What will change for Ukrainians from August 1: deferrals, payments, fines
1 August 2025 08:31
The beginning of August 2025 will bring a number of important changes to Ukrainians in various areas, from transportation and education to business, social benefits and employment. In particular, some train tickets will be available only through Diia, fines for entrepreneurs will increase, and parents of first-graders and certain categories of pensioners will be able to receive financial assistance. "Komersant Ukrainian" explains in more detail what exactly will change on August 1.
Train tickets only through “Diia.Signature”
Ukrzaliznytsia is introducing new rules: starting August 1, tickets for the most popular routes will be sold exclusively through the Diia.Signature service.
At the first stage of implementation of the changes, verification is required for the following flights:
- #105/106 Odesa – Kyiv;
- no. 91/92 Lviv – Kyiv;
- no. 29/30 Kyiv – Uzhhorod;
- no. 12 Lviv – Odesa;
- no. 27/28 Kyiv – Chop.
You can no longer buy them at the ticket office. This decision was made to combat ticket speculation. At the same time, military personnel who are eligible for reservations can book tickets in the usual way – nothing changes for them.
Educational deadlines for applicants
Registration of applicants’ electronic accounts and creative competitions will be completed by August 1.
By August 6, the ranking lists of students recommended for state-funded enrollment are to be published.
By August 9, applicants must fulfill the conditions of admission.
By August 11, students will be enrolled on the state budget, and by August 18, they will be transferred to vacant state-funded places.
Stricter fines for businesses
Starting in August, liability for operating without a cash register will be increased:
- for the first violation, a fine of 100% of the value of the goods or services sold;
- for the second offense – 150%.
This applies to entrepreneurs who do not issue fiscal checks or operate without a payment transaction recorder.
The State Tax Service urged business entities to ensure compliance with the established rules of payments in the field of trade, catering and services. In particular:
- to use only registered cash registers, payment transaction registers or settlement books;
- make payments for the full amount of the cost of goods or services;
- issue appropriate payment documents to customers (in paper or electronic form).
Salary indexation
Following the lifting of restrictions, income indexation was resumed on July 1.
Employers must index salaries for July and August for those employees whose salaries have not changed since March. The indexation is applied only to the part of the salary that does not exceed UAH 3028 (the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons).
Amounts of additional payments:
- if the last salary increase was in January – UAH 133.23 (4.4%);
- in February – UAH 105.98 (3.5%).
Indexation is a mandatory requirement, and failure to comply with it will result in a fine.
Deferral to the Reserve for new categories
In August, the Reserve service will make it possible to apply for an online deferment from mobilization for the following categories
- researchers and teachers of higher and vocational education;
- those whose spouse has a disability of group I or II.
For which categories are deferrals currently available through the Reserve
- for people with temporary unfitness based on the results of the VLC;
- for families where a spouse is a military officer and they have a child under 18 years of age;
- for people with disabilities who have a valid disability pension certificate;
- for students, postgraduates and doctoral students who receive their education in a sequential order. For example, after obtaining a bachelor’s degree, they get a master’s degree. Or, after obtaining a master’s degree, they go on to graduate school;
- for parents with many children, namely families with three minor children in a joint marriage.
The summons may now be delivered by mail
Ukraine has changed the rules for delivering summonses to persons liable for military service. Now, mobilization orders can be sent by mail – by registered mail through Ukrposhta. This is stipulated by the Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 916 of July 30, 2025.
According to the document, the innovations apply to citizens who have passed the military medical commission (MMC) and do not have a valid deferral from mobilization. If a person has received a conclusion of the Military Medical Commission on fitness for service, but has lost the right to a deferment, he or she may receive a call-up notice by mail.
In this case, the mobilization notice is sent in the form of a valuable letter with a record of delivery. This means that attempts to avoid receiving such a letter may be regarded as military service evasion.
