From 1 January 2026, Ukraine plans to introduce basic social assistance, which will replace the current state assistance to low-income families and combine several types of payments. The relevant draft law No. 14051 has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada, according to Taras Melnychuk, the Government’s representative in parliament.
The purpose of the document is to consolidate social support programmes for the most vulnerable citizens, help them overcome difficult life circumstances, and improve the targeting of payments. Basic assistance should become the main tool for overcoming poverty and responding to crisis situations. Its amount cannot be less than the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons, set on 1 January of each year. The basic amount will be determined by the government.
It should be recalled that the system of state assistance to low-income families has been in place in Ukraine since 2000 and is one of the key forms of targeted support. It has undergone numerous changes: the composition of families eligible for payments, the procedure for calculating assistance and its amount have been revised. In 2023–2024, the government began preparations for a reform of social support aimed at greater targeting and relevance to current needs.
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