For Ukrainian refugees who left because of the war, the issue of receiving housing subsidies remains extremely important. Families keep their housing in Ukraine, pay for utilities or have registered family members who actually live in another country. Utility payments for housing in Ukraine continue to be charged, even if part of the family is abroad, so applying for a subsidy requires accurate confirmation of who actually lives in the apartment and whose income should be taken into account when calculating.
Are Ukrainian refugees eligible for a subsidy
As explained by the PFU, if a person has been outside Ukraine for more than 60 consecutive days and does not have a good reason for it, they may be denied a housing subsidy. This rule is important for those Ukrainians who are officially registered in an apartment or house in Ukraine, but actually live abroad for a long time.
For families who remained in Ukraine, this situation may affect the calculation of the subsidy, as the PFU takes into account the composition of the household and the income of registered persons. If a person has left and does not live at this address, this must be confirmed by documents.
What reasons are considered valid
The Pension Fund names several circumstances under which a long stay abroad may not be a reason for refusing to receive a subsidy. Such reasons include treatment, caring for a sick person, business trips, training, service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as stay in temporarily occupied territories.
In these cases, it is important to have documents confirming the reason for the absence. Without confirmation, the PFU may consider a long stay abroad as a circumstance affecting the right to receive assistance.
How is a person’s income taken into account abroad
When assigning a subsidy, the income of all persons registered in the housing is taken into account, even if some of them do not actually live in the apartment or house. That is why the family applying for assistance must submit documents confirming that the person does not live at this address if he is abroad.
After confirming such information, the income of this person may not be taken into account when calculating the subsidy. This is especially important for Ukrainian refugees, because a person can be registered in Ukraine, work or receive assistance abroad, but not use housing and utilities at the place of registration.
What is important for Ukrainian refugees to know
Ukrainians who are abroad and have housing or registration in Ukraine should check whether their absence affects the family’s subsidy. If a person does not live in the apartment for more than 60 days, the family must notify the PFU about this and provide supporting documents.
For those who remained in Ukraine and are applying for a subsidy, the main thing is to correctly reflect the actual composition of the household. If this is not done, the benefit may be calculated taking into account the income of a person who has been living abroad for a long time, or may be refused due to inconsistency of the submitted data.
The Pension Fund can receive information about border crossings through state registers, so the fact of a long absence is often established without the person himself. In case of a discrepancy between the data and the information submitted, the subsidy may be revised or canceled after the appointment.
In cases where a person left after applying for a subsidy, the household is obliged to notify about the changes. If this is not done, the overpaid funds may be subject to refund, since the benefit is calculated taking into account the current circumstances of residence.
If all registered persons are abroad and the housing is not actually used, the right to a subsidy is usually absent, since the benefit is tied to residence and consumption of utilities. Exceptions are possible only in the presence of confirmed special circumstances.
Social benefits or income received by a Ukrainian outside the country may be taken into account when calculating the subsidy if this person remains in the household. This affects the total family income and may reduce the amount of assistance.
In complex cases, when questions arise regarding actual residence or household composition, a decision may be made at the level of special commissions under local authorities. They consider individual situations, in particular those concerning families separated by war.
The main difficulties are related to the fact that a significant part of Ukrainians left urgently and did not make changes to their registration data, which is why the official information does not correspond to the real composition of the household. In such situations, any registration of the subsidy requires additional confirmations and explanations.
