Work longer and pay more: how Ukrainians can earn a higher pension.

Ukrainians should receive an official salary to regularly make contributions, which will later be used to pay out their pensions. If salaries are concealed and contributions are not made, the payouts will be lower. Concerns about the risks of "gray" salaries and how to secure a larger pension were discussed on the Facebook page of the Ministry of Social Policy.

The note emphasizes the primary factor in pension growth—official employment. It also recalls a report from the Pension Fund, which mentions the "de-shadowing" of salaries for 57,000 Ukrainians (which is 3% of the 2 million individuals who are violating the law and are referenced in the report from the PFU).

Pensions in Ukraine — how they are related to the Unified Social Contribution (USC)

The Ministry of Social Policy identified two factors that will affect pensions in the future:

• the higher the unified social contribution (USC) paid from the official salary, the greater the payouts;
• the longer the USC is paid, the higher the pension.

In a message from the ministry that appeared on Facebook two days ago, on December 24, additional arguments were provided in favor of paying the USC. One argument is that the contribution is not a tax, but it grants the right to receive a pension and insurance benefits (for instance, due to illness or unemployment). The second argument is that the funds contributed by working Ukrainians enable the payment of pensions to current retirees.

How the USC is paid

New pensions in 2025

Meanwhile, the Verkhovna Rada is preparing to review the draft law for the next stage of the pension reform that will be implemented in Ukraine. If the document is supported, starting from July 1, 2025, Ukrainians will receive pension payouts in a new way. Specifically, citizens will have a basic pension of 1,848 UAH, to which insurance funds will be added based on the salary size and special points. Thus, officials plan to make the pension system fairer, as explained in the media.

We remind you that in 2025, a new stage of pension reform will come into effect, concerning the accumulation of pensions: analysts have explained the potential dangers for citizens. At the same time, the insurance period is increasing, which allows a person to qualify for a retirement pension.