The “eYasla” Program May Be Extended to Mothers Registered as Individual Entrepreneurs

The state support program “eYasla,” designed to help parents combine raising young children with work, may become available to a significantly wider range of Ukrainian families. Legislative initiatives have been registered in the Verkhovna Rada aimed at granting the right to receive childcare assistance not only to employed workers but also to individual entrepreneurs and self-employed persons. Currently, mechanisms are being developed to ensure the targeted use of state funds while eliminating inequality in access to social support depending on parents' form of employment.

The “eYasla” Program Proposed to Be Extended to Individual Entrepreneurs

An initiative has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada to grant the right to state assistance under the “eYasla” program to women registered as individual entrepreneurs.

It is noted that under current legislation, participation in the program is available to parents or other legal representatives of a child who actually care for the child and then return to full-time work. In practice, this arrangement mostly applies to employed workers.

At the same time, women engaged in entrepreneurial activities also pay taxes and a unified social contribution while combining work with childcare, but currently cannot benefit from the state support program.

The initiative aims to eliminate this inequality and allow women entrepreneurs to receive assistance on par with employed women.

It is also reported that the government generally supports the idea of expanding the program, but a control mechanism is currently being developed to verify that the state funds allocated are used specifically for paying childcare services and not for other needs.

What Draft Law No. 15265 Provides

Earlier, draft law No. 15265 was registered in parliament, proposing to extend the right to “eYasla” assistance not only to individual entrepreneurs but also to persons engaged in independent professional activities.

This includes, in particular, lawyers, notaries, auditors, and other self-employed persons.

The document proposes amendments to Article 12-6 of the Law “On State Assistance to Families with Children.” According to the new version, the right to assistance will be granted to a mother or other legal representative of the child who actually cares for the child and either works full-time or is an individual entrepreneur or a person engaged in independent professional activity.

The authors of the initiative emphasize that current legislation effectively excludes such parents from the state support system, although they participate in the country's economic life, pay taxes, and unified social contributions.

It is also noted that the implementation of the draft law will not require additional expenditures from the state budget. Payments are planned to be financed within the already allocated budget appropriations for social protection of children and families.

Alternative Draft Law No. 15265-1

In addition to the main document, an alternative draft law No. 15265-1 has been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada.

The explanatory note states that the current version of the Law “On State Assistance to Families with Children” effectively extends the assistance mechanism only to employed workers, since the criterion of returning to full-time work is linked to labor relations and labor law norms.

At the same time, the activity of individual entrepreneurs is economic activity and does not imply a fixed working time schedule. Therefore, the requirement to confirm full-time work cannot be applied to entrepreneurs and self-employed persons.

The authors of the alternative draft law propose to legally establish the right to receive “eYasla” assistance for persons who actually care for a child and are individual entrepreneurs or engaged in independent professional activities.

One of the key differences of the alternative initiative is the provision for the law to apply from the moment the right to “eYasla” assistance arises in general, i.e., from the beginning of 2026, which, according to the authors, will eliminate discrimination against such parents.

The document also takes into account the need for self-employed persons to fulfill tax obligations.

What Changes Parents May Receive

If one of the draft laws is adopted, the right to state childcare assistance will be available to parents regardless of their form of employment.

The initiatives aim to eliminate the legislative gap regarding access to the “eYasla” program, ensure equal conditions for employed workers, entrepreneurs, and self-employed persons, support families with young children, and create additional opportunities to combine parenthood with entrepreneurial or professional activities.

If the relevant changes are adopted, the Cabinet of Ministers will have to bring its regulatory acts into compliance with the new legislation.

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