Thus, if you lose the right to deferment, but have a valid medical certificate, you should be prepared to receive a call-up letter by mail, without being called to the territorial recruitment center (TCC).
Open banking
Starting from August 1, Ukraine will introduce an open banking system.
The NBU explained that open banking involves secure and structured data exchange between payment service providers through specialized interfaces (APIs), which are transmitted only with the user’s consent in order to obtain information from the user’s account (balance, transaction history) and initiate a payment transaction.
Starting in August, customers will be able to pay for goods and services from several bank cards simultaneously. The system will be fully operational by 2027, but the first steps will already allow users to experience the convenience of the new financial ecosystem.
Financial assistance to parents of first-graders
Parents of children who will start school on September 1 can apply for a UAH 5,000 payment for school needs, including stationery, clothes, textbooks, etc.
The application can be submitted through the Diia app or in person at a Pension Fund office.
A draft law is also being prepared to increase the childbirth allowance from UAH 10,000 to UAH 50,000 and monthly maternity payments of UAH 7,000. But these changes have not yet come into force.
Pensions in August
Pensions will not be indexed in August.
However, those pensioners who are 65 years old or older and receive less than UAH 3,200 will receive an additional payment up to this minimum amount, provided they have sufficient work experience.
Also in August, pensioners who turn 70, 75, 80 years old, etc. may receive a pension supplement.
Payments for the Independence Day of Ukraine: who will receive assistance and in what amount
For the Independence Day of Ukraine in 2025, the state has provided a one-time financial assistance for certain categories of citizens. These are primarily war veterans, persons with war-related disabilities, family members of fallen defenders, and other groups defined by law.
Who will receive financial assistance
One-time payments are categorized, and the amount depends on the person’s status. The amount of assistance ranges from 450 to 3100 hryvnias.
uAH 450 will be paid to
- war veterans;
- former prisoners of concentration camps, ghettos and other places of forced detention;
- persons forcibly taken for forced labor;
- children of partisans, underground fighters and participants in the fight against Nazism behind enemy lines.
650 hryvnias are intended for:
- family members of deceased war veterans;
- families of fallen (deceased) defenders of Ukraine;
- widows/widowers of combatants, persons with disabilities as a result of war, victims of Nazi persecution who have not remarried.
uAH 1,000 will be given to:
- combatants;
- injured participants of the Revolution of Dignity;
- former minor (under 18) prisoners of concentration camps, ghettos and other places of detention;
- children born in places of forced detention of their parents.
uAH 3,100 is provided for:
- persons who have special services to the Motherland.
Persons with war-related disabilities and some former prisoners will receive payments depending on the disability group:
Group I – UAH 3,100;
Group II – UAH 2,900;
Deadline for the voluntary return of military personnel from the CLA
Until August 30, 2025, Ukraine has a simplified procedure for the return of servicemen who have left their units without permission for the first time. They have the opportunity to resume service without criminal penalties.
What the law provides:
- servicemen who left their unit without permission for the first time can return voluntarily;
- upon returning, they will be reinstated with monetary, food, clothing and other support;
- exemption from criminal liability is possible by court decision.
Important: the preferential mechanism does not apply to persons who left their place of service from November 29, 2024, until the law comes into force.
“Affordable Medicines” – even more drugs
August will also bring good news for patients. New medicines have been added to the state program “Affordable Medicines”: for high blood pressure, anemia, and special medicines for pregnant women.
They can be obtained free of charge with an electronic prescription from a family doctor.
This allows a wide range of patients to save money on treatment.
Social service providers are exempt from VAT
Starting from the beginning of August, social service providers included in the relevant register will not pay VAT.
The exemption applies to organizations of all forms of ownership, provided they are registered in the Register of Social Service Providers and Recipients.
The Ministry of Social Policy emphasizes that the VAT exemption will ensure equal conditions for all market players, increase competition for quality, promote participation in new projects, and reduce bureaucratic pressure.
