No Social Benefit Reduction for Low-Income Families Who Receive One-Time School Pupil's Package

One-Time Payment: School Pupil's Package

According to ХВИЛЯ: The Pension Fund of Ukraine has confirmed that the School Pupil’s Package, a one-time payment for children entering first grade, will not reduce state support for low-income families. Even if a household is registered for low-income assistance, this payment will not be included in the family’s aggregate income. The rule is set out in paragraph 4 of Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 809 of July 7, 2025. Families of first-graders can therefore collect the payment without seeing their existing social allowance shrink. That confirmation removes a common worry: accepting the package will not create a financial penalty later in the year.

How Social Assistance Is Calculated

A low-income family’s monthly benefit is the difference between the subsistence minimum for that family and its average monthly combined income. This combined income is figured as the average monthly earnings of all members over a six-month period. Sources include wages, pensions, scholarships, social payouts, unemployment benefits, and other insurance payments. Additional items such as cash transfers from abroad, dividends on securities, money from renting out land, and proceeds from property sales also count.

Several income types are left out. A social stipend for orphans, children who lost parental care, and former beneficiaries of that group is not counted. The one-time first-grade payment is also outside the income list in the resolution above. As a result, the School Pupil’s Package amount is ignored when a family’s total income is calculated for any legal form of social assistance.

The policy is intended to shield low-income households with children starting school for the first time. Because the one-time payment cannot trigger cuts to regular benefits, families can cover school-related costs while preserving essential help. That support can also make the first weeks of school less stressful by easing the financial burden on parents during a difficult period.

In light of this announcement, families can also benefit from the additional one-time payment of 5,000 Hryvnias for each first-grader. This financial support aims to ease the burden on parents as they prepare for the school year. For more details on this benefit, you can read about it here.