Pension debts under court rulings exceed 97 billion UAH: The Rada proposes to change payment rules
The state's debt under court rulings regarding pensions as of July 2026 exceeded 97 billion UAH. A bill has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada that should prohibit limiting current pension payments, recalculated in execution of final court rulings, due to a lack of budgetary funds or special reduction coefficients.
Bill No. 15539 was registered on August 21. Its author is People's Deputy Andriy Kozhemyakin, a member of the "Batkivshchyna" faction, which after the formation of the new government in July announced its transition to the opposition.
The document provides for amendments directly to the law on the state budget for 2026. The main goal is to enshrine at the level of law the state's obligation to fully and timely pay pensions in the amount determined by a final court ruling.
What is proposed to be changed
The bill provides for two key changes. The first concerns pensions whose amount exceeds ten subsistence minimums for disabled persons. In 2026, a system of reduction coefficients may be applied to such payments.
Kozhemyakin proposes to directly write into the law that such a restriction does not apply to the part of the pension whose amount is established by a final court ruling, if the recalculation was made in execution of that ruling.
The second change concerns the financing mechanism for pensions recalculated after court rulings. The Cabinet of Ministers will continue to be able to determine the procedure for making relevant expenditures, but this procedure must guarantee the payment of the pension in full and within the deadlines provided for by pension legislation.
It is also proposed to directly prohibit making the completeness or timing of payments dependent on actual revenues to the Pension Fund budget or other conditions not specified in the law.
If there is no current government procedure, the Pension Fund must make payments in the general manner, without additional restrictions not established by law.
The court has already canceled the proportionate payment mechanism
The author of the bill explains the need for changes by the practice of the last two budget years.
In July 2025, the government adopted Resolution No. 821, which provided for the payment of pensions recalculated under court rulings in proportion to the volume of allocated budget appropriations. In fact, this allowed paying not the entire amount set by the court if there were not enough planned funds for the relevant direction.
As noted in the explanatory note, on March 4, 2026, the Kyiv District Administrative Court recognized this mechanism as unlawful and invalid. On June 8, the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal upheld the decision.
On July 21, the Supreme Court refused the Cabinet of Ministers to suspend the execution of these decisions. Cassation proceedings were opened, but the decisions of the lower courts were not suspended.
The author of the bill also claims that the Ministry of Social Policy has already prepared a new procedure to replace Resolution No. 821, but it again provides for the proportional distribution of budget appropriations. That is why the problem is proposed to be solved not by another government resolution, but by changing the law.
Debt exceeded 97 billion UAH
The financial and economic justification of the bill states that the Cabinet of Ministers in a statement to the Supreme Court admitted: as of July 2026, the total debt under relevant court rulings exceeds 97 billion UAH.
However, the bill does not provide for a one-time repayment of all accumulated debt. It primarily concerns current pension payments after a recalculation made pursuant to a court ruling and preventing further accumulation of debts.
The author of the document believes that the bill does not create additional budgetary obligations, since the state is already obliged to execute final court rulings.
Hundreds of millions are also spent on court fees
Separately, the explanatory note draws attention to the Pension Fund's own expenses for appealing decisions in pension disputes.
According to the data provided in the document, 209.3 million UAH in 2025 and 202 million UAH in 2026 were earmarked in the Pension Fund budget for paying court fees. At the same time, as the author of the bill claims, appellate courts uphold up to 89% of first-instance court decisions in the relevant category of cases.
Kozhemyakin expects that legislative elimination of grounds for limiting payments will not only curb the growth of debt, but also reduce the number of disputes and the Pension Fund's expenses for appealing them.
Currently, the bill has only been registered and submitted to the Verkhovna Rada for consideration. For the proposed rules to enter into force, the document must be supported by parliament and signed by the president. If adopted, the law will enter into force on the day following its official publication.
Based on materials: Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
