Pensioners are losing their well-deserved money: how to increase your pension

In Ukraine, many pensioners face problems with the inadequate accrual of benefits, which are lower than those provided for by law. This may arise from technical errors or the unreasonable application of pension legislation.

Lawyer Andriy Dzis, an expert in pension law, spoke about this issue, noting that his clients often complain about underpaid pensions. The main reasons are unaccounted-for service periods and the lack of data on income before 2000. A significant role in this process is played by errors in calculating benefits and indexation coefficients.

The expert emphasizes that underpayment of pension payments can be caused by both human factors and constant legislative changes, which employees of the Pension Fund of Ukraine (PFU) do not always have time to incorporate into their work. As a result, pensioners often do not receive the funds to which they are legally entitled.

How to check the correctness of pension accrual

Each pensioner has the opportunity to check the correctness of the accrued pension:

On the PFU electronic services web portal, in the “My Pension” section, you can find all the information about the pension amount, length of service, coefficients, and earnings on which the accrual was based.
Personal visit to the PFU branch – here you can get a written calculation and get an explanation.
Appeal to a lawyer – a specialist can check the data, in particular, take into account indexations and benefits.
Andriy Dzis noted that during the comprehensive check, an underpaid pension amount is often detected. In some cases, after correct recalculation, the pension may increase by 500-1500 hryvnias per month.

Algorithm of actions in case of error

To resolve the issue, if an error is detected during the check, it is recommended to:

Prepare documents: workbook, salary certificates, military ID, educational records, etc.
Submit an application to the Pension Fund requesting a check or a recalculation of the pension; this can be done in person or online.
Receive a written response – the PFU is obliged to respond within 30 days.
In case of refusal, appeal the decision to a higher body of the PFU or to the administrative court.
Even if the recalculation is refused, the lawyer emphasizes that the case is not closed. The court may oblige the PFU to make new accruals and pay all unreceived amounts.