Pensions for IDPs (internally displaced persons), who were receiving payments before the full-scale invasion and have not used their account for over a year, will be kept in the Pension Fund of Ukraine

The government has adopted a decision regulating the issue of pension funds for those who, due to the war, remained in temporarily occupied territories and lost contact with the bank. The changes stipulate the transfer of pension funds of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have not used their accounts or undergone identification for over a year to the Pension Fund of Ukraine for safekeeping.

As of October 1, 2023, the accounts of such pensioners in "Oschadbank" had accumulated over UAH 10 billion, which remained inactive as these individuals did not use their cards or interact with the bank.

To ensure transparent accounting of these funds, the Law "On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2025" provided that the funds of such pensioners would be kept in the Pension Fund of Ukraine.

At the same time, the right to these funds remains fully with the pensioners to whose accounts they were accrued. If the owners of the funds are alive or have legal heirs (relatives entitled to receive these funds), they can receive the funds in a single payment in full.

Please note: this provision applies exclusively to the funds of pension recipients who simultaneously meet the following conditions:

• Are (or were) internally displaced persons (IDPs) from territories occupied before February 24, 2022.
• Received pensions as IDPs before the start of the full-scale invasion.
• Have not used their pension account for over a year or have not undergone physical identification for over six months.

Important: the funds of a person who has already undergone physical identification or does so before the actual transfer of funds from the account to the Pension Fund of Ukraine will remain in the bank account and will not be transferred to the Pension Fund.

What will change in the near future?

After the Pension Fund compiles the lists and transfers them to "Oschadbank," the bank will carry out the transfers according to a schedule established by the Ministry of Finance in agreement with the National Bank of Ukraine. The Ministry of Social Policy will coordinate the process and monitor the movement of funds in real time.

The right to the pension and the full amount of accrued funds remains with the owner. To receive the returned pension amounts, an application must be submitted to the Pension Fund of Ukraine (in person, through the PFU web portal, or at "Oschadbank" during identification). After submitting the application, the funds will be paid out in a single full amount to the bank account.

In the event of the recipient's death, the unpaid funds can be received by their relatives (heirs).

What can you do now?

To ensure your pension funds remain accessible to you without any changes, you must undergo physical identification in one of the following ways:

• at an "Oschadbank" branch;
• at a territorial office of the Pension Fund of Ukraine;
• via video identification through the web portal of electronic services of the Pension Fund of Ukraine;

through authorization on the Pension Fund of Ukraine web portal or the Unified State Web Portal of Electronic Services using a qualified electronic signature.

If you regularly use your card and have already undergone identification, your funds will remain in your bank account and will not be transferred to the Pension Fund of Ukraine.

For additional consultations, contact the hotline of the Pension Fund of Ukraine: 0 800 503 753 (free from landlines and mobile phones within Ukraine).

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