The Group III disability pension in 2026 is granted after disability is established, provided the necessary insurance period is met. It is calculated as 50% of the old-age pension (or, at the applicant's choice, may equal it if there is sufficient service). It can be applied for online or offline through the Pension Fund of Ukraine (PFU) by submitting basic documents, and if necessary, it is topped up to the subsistence minimum.
A Group III disability pension remains one of the most common payments, but there is much confusion surrounding it: people expect a fixed amount, do not take into account the requirements for insurance seniority, or apply late and lose payments for previous months. Additionally, the situation is complicated by the fact that some data on seniority and earnings may not be reflected in electronic registers, especially for periods before 2004. UNN explains who is entitled to the payment, what documents are needed, from what date it is assigned, and how to apply through the Pension Fund online or offline.
Group III Disability Pension: What is this payment and who is it assigned to?
Disability pension in Ukraine is assigned to individuals who have been officially recognized as disabled, provided they have the necessary insurance seniority. Disability can be established regardless of when it occurred: during work, before employment, or after termination of employment. The pension is assigned for the period for which the disability is established.
From January 1, 2025, disability in Ukraine is established by expert teams for assessing a person's daily functioning, which are formed in healthcare institutions.
Insurance seniority: how much is needed for Group III
For a Group II-III disability pension, insurance seniority of 1 to 15 years is required, depending on the age at which the disability was established. The PFU provides the following guidelines for Group II-III:
- up to and including 23 years: 1 year of seniority;
- 24–26 years: 2 years;
- 27–28 years: 3 years;
- 29–31 years: 4 years;
- 32–33 years: 5 years;
- 34–35 years: 6 years;
- 36–37 years: 7 years;
- 38–39 years: 8 years;
- 40–42 years: 9 years;
- 43–45 years: 10 years;
- 46–48 years: 11 years;
- 49–51 years: 12 years;
- 52–55 years: 13 years;
- 56–59 years: 14 years;
- 60 years and older: 15 years.
Separately, the PFU emphasizes cases where a pension may be assigned regardless of the length of insurance seniority: if the disability occurred during military service, as well as in certain cases related to the events of the Revolution of Dignity (under the conditions listed by the PFU).
Group III Disability Pension Amount: Basic Calculation Rule
The amount of disability pension for Group III is 50% of the old-age pension calculated for a specific person. That is, first, the old-age pension is calculated according to general rules (taking into account insurance seniority and indicators of earnings and/or contributions), after which a percentage is applied depending on the disability group.
The percentages for different groups are as follows:
- Group I — 100% of old-age pension;
- Group II — 90% of old-age payments;
- Group III — 50% of old-age payments.
When a disability pension can be equal to an old-age pension
For persons with Group III disability, the PFU separately specifies a norm: at the person's choice, a disability pension may be assigned in the amount of an old-age pension (calculated according to Article 27-28 of Law No. 1058), if there is sufficient insurance seniority: 35 years for men, 30 years for women.
This option does not automatically apply to all Group III recipients, but to those who meet the seniority requirements and choose this assignment option.
Minimum guarantees and supplement to the subsistence minimum
If the total amount of the pension payment does not reach the subsistence minimum for persons who have lost their ability to work, a mechanism of monthly state targeted assistance to the appropriate level is applied. The procedure for such assistance is defined by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 265 of March 26, 2008.
The Law on the State Budget of Ukraine for 2026 establishes subsistence indicators for 2026; public explanations from the PFU and tax authorities state that the subsistence minimum for persons who have lost their ability to work will be UAH 2,595 from January 1, 2026.
From what date is the payment assigned?
A disability pension is assigned from the date of disability establishment, if the application is submitted no later than three months from this date. If the application is submitted later, the pension is assigned from the date of application.
How to apply for a disability pension
Documents can be submitted:
- online through the web portal of electronic services of the Pension Fund of Ukraine or through the "Diia" portal/application (if the relevant service is available);
- in person at a PFU service center regardless of the place of registration or residence;
- by mail to the address of the territorial body of the PFU, if the person temporarily resides abroad.
The Pension Fund body attaches an extract from the expert team's decision on disability establishment to the application, obtained through electronic information exchange.
List of documents usually required for pension processing
The PFU provides a basic list of documents for assigning a disability pension:
- application;
- passport;
- taxpayer identification number (RNKPP);
- documents on seniority before January 1, 2004 (e.g., employment record book, military ID, diploma of full-time study, and other documents), if this data is not digitized;
- certificate of salary for any 60 consecutive calendar months of insurance seniority up to June 30, 2000 (at will or if necessary) or a certificate of accrued amounts of monetary allowance and paid insurance contributions (if necessary).
In practice, the composition of documents may differ depending on the individual situation (availability of data in registers, specifics of seniority, grounds for disability).
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Group III Disability Pension: Special Categories (War, Service, Chornobyl)
The rule "Group III equals 50% of old-age pension" applies to the general case in the system of compulsory state pension insurance.
Special norms apply to certain categories. In particular, the PFU separately describes the procedure and minimum guarantees for persons with disabilities due to war, as well as approaches to assigning pensions to those affected by the Chornobyl disaster, including minimum amounts for these categories.
These cases should not be automatically transferred to all recipients of Group III disability pensions, as the grounds and formulas differ.
What to check before applying for a pension
- Whether the available insurance seniority meets the requirements for the age at which the disability was established.
- Whether there is a need to submit additional confirmations of seniority/earnings for periods that may be missing from electronic registers (especially before 2004).
- Whether the application is submitted within three months from the date of disability establishment to preserve the payment assignment date from the date of establishment.
- Whether the person belongs to special categories for whom other assignment rules/minimum guarantees apply.
Recall
In Ukraine, the average pension is 6,544 hryvnias. However, every fifth pensioner receives about 4.5 thousand hryvnias.
