How to increase your pension by 3,000 UAH: an easy formula to prevent poverty in old age

Citizens of Ukraine who have reached retirement age and continue to work may receive increased payments from the state.

According to the Pension Fund, current legislation encourages people to delay receiving their pension until they reach 60 years of age.

For each month that a person works after retirement age, a supplement is added to the basic payment. This is enshrined in the Law of Ukraine No. 1058-IV “On Compulsory State Pension Insurance”, as well as in relevant government decisions and clarifications.

An important norm is Article 42 of the aforementioned law, which allows for recalculation of pensions every two years for those pensioners who continue to work. During this recalculation, the following may be taken into account:

additional insurance experience;

the new salary, if higher, and at the pensioner’s request.

Thanks to such recalculations, pension payments can increase by 3-10%. The recalculation occurs automatically on April 1, or the pensioner can apply for it at any time after completing a two-year work period.

However, the largest increase is possible if a person does not draw a pension at all and continues to work. This is regulated by Article 29 of Law No. 1058-IV.

According to this article, the pension payment may be increased:

by 0.5% for each month if retirement is postponed up to 60 months;

by 0.75% for each month if the retirement age is postponed for more than five years.
For example, if the basic pension is 10 thousand hryvnias, and a person decides to draw it only after five years, the monthly payment may be approximately 13 thousand hryvnias.

It should be noted that regular recalculations do not always improve pensioners’ quality of life, raising questions about the real level of pensions.

In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to information on planned changes to pension payments for 2026.