Pension payments may be temporarily suspended under a number of conditions — the Pension Fund explained the main reasons and the procedure for their restoration.
In some situations, Ukrainian pensioners may be temporarily suspended from accruing payments. Such cases are regulated by the law “On Compulsory State Pension Insurance”. This is written by the “Sudovo-Yurydychna Gazeta”, reports the PromPolitInform portal.
As explained by the Main Department of the Pension Fund of Ukraine in the Odessa region, there are three most common reasons.
Physical identification has not been passed. This applies to pensioners living in temporarily occupied territories (TOT) or abroad. Identification must be passed every year, by December 31.
Lack of movement of funds in the account. If a TOT pensioner does not use a bank account for more than 6 months, payments may be suspended.
Notification of non-receipt of a pension from the Russian Federation has not been submitted. These are people who remain in the TOT or have left for the territory controlled by Ukraine. In this case, it is necessary to confirm that they do not receive payments from the Russian pension authorities.
Who needs to undergo identification
The issue of identification is especially relevant for those who live in the temporarily occupied territories or are abroad, because the procedure must be completed every year by the end of December. If a TOT pensioner does not use the account for more than six months, this may also be a reason for stopping payments. It is also important to submit an application for non-receipt of a pension from the Russian Federation for those who remain in the occupied territory or have left for the territory controlled by Ukraine.
How to resume pension payments
The mechanism for renewal depends on the circumstances. Persons who are in the temporarily occupied territories can submit an application remotely through the electronic services of the Pension Fund and undergo identification online – using “Diya.Pidpisu” or during a video call with a representative of the institution. Those who have left for the controlled territory must personally contact the service center and confirm that they do not receive payments from the Russian Federation.
Citizens who are outside Ukraine must send a package of documents by mail confirming their status, place of residence, the fact that the person is alive, as well as provide a copy of the Ukrainian passport. All documents must be translated into Ukrainian and duly certified.
Changes to the rules in 2026
In 2026, certain conditions were clarified. In particular, if a pensioner passed identification in the period from the beginning of 2025 to February 1, 2026, but did not submit an application for non-receipt of payments from the Russian Federation, the pension will be paid only until April 1, 2026.
