National Cashback: Ukrainians to Receive 10% Compensation for Purchasing Ukrainian Products

The Ukrainian government has approved the procedure for disbursing financial aid to citizens through the “National Cashback” program. Under this program, Ukrainians will receive a 10% reimbursement on the cost of purchased Ukrainian-made goods. The program starts on September 2, 2024, and the decision to implement it was made by the Cabinet of Ministers on August 20, 2024.

Funds received through the cashback can be spent on services such as medical, utility, sports, cinema, train tickets, and more. Alternatively, they can be donated to the Armed Forces of Ukraine or used to purchase military bonds. The maximum cashback amount is 3,000 UAH per month.

What is “National Cashback”?

“Cashback is an opportunity to financially support Ukrainians, especially before the heating season begins, as cashback funds can be used for utility payments. The state has previous experience with similar programs, such as eSupport during COVID-19. At that time, over 10 million Ukrainians opened bank accounts to receive state funds and spent over 3.5 billion UAH on books, cinema, medicine, travel tickets, gym memberships, and theater tickets.

Cashback as a form of state support is more effective for the economy than simply providing funds, as it creates additional demand for Ukrainian products. This generates jobs in Ukraine and ensures tax revenues. Up to 40% of the money spent on Ukrainian products returns to the budget through taxes and is used for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. During COVID-19, we encouraged Ukrainians to get vaccinated through financial assistance. Now, through state support, we are promoting another healthy habit—buying local products,” emphasized First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko.

How to receive cashback

Cashback will be provided for Ukrainian-made goods, including medicines and medical products. It will not apply to excise goods. Participation of buyers, producers, and sellers in the program is voluntary, so whether cashback is available for a particular product in a specific store will be informed by the store. This information will also be available on the program’s website.

To receive cashback, citizens need to open a special account and obtain a virtual or physical card from their bank or app. They must consent to sharing transaction data for purchases with selected cards and then select the National Cashback service in the Diia mobile app.

Where will the funds be credited?

Accumulated funds will be credited to the created card once a month by the 20th of the following month. For example, cashback for goods purchased in September will be credited by October 20. It will not be possible to withdraw cash from the account where cashback funds are credited. Cashback funds accrued in 2024 can be used until January 31, 2025.

Manufacturers and sellers can join the program through the Diia portal. Major retail chains and consumer goods manufacturers have already confirmed their participation.

The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine is the coordinator of the National Cashback program. The project involves the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the State Tax Service, the settlement bank—Oschadbank, and authorized banks of Ukraine. The international payment system Mastercard is the technological partner, and Visa is the operational partner of the project. Read more here.

We have previously reported that the European Commissioner for Energy warns of a tough winter for Ukraine.