In September 2026, Ukrainians will see changes to booking rules, scholarships, licensing requirements for medical facilities, and government support for businesses, as well as certain digital and agricultural procedures. A new 2,000-hryvnia banknote will also be introduced in the country. Let’s take a closer look at exactly which changes will take effect and who they will affect.
Pensions
No general increase or new indexation of pensions is planned for September 2026. This year’s main indexation took place on March 1.
At the same time, payments for some pensioners will increase in September under the rules already in effect. Those who turn 70, 75, or 80 during the month will automatically receive an age-based supplement: up to 300 hryvnias, up to 456 hryvnias, and up to 570 hryvnias, respectively. This supplement is intended for pensioners whose total monthly pension payment is less than 10,340.35 hryvnias. There is no need to contact the Pension Fund. Note that age-based supplements are not cumulative.
An important change in September affects people who receive their pensions through Ukreximbank. The bank is terminating its cooperation with the Pension Fund of Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as the PFU) regarding the servicing of accounts for recipients of pensions, housing subsidies, benefits, and other state social payments, effective October 1, 2026. Therefore, recipients of such payments must select another authorized bank by September 15 at the latest and notify the PFU of this change.
To do so, they must open an account at the new bank and submit an application to the PFU to change the payment method, specifying the new account details. The application can be submitted online via the PFU’s e-services portal or in person at any of its service centers. If the recipient does not select another bank and notify the PFU by the deadline, the payment will not be discontinued—it will continue to be made through Ukrposhta branches.
Mobilization and Exemption
Starting September 1, 2026, one of the key conditions for reserving employees at critically important enterprises will be tightened. As a general rule, the monthly salary of a reserved employee must be at least three times the minimum wage, instead of the current 2.5 times. With a minimum wage of 8,647 hryvnias, this amounts to 25,941 hryvnias per month instead of 21,617.50 hryvnias. For certain categories of enterprises and employees, the law provides for exceptions to this salary requirement.
One such exception applies to critically important enterprises and institutions that are located and actually operate in areas of potential or active hostilities or temporary occupation, which still hold such status according to the official list. For their reserved employees, the salary requirement remains at the current level.
Special attention should be paid to enterprises that were granted “critically important” status prior to the rule changes this summer. As a general rule, previously adopted decisions regarding critical importance remain in effect no longer than through September 1, 2026. At the same time, companies that fall under the government’s procedure and submitted, by August 10, a certificate of their employees’ average wages and the corresponding tax calculation may retain their previously granted status until the end of the term for which it was granted.
This is also important for employees who have already been reserved. Their deferrals remain in effect for the period for which they were granted, but no longer than the validity period of the decision designating the employer as critical. Therefore, September 1 does not mean the automatic cancellation of all reservations in Ukraine: the consequences depend on whether the company has retained the relevant status.
Another important September deadline concerns military personnel whose service extension was confirmed through June 12, 2026, inclusive. Through September 20, 2026, inclusive, they may take advantage of a simplified program for voluntary return to service. This program allows them to independently choose a new military unit from a specified list within their respective branches—the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, or the State Special Transport Service—and submit a report, including through the Army+ app. After September 20, this simplified procedure will no longer be in effect, and reinstatement will take place under the general procedure without the right to independently choose a unit.
Education
Starting September 1, 2026, academic scholarships for students at vocational, pre-higher vocational, and higher education institutions studying under state-funded quotas will double. Specifically, the standard academic scholarship for university students will increase from 2,000 to 4,000 hryvnias per month; for students at pre-higher vocational education institutions, from 1,510 to 3,020 hryvnias; and for students at institutions of vocational education—from 1,250 to 2,500 hryvnias. Enhanced, named, and certain other academic scholarships will also increase.
A separate change applies to full-time students studying under a state-funded quota at private institutions of higher education. Starting September 1, a state-regulated mechanism for the payment of academic scholarships will take effect for them. Previously, there was no proper payment mechanism for such students.
The Cabinet of Ministers’ academic scholarship program for gifted students with disabilities is also being expanded. Starting in the new academic year, in addition to 100 scholarships for students at institutions of higher education, 50 scholarships will be provided for students in pre-higher vocational education and 30 for those in vocational education. The Ministry of Education and Science reports that the amount of such a scholarship will be 8,000 hryvnias, and for students with Group I disabilities, it will be increased by 50%.
Starting September 1, base salaries for teaching and research-teaching staff at educational institutions will increase by 20%. This is the second phase of the pay increase in 2026. However, this does not mean an automatic 20% increase in every educator’s total salary: the final payment also includes allowances and supplements, the amounts of which may depend on other conditions.
Another major change concerns schoolchildren. Starting September 1, all students in grades 1–11 (12) at public schools—whether attending in person or in a hybrid format—are to receive free hot meals. Previously, the nationwide program covered elementary school students, and for all grades, it was in effect only in certain regions near the front lines. According to estimates by the Ministry of Education and Science, the expanded program will cover approximately 3 million children.
Starting September 1, English language instruction becomes mandatory for older preschool-aged children in kindergartens. This applies to children approximately 5–6 years old. This requirement is stipulated by the Law “On the Use of the English Language in Ukraine.”
