How to Apply for a Funeral Allowance After a Pensioner Dies in Ukraine

Who is entitled to the funeral allowance?

When a pensioner dies in Ukraine, the funeral allowance is paid to the person who carried out the burial. Pension Fund guidance does not restrict the ordinary pensioner funeral allowance only to a spouse, child or another named family relationship.

The key distinction is that this payment reimburses the person responsible for the burial under the pension legislation. It is not the same as a survivor pension and it is not the procedure for claiming pension payments that the deceased had not received before death.

If you are dealing with retirement benefits more broadly, Helpydo also has a separate guide on applying for an old-age pension in Ukraine.

How much is paid for most pensioners?

If the deceased received a pension under the Law of Ukraine on Compulsory State Pension Insurance, the funeral allowance equals two monthly pensions that the pensioner was receiving at the time of death.

The Pension Fund also applies the two-pension amount to pensioners covered by other legislation unless a special law establishes a different calculation.

How much is paid for a military-service pensioner?

If the deceased received a pension under the Law of Ukraine on Pension Provision for Persons Discharged from Military Service and Certain Other Persons, the person who carried out the burial receives three monthly pensions, but not less than five times the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons applicable under the statutory rule.

For 2026, the subsistence minimum for an able-bodied person is UAH 3,328, making the minimum funeral allowance under this rule UAH 16,640.

This special payment does not apply where the person's burial was carried out at the expense of the state. The Pension Fund service card therefore requires confirmation from the local authority or funeral service that the burial was not state-funded in cases governed by the military-service pension law.

What documents do you need?

The Pension Fund's official service card lists the following core documents and information:

• an application for payment of the funeral allowance;
• the applicant's identity document;
• the deceased person's death certificate, where required;
• an extract from the State Register of Civil Status Acts concerning death for receipt of funeral allowance, or the applicable certificate of the pensioner's death;
• the applicant's taxpayer registration information where required;
• for military-service pension cases, confirmation that the burial was not carried out at state expense.

Some information does not have to be presented again if it is already available without discrepancies in the state information systems used by the Pension Fund. Pension Fund guidance also asks applicants to provide their current bank-account details for payment.

What if the pensioner died abroad?

If the pensioner died outside Ukraine and the death was registered by the competent authority of another country whose law does not provide the Ukrainian register extract or death certificate used for this benefit, the claimant may submit the foreign death certificate or another document confirming the death, legalized as required by applicable law.

If a foreign death document must first be authenticated for use in Ukraine or another cross-border procedure, the exact legalization requirements depend on the issuing country and applicable international treaties. Apostille procedures for Ukrainian documents used abroad are covered separately in Helpydo's guide to apostilles on Ukrainian official documents.

Where do you apply?

The Pension Fund's current service card states that the application and supporting documents are submitted in paper form. Pension Fund guidance instructs claimants to contact a Pension Fund of Ukraine service center and states that the application may be made through any service center.

Because the current official funeral-allowance service card specifies paper submission, this procedure is marked as not available as a complete online application.

Is there a deadline to apply?

The Pension Fund expressly states that the time for applying for a pensioner's funeral allowance is not limited. There is therefore no short statutory filing window such as 30 days or six months for this particular pensioner funeral payment under the current Pension Fund guidance.

It is still practical to apply once the required death documentation is available so the Pension Fund can verify the deceased's pension record and process the payment.

Is there an application fee and how long does it take?

The administrative service is free of charge.

The Pension Fund's official service card gives a processing period of up to 10 days from the date the application is submitted. The result is either payment of the funeral allowance or refusal of payment.

How do you receive the money?

Pension Fund guidance provides for the allowance to be paid through the banking system to the person who carried out the burial. Applicants should therefore provide their current bank-account details when applying.

The official service card also specifies special payment arrangements through Oschadbank for certain cases governed by the military-service pension legislation and for a deceased internally displaced pensioner where that rule applies.

When can the Pension Fund refuse the claim?

The official service card lists two basic grounds for refusal:

• not all required documents were submitted;
• the applicant does not have the right to receive the funeral allowance.

A common avoidable problem is failing to provide the specific death-register extract or certificate required for funeral allowance purposes, or omitting the special proof that a military-service pensioner's burial was not state-funded.

Do not confuse this with the UAH 8,500 insured-person funeral benefit

Ukraine also has a funeral benefit under the compulsory state social insurance system for the death of an insured person or an eligible dependent. From 13 March 2026, that separate benefit is UAH 8,500 for qualifying insured events.

That amount should not be automatically used for a pensioner's funeral. When the deceased was a pensioner, the Pension Fund applies the pensioner funeral-allowance rules described above: generally two monthly pensions, or the special three-pension/minimum rule for qualifying military-service pensioners.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming the benefit is always a fixed UAH 8,500. That amount belongs to a different social-insurance funeral benefit.
• Assuming only a close relative can apply. The pensioner funeral allowance is paid to the person who carried out the burial.
• Using the two-month pension formula for a pension governed by the military-service pension law.
• Failing to provide confirmation that a qualifying military-service pensioner's burial was not paid for by the state.
• Assuming there is a short filing deadline when the Pension Fund expressly states that the application period for a pensioner's funeral allowance is not limited.
• Trying to complete the entire pensioner funeral-allowance application online when the current official service card requires paper submission.