the terms of that agreement.
Currently, such agreements have been concluded with Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Moldova, Lithuania and Latvia.
In other cases, Soviet service for pension purposes in Ukraine is counted only if it is confirmed that the person is not receiving a pension from the relevant former Soviet republic.
For example, if a person worked in the Kazakh SSR before 1992 and now receives payments from Kazakhstan, this service record will not be counted in Ukraine.
If, however, no pension is paid from Kazakhstan, a document must be provided from the pension authorities of that country confirming that the person is not receiving a pension from the state.
If no such evidence is available, the person must state that they are unable to obtain the relevant document. In such a case, they may contact the Pension Fund of Ukraine for assistance in obtaining a certificate.
Until such a document is received, the pension will be calculated without taking into account the foreign Soviet service record.
Once the certificate has been received, payments must be recalculated to take account of the new information.
Therefore, Soviet insurance service may be lost if a person cannot prove that they do not receive a pension from a former republic of the USSR.
This issue is particularly relevant for Ukrainians who worked in the Russian SFSR prior to 1992. Due to the war, most international contacts between Russia and Ukraine have been severed.
At the same time, periods of work on shift duty or on secondment in other republics of the USSR organised by Ukrainian enterprises are not considered as work in a foreign state.
As reported by ThePublic, pensions in Ukraine were automatically recalculated from 1 April for citizens who continue to work after retirement. The recalculation applies to those who have acquired additional insurance periods or reached a two-year period since the previous review of payments.
Follow us on Telegram