Also, starting September 1, the pilot of a new upper-secondary school model will be expanded. The new model of specialized education will be tested by 150 educational institutions across all regions of Ukraine. This is a preparatory stage ahead of the nationwide launch of the three-year specialized high school program, scheduled for September 1, 2027.
Funding for under-enrolled schools is also changing. Starting September 1, schools with fewer students than the established minimum will no longer receive funding through the educational subsidy. For schools with grades 1–12, this means fewer than 60 students; for schools with grades 1–11, fewer than 55; and for schools with grades 1–9 or 5–11 (12), fewer than 45 students. This restriction does not apply to elementary and special education schools, educational and rehabilitation centers, or institutions that have a class or group taught in the language of a national minority that is an official language of the EU. Local communities may continue to maintain under-enrolled schools at their own expense.
Health Care
Starting September 1, 2026, licensing requirements for medical facilities and self-employed physicians will change. In particular, they will be required to provide care and priority treatment to war veterans, the families of fallen or deceased veterans, as well as the families of fallen or deceased Defenders of Ukraine. The government has included this requirement directly among the mandatory conditions for practicing medicine.
Staffing requirements for medical facilities are also changing. Specifically, qualification requirements for doctors, healthcare professionals, and specialists will be determined by professional standards, and in the absence of such standards, by relevant qualification criteria. The list of specialties for which institutions and self-employed physicians can obtain or expand their licenses is also being updated, and it will no longer be possible to include positions for healthcare workers in the staffing table if those positions are not included in the list of professions and positions approved by the Ministry of Health.
The government has made another clarification regarding staffing: a healthcare facility must have at least one employee—including a part-time employee—for each specialty in which it provides medical care. Thus, most of the September changes are of an organizational nature for the medical facilities themselves, while for the general patient population, the most important change is the establishment of priority care for veterans and family members specified by law as a licensing requirement.
Digital Services
Starting September 1, 2026, Ukraine will adopt a new standard for creating qualified electronic signatures (hereinafter “QES”). New QESs will be generated using the “Kupyna” cryptographic algorithm, which replaces the 1995 standard. The new algorithm is intended to strengthen the protection of electronic signatures against modern cyber threats.
At the same time, there is no need to reissue existing QESs due to the transition to the new standard. Signatures that have already been issued will remain valid until their certificates expire, and documents and agreements signed previously remain valid. Information systems must support the verification of both new and previously created signatures.
Users of the Diya app are advised to update it to the latest version before the transition. Owners and developers of information systems that use electronic digital signatures must ensure support for the new standard and the ability to verify signatures created under the old standard.
Business Support
Starting September 1, 2026, the state grant program “Vlasna Sprava” will begin operating under the new rules. For those planning to start a business, the base grant amount will range from 100,000 to 300,000 hryvnias, and with additional support, it may increase to 500,000 hryvnias. Entrepreneurs who wish to expand an existing business will be able to receive between 500,000 and 1.5 million hryvnias, and the maximum amount, including bonuses, may reach 2.5 million hryvnias.
The program’s terms are also changing. To receive a grant for starting a business, it is no longer mandatory to create jobs. To receive a grant for expanding an existing business, at least one job must be created. The amount of support will depend, in particular, on the region, field of activity, applicant category, and the number of jobs created.
Certain categories of entrepreneurs will be eligible for an increased grant amount. Additional support is provided, in particular, for veteran-owned businesses, some internally displaced persons (IDPs) and relocated enterprises, businesses in frontline regions—including the Odesa region—as well as entrepreneurs who are restoring fixed assets damaged or destroyed as a result of Russian aggression. Increased grants are also provided for businesses in priority economic sectors designated by the state.
Applications under the new terms can be submitted through the Diya portal.
Agricultural Sector
Starting September 1, 2026, new rules for confirming eligibility for exemption from export duties will take effect for soybean producers. Verification will be conducted through the State Agricultural Register (DAR). This verification is required for agricultural producers who export soybeans they have grown themselves, as well as for agricultural cooperatives that export soybeans grown by their members.
Applications for verification of soybean producers can be submitted starting September 1 through a personal online account in the SAR. Applications will be accepted until June 1, 2027. Producers must be registered as VAT payers, own or use agricultural land, and grow soybeans. Verification will take place automatically based on data from state registries and information submitted by the farmers themselves.
Upon successful verification, producers will be able to export their own soybeans without paying export duties—within the confirmed production volume. For cooperatives, the exemption applies to soybeans grown by their verified members and sold to the cooperative for subsequent export. The exemption applies only to direct exports of self-grown soybeans and does not apply to sales through intermediaries.
Finance: New Banknote
Starting September 4, 2026, the National Bank will introduce a new 2,000-hryvnia banknote into circulation. It will become the highest-denomination banknote in Ukraine, surpassing the current 1,000-hryvnia note. The front of the new banknote features Ukrainian poet, dissident, and human rights activist Vasyl Stus.
The NBU attributes the introduction of the new denomination to changes in the economy: rising prices, increased household incomes, and a growing volume of cash in circulation. As of July 1, 2026, 1,000-hryvnia banknotes already accounted for more than 55% of the total value of banknotes in circulation. The new denomination is intended to reduce the number of banknotes required for large cash transactions and lower the costs of producing, transporting, storing, and processing cash.
The introduction of the 2,000-hryvnia banknote does not require citizens to exchange their existing cash. Banknotes of other denominations remain in circulation.
