MPs’ salaries start at 33,000 UAH: The Verkhovna Rada reveals the cost of maintaining MPs
20 March 19:20
More than 90 members of parliament receive up to 20,000 hryvnias in housing compensation each month, while their base salary starts at 33,000 hryvnias. In total, this means that the state spends about 1.8 million hryvnias a month on apartment rent alone , or over 20 million hryvnias a year. And this does not include allowances, bonuses, and other expenses related to the parliament. A request "Komersant Ukrainian" to the Verkhovna Rada Secretariat aimed to obtain specific figures—from the salaries of top politicians to expenses for vehicles, business trips, and housing allowances. How much do Ukrainian MPs actually receive during martial law? What expenses does the state incur to support them?
What is the salary of MPs?
The Parliament’s Secretariat confirmed: the remuneration of MPs is regulated by law and resolutions of the Verkhovna Rada. The key principle is that it is tied to the subsistence minimum.
“The official salaries of Ukrainian MPs are determined based on the subsistence minimums established for able-bodied individuals as of January 1 of the calendar year,” — Verkhovna Rada
Depending on the position, the following coefficients apply:
- Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada — 12 subsistence minimums
- First Deputy Speaker — 11.5
- Chair of a committee or faction — 10.5
- Ordinary Member of Parliament — 10
Additional payments are also provided for:
“Allowances are paid in the amount established for members of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine… A People’s Deputy who holds an academic degree or an honorary title receives an additional payment.”
The actual amounts are not specified in the response. Therefore, we use the subsistence minimum for able-bodied individuals—3,328 UAH. It is to this amount that the coefficients are applied. The resulting salary calculation is as follows:
Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada (12 times the subsistence minimum) = 39,936 UAH
First Deputy (11.5 times the minimum wage) = 38,272 UAH
Committee/Faction Chair (10.5 times the minimum wage) = 34,944 UAH
Member of Parliament (10 PM) = 33,280 UAH
This is only the “base” salary, without any allowances. And the amount can be significantly increased by: position-based allowances, academic degree allowances, bonuses (similar to those for Cabinet members), and compensation (housing, expenses, activities).
Therefore, actual payments are often 1.5–2 times higher than this base salary.
Housing compensation
The Parliamentary Secretariat has confirmed that deputies are entitled to housing compensation.
“A People’s Deputy… is issued funds monthly… to compensate for the cost of rent,” — Verkhovna Rada
According to data from the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Secretariat, in February 2026, members of parliament received compensation in the following amounts:
- 20,150 UAH — the most common amount
- 20,000 UAH — the second most common
- 19,500 UAH / 19,000 UAH — slightly less
- in some cases — 13,000 UAH (for a partial period)
In effect, the state covers MPs’ housing rent at the market value of a one-bedroom apartment in Kyiv.
According to the published list, over 90 members of parliament received compensation for just one month
That is roughly one in three members of parliament.
The list includes dozens of names. Among them:
- Oleksandr Aliksiychuk — 20,150 UAH
- Mykhailo Ananchenko — 20,150 UAH
- Maksym Berezin — 20,150 UAH
- Andriy Bohdanets — 20,150 UAH
- Yulia Svitlychna — 13,000 UAH (partial month)
Most receive the same maximum amount, indicating a fixed approach to compensation.
As a reminder, compensation is provided if a deputy: does not have housing in Kyiv, or is registered outside the capital
Even using a conservative estimate:
- ~90 deputies
- × ~20,000 UAH
This costs the state 8 million UAH per month, which is over 20 million UAH per year.
Thus, the system of financial support for members of parliament is formally transparent, but in reality—fragmented and difficult to analyze quickly. Base salaries appear modest, but when combined with allowances and compensation, they result in a significantly higher income level. Housing allowances have become standard practice: about a third of parliament receives them, and the amounts are nearly identical for most MPs. This indicates a standardized approach, but at the same time raises questions about the appropriateness of such expenditures during wartime.
