Pension Due to Loss of Breadwinner: Conditions for Appointment and Payment Amounts

Incapacitated family members of the deceased breadwinner who were dependent on him have the right to be granted a pension due to the loss of a breadwinner according to the norms of the Law of Ukraine "On Compulsory State Pension Insurance." At the same time, children are granted a pension due to the loss of a breadwinner regardless of whether they were dependent on the breadwinner. This was reminded by the Pension Fund.

The list of incapacitated family members entitled to this type of pension is defined by Article 36 of the Law of Ukraine "On Compulsory State Pension Insurance."

Incapacitated family members are considered to be:

1) husband (wife), father, mother, if they are persons with disabilities or have reached the age of 65, or the retirement age provided for by Article 26 of this Law;

2) children (including children born within 10 months from the date of the breadwinner's death) of the deceased breadwinner who have not reached 18 years of age or older if they became persons with disabilities before reaching 18 years.

Children studying full-time in general secondary education institutions, as well as vocational, technical, and higher education institutions (including the period between finishing studies at one of these institutions and enrolling in another, or the period between completing studies at one educational qualification level and continuing studies at another, provided that such period does not exceed four months) are entitled to the pension until they finish their studies but not longer than until they reach 23 years of age; orphaned children are entitled until they reach 23 years regardless of whether they study or not.

Adopted children have the right to a pension due to the loss of a breadwinner on par with biological children. Stepsons and stepdaughters have the right to a pension due to the loss of a breadwinner on par with biological children if they did not receive alimony from their parents;

3) husband (wife), and if they are absent - one of the parents or a brother or sister, grandfather or grandmother of the deceased breadwinner regardless of age and capacity to work, if he (she) does not work and is engaged in caring for the child (children) of the deceased breadwinner until the child (children) reach 8 years of age.

The pension due to the loss of a breadwinner is granted to incapacitated family members of the deceased breadwinner who were dependent on him:

- if the breadwinner had an insurance record from 1 to 15 years on the day of death (the length of insurance record that entitles family members to a pension depends on the age at which the breadwinner died),

- regardless of the length of the breadwinner's insurance record in case of death of a person who performed the function of a donor of human anatomical materials, a pensioner, persons who died as a result of wounds, injuries, concussions, or other health damage received during participation in mass public protest actions in Ukraine from November 21, 2013, to February 21, 2014, for European integration and against the Yanukovych regime (Revolution of Dignity), and a person granted the legal status of a person missing under special circumstances.

The pension due to the loss of a breadwinner is granted in the amount of:

• for one family member – 50 percent of the deceased breadwinner's old-age pension;
• for two or more family members – 100 percent of the deceased breadwinner's old-age pension, distributed equally among them.

The amount of the pension due to the loss of a breadwinner cannot be lower than: 100% of the subsistence minimum for persons who lost their ability to work – for one incapacitated family member (2,595 UAH); 120% – for two (3,114 UAH); 150% – for three or more incapacitated family members (3,892.50 UAH).

The pension due to the loss of a breadwinner is granted from the day following the day of the breadwinner's death if the application for this type of pension was submitted within 12 months from the date of the breadwinner's death. However, if the person applying for the pension due to the loss of a breadwinner is already a recipient of another type of pension (old-age, disability, or length of service), the transfer from one type of pension to another is made from the date of submission of the application with the relevant documents.

One joint pension is assigned to all family members entitled to a pension due to the loss of a breadwinner. At the request of a family member, a share of the pension is allocated from the total amount, which is paid separately. The allocation of the pension share is made from the first day of the month following the month in which the application for allocation of the pension share was received.

An application for the appointment of a pension due to the loss of a breadwinner and the necessary documents are submitted to the service center of the main department of the Pension Fund of Ukraine. You can also apply for a pension due to the loss of a breadwinner through the fund's electronic services web portal (portal.pfu.gov.ua) using a qualified electronic signature or through the State Services portal Diia.

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