Average salary of 30 thousand and pensions with indexation: what awaits Ukrainians in the budget for 2026
15 September 21:39
On Monday, September 15, the government adopted the budget of Ukraine for 2026. This was announced by MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak on his Telegram channel, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
He also said that in a few days, on September 17, the budget will be presented during a meeting of the Budget Committee. And by the end of the week, the document will be presented to parliamentarians.
It does not require a vote, so after the presentation and until October 1, amendments will be submitted by MPs. After that, the Budget Committee will prepare a table of proposals and budget conclusions (by mid-October),” Zheleznyak wrote.
“After that, the budget proposals must be approved. The deadline is October 20, 2025. The final approval of the state budget for the next year will take place by November 20.
What is known about the new budget of Ukraine for 2026
In total, expenditures are planned at UAH 4.8 trillion. This is UAH 415 billion more than in 2025. In particular, defense and security spending in the new budget will amount to UAH 2.8 trillion (UAH 168.5 billion more than in 2025).
The GDP for the next year is projected at UAH 10.3 trillion (UAH 1.34 trillion more than in 2025).
Revenues for 2026 are projected at UAH 2.82 trillion (UAH 446.8 billion more than in 2025).
And the last point is very interesting, because it is without grants and international assistance,” Zheleznyak notes.
In addition, according to the draft state budget, the Government plans to index pensions for 10.3 million pensioners from March 1, 2026. This will cost UAH 251.3 billion.
In general, Ukraine plans to spend an additional UAH 161.2 billion on so-called “social expenditures” in 2026. They will be distributed as follows
- social protection – UAH 467.1 billion
- veterans’ policy – UAH 17.9 billion
- healthcare – UAH 258 billion;
- science – UAH 19.9 billion;
- education – UAH 265.4 billion.
As for the elections, the budget for 2026 does not yet provide for their funding.
The subsistence level per person, according to the new estimate, will be UAH 3 ,209 per month starting January 1, 2026
It is also known that the minimum wage is planned to be UAH 8647 starting January 1, 2026. The average salary is expected to be UAH 30,032 (i.e., UAH 4146 compared to the outgoing year).
What other expenses are included in the budget:
- uAH 1.9 billion for the implementation of the Agreement between Ukraine and the United States on the establishment of the US-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund;
- uAH 878 million to support the activities of the President and the President’s Office (expenditures increased by 12.2%);
- uAH 1.76 trillion for the budget for the Ministry of Defense;
- uAH 1.5 billion to finance the “Single Telethon”;
- uAH 80 million for the activities of the Rada TV channel;
- uAH 865 million to finance the activities of political parties.
Read also: Tax Service breaks records: budget revenues increased by 24% year-on-year
As Roksolana Pidlasa, the head of the Budget Committee, explained in her Facebook post, the government plans to cover the expenses with its own revenues (UAH 2.85 trillion – without international grants), government bonds (UAH 419.6 billion) and international aid ($45.5 billion).
Pidlasa also emphasized that own revenues will increase by more than UAH 452 billion compared to 2025. This is mainly due to VAT (UAH 165.2 billion), personal income tax (UAH 93.6 billion, the main reason being an increase in spending on military salaries), and a part of the NBU’s net profit (UAH 61.8 billion.) In total, the NBU is expected to transfer UAH 146 billion to the budget.
In addition, for the first time, the budget clearly includes revenues from de-shadowing. It is about UAH 60 billion from the excess of total customs revenues (part of the defense reserve and allocated to a separate cell in the special fund).
In his turn, MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak noted that the state budget for the next year includes money from the “OLX tax” (taxation of Ukrainians’ profits from the sale of goods and services on marketplaces) and the introduction of an excise tax on “sweet water.” The government plans to raise UAH 22.5 billion next year (UAH 14 billion and UAH 8.5 billion, respectively).
In addition, the treasury should receive an additional UAH 26 billion from improving tax debt collection.
What will be the exchange rate in Ukraine in 2026?
The state budget document for 2026 does not yet provide clear indications of the average exchange rate the government is setting for the next year.
However, MP Zheleznyak says that it is easy to calculate it from the announced plans to attract international assistance (in hryvnia and dollars).
“Therefore, the government is setting the estimated average annual exchange rate of the hryvnia to the dollar at 45.6 UAH/$,” the MP said.
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