In 2026 the minimum child support in Ukraine is UAH 1,408.50 a month for a child under 6 and UAH 1,756 for a child aged 6 to 18; the recommended amounts are UAH 2,817 and UAH 3,512. Most often child support is set as a share of the payer's income after tax: 1/4 for one child, 1/3 for two, 1/2 for three or more. It can be arranged through an application to the employer, a notarised agreement or the court, and once arrears exceed four monthly payments the debtor is banned from travelling abroad and driving.
Oleksandr Suhak
11 min read
Both parents must support their child until adulthood, whether or not they were married and whoever the child lives with. Child support (alimony) is one way to meet this duty when parents live apart. Its amount is tied to the subsistence minimum for a child of the relevant age, which is set every year by the state budget law.
| Measure | Under 6 | Aged 6-18 |
|---|---|---|
| Guaranteed minimum, 50% of the subsistence minimum | 1,408.50 | 1,756 |
| Recommended minimum, 100% of the subsistence minimum | 2,817 | 3,512 |
| Maximum under a court order as a share of income, 10 subsistence minimums | 28,170 | 35,120 |
The guaranteed minimum is the floor: the enforcement officer will not collect less, even if the share of the payer's income comes out lower. A court can award the recommended amount when the payer's income is sufficient. The cap of 10 subsistence minimums applies only to the simplified court order procedure; in an ordinary lawsuit there is no upper limit and the court sets the amount based on the circumstances.
When the subsistence minimum for children rises, the minimum child support rises automatically, without a new court application. How the subsistence minimum has changed and what else depends on it is covered in the article on the subsistence minimum and minimum wage.
Child support is set in one of two ways, and a court may combine them.
The share is calculated from income after 18% personal income tax and 5% military levy. Income includes salary, bonuses, holiday pay, sick pay, pensions, scholarships and other payments on the Cabinet of Ministers list. Child support itself is not taxed for the person receiving it.
You can work out take-home pay from any salary, and from it the share of child support, in the salary calculator.
If the parents have not agreed and the case goes to court, the court assesses:
The last two points were added to the Family Code so that a payer who is officially «poor» but has an expensive car or flat cannot get away with the minimum. If you know about such spending, gather evidence in advance: statements, sale listings, photos, witnesses.
| Method | How it works | When it fits | If payments stop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payer's application to the employer | The payer asks the accounts department to deduct support from salary or pension | Parents agree and the payer is officially employed | The application can be withdrawn; you will need to go to court |
| Notarised agreement | Parents set the amount, terms and payment method, and a notary certifies it | There is an agreement and you want guarantees without court | A notary issues an enforcement inscription that goes to an enforcement officer without court |
| Court order | Simplified procedure without a hearing or summoning the parties | A standard share or 50% of the subsistence minimum is enough | The order is itself an enforcement document |
| Lawsuit | Full hearing with evidence | A fixed sum, a larger share or a dispute about income | The court issues a writ of execution |
An oral agreement is also possible, but as the Ministry of Justice stresses, it is not an enforcement document: if the payer stops paying, the amount and terms will be hard to prove and you cannot go straight to an enforcement officer.
This is the fastest court route. A court order can award child support as 1/4, 1/3 or 1/2 of income, but no more than 10 subsistence minimums per child, or as a fixed 50% of the subsistence minimum. The conditions: the child lives with you, paternity or maternity does not need to be established or disputed, and no other interested parties need to be involved, such as other recipients of support from the same payer. The court considers the application without a hearing.
A lawsuit is needed when you want a fixed sum above 50% of the subsistence minimum, a larger share than standard, support for an adult child who is a student, or when you need to prove the payer's unofficial income. You can file the lawsuit with the court where you live. Child support is awarded from the day the claim is filed, so it is best not to delay.
No court fee is charged for court order applications or lawsuits for child support. Documents can be filed online through Electronic Court, signed with an electronic signature, including Diia.Signature.
A court decision does not bring money by itself: the writ of execution, court order or notarial enforcement inscription must be submitted to an enforcement officer. There are two options:
Since August 2026 an electronic enforcement document can be received in the Diia app, and the enforcement application filed there too: the details are filled in automatically, the system picks the enforcement office, and progress is visible in the app. You can also apply through Electronic Court or on paper, in person or by post. The law does not allow sending the document to an enforcement officer by email, and the same document cannot be filed in several places at once.
The enforcement officer opens proceedings no later than the next working day after receiving the document and requires the debtor to declare income and property. If the debtor is officially employed, the order goes to the employer, and support is deducted from salary every month.
The enforcement officer calculates the arrears. If support is set as a share of income, the debt is based on actual earnings during the period of non-payment, in Ukraine or abroad. For someone who was not working, a sole proprietor on the simplified tax system, or someone earning in a country with no legal assistance treaty with Ukraine, the debt is calculated from the average wage in the region. So quitting a job or registering as a sole proprietor does not wipe out the debt.
Restrictions are lifted once the debt is fully repaid. For payers supporting a child with a disability or a serious illness, the thresholds are lower. According to the Ministry of Justice, as of 1 September 2025 restrictions had been applied to more than 150,000 debtors, and in 8 months of 2025 enforcement officers collected over UAH 10.3 billion in child support.
Separately from the enforcement measures, the recipient can claim a penalty through the court: 1% of the unpaid support for each day of delay, capped at 100% of the debt. The penalty is calculated separately for each unpaid month.
A court may reduce the penalty given the payer's financial and family situation, and it is not charged to a payer who is a minor.
Child support covers everyday needs. For costs caused by special circumstances the Family Code provides a separate mechanism: the other parent must share additional expenses for developing the child's abilities, treatment or rehabilitation. These can be claimed in advance or as costs actually incurred, with receipts and contracts.
After 18 the duty to support continues if the child keeps studying and needs help: until 23, as long as the parents are able to provide it. Support for an adult child is claimed only through a lawsuit; court orders are not issued for it. The claim can be filed by the child or by the parent the child lives with.
The amount can be increased or reduced if the financial or family situation of the payer or recipient, the child's health or the child's real needs change significantly. If a court set the amount, it must be changed through the court. If it was set by a notarised agreement, the parents can sign a new agreement with a notary or go to court.
Typical reasons for a review: the payer has another child, loses their job or ability to work, the child becomes seriously ill, or the payer's income rises substantially. Paying less on your own without a court decision or a new agreement is not allowed: the difference becomes debt with all the consequences.
The duty to pay support for a minor ends when the child turns 18, and for a student at the end of studies or at age 23. If the child moves in with the payer, collection is ended through the court.
Free legal consultation on child support, and for some people help with the claim and representation in court, is provided by Ukraine's free legal aid system: phone 0 800 213 103, calls are free.
Checked against official sources on October 29, 2026. If a figure changes, we update the article and the «Updated» date changes automatically.
This article is for information only and is not legal advice. The calculations in the examples are simplified; the final amount of child support depends on the parents' agreement, the court and the enforcement officer, based on the circumstances of each case. Free legal consultation is available from Ukraine's free legal aid system at 0 800 213 103.
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