Changes in subsidies: The government has adopted new rules for calculating aid
3 March 2025 18:57
The government has decided to change the procedure for granting subsidies. This is reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to Resolution No. 222 of February 28, 2025 “On Amendments to Certain Resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on the Provision of Subsidies”.
This document amended the Regulation on the Procedure for Awarding Housing Subsidies, approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of October 21, 1995, No. 848 “On Simplifying the Procedure for Providing Subsidies to the Population to Reimburse the Costs of Housing and Utility Services, the Purchase of Liquefied Gas, Solid and Liquid Heating Fuel.”
The Cabinet of Ministers noted that the document aims to eliminate gaps and errors in the subsidy calculation mechanism so that citizens do not lose their due payments due to bureaucratic delays, as well as to improve support programs for IDPs.
In particular, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal emphasized the following:
“The decision was made to add additional subsidies to people who did not receive them due to untimely submission of data. Especially when homeowners’ associations or utilities delayed the information,” Shmyhal said.
Additionally, the resolution regulates the issue of rental subsidies for internally displaced persons (IDPs), introducing technical changes to expand the coverage of this program.
What does the new Cabinet resolution change for Ukrainians who want to apply for a subsidy?
People have been given the opportunity to personally submit the missing information for the subsidy if service providers or building managers did not provide it on time.
Previously, some recipients did not receive subsidies for certain utilities due to untimely data transmission from utility providers (for example, on services consumed or the absence of debts).
Now, it has been clarified that such people can independently submit the necessary documents (checks, receipts and other documents) to the Pension Fund of Ukraine (PFU). Based on this data, the Pension Fund authorities can assign or recalculate the amount of subsidy for the relevant service if it is included in the list of utilities taken into account when calculating the total subsidy.
In other words, a delay in information from housing offices, condominiums or utility companies will no longer prevent a person from receiving proper assistance, as they have the right to directly provide proof of payment for services and receive a recalculation of the subsidy.
How Ukrainians will be recalculated for missed payments
The Resolution of February 28, 2025 also obliged the Pension Fund to transfer subsidies to those citizens whose subsidies were not accrued in time due to data delays. The recalculation is carried out within the current season (heating or off-heating) in which the delayed information was received. At the same time, the presence of utility debt (if it falls within the permissible limits stipulated by the rules) will not be an obstacle to such a recalculation. Simply put, if the information for granting the subsidy was received late, the amount of the subsidy will be recalculated retroactively within the same heating period to return the citizen the funds that were not received.
What the Cabinet of Ministers has changed for IDPs who want to receive subsidies
The Cabinet of Ministers has also made changes to the pilot project to support IDPs, approved by CMU Resolution No. 1225 of 25.10.2024.
First, the government agreed that this pilot project will last for 2 years (expected to end in 2026).
Secondly, the Cabinet of Ministers clarified the terms and scope of the program. Now, the rental subsidy for internally displaced persons can be provided throughout Ukraine, except for the areas of active hostilities or temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation. Previously, the criteria may have excluded some frontline areas; now it is explicitly stated that IDPs can receive rental compensation, including in large cities such as Kharkiv and Sumy, which are not occupied, although close to the war zone.
