The amount of child support in Ukraine is linked to sustenance levels, which vary for different groups. As the official sustenance levels increased from 1 July 2018, the size of payments for children of divorced parents also went up.
How Ukrainians pay child support
In nearly 100% of cases children remain with the mother after the divorce, thus fathers have to support their offspring financially. 50/50 parental arrangements are unheard of in Ukraine. Just like in western countries 30 years ago, courts are routinely assigning 100% care of the kids to mothers. The system has simply never been reformed from this habitual order.
Moreover, it’s not unusual for fathers to never see kids after the divorce. This is why Ukrainian women are so scared that a husband may leave her, which means she would have to bring up the kids alone. With low Ukrainian wages, it’s not an easy task.
Why fathers are not seeing the kids? The social culture doesn’t deem it necessary for fathers to see their babies after the divorce. Even during the marriage kids are assigned to be the mother’s responsibility and fathers rarely engage with youngsters, Ukrainian wives complain.
The system of alimony
The amount of child support payments, which is called “alimony” in Ukraine, is linked to the sustenance level. The family code states that the amount of maintenance for kids cannot be less than 50% of that figure, Finance.ua explains.
- If the divorced parent has only one child, the payments should not exceed 1/4 of his income.
- 2 kids – 1/3 part of the sum.
- 3 and more children – 1/2 of the earnings.
In other words, there is the bottom limit for payments, but the upper limit takes in consideration wages of the parent who lives separately. The laws dictating how much of his income the non-resident parent has to pay to the one caring for the offspring also haven’t changed for a long time. 1/4 to 1/2 of income to pay as alimony may seem harsh to foreigners, where the system of calculations is more complex.
The child support is paid until kids turn 18.
From 1 July 2018 the sustenance level had been raised from 1,700 hryvnya (USD $65) to 1,777 hryvnya ($67) on July 1, 2018.
- The sustenance level of kids under 6 has risen to 1,559 hryvnya (USD $59.4) from 1,492 hryvnya (USD $57). Thus, the payment for 1 child from newborns to 5-year-olds will be $30 per month.
- For kids aged between 6 and 18 years: from 1860 hryvnya ($71) to 1,944 hryvnya ($74); the alimony amount increases to $37/month.
You may think these amounts are ridiculous, but there is a problem to collect alimony from fathers even for such miniscule payments. And if you think how big are Ukrainian wages (the average monthly wage in April 2018 was only $323), that’s 10% of a person’s 30-day income.
Harsher penalties for parents who don’t pay
There are penalties for parents who don’t pay the financial support due. But currently it’s quite hard for mothers to get the alimony if the father is not willing to pay. This is about to change, even though the system of allocation of care isn’t being questioned as yet.
Recently Ukrainian parliamentarians approved the second draft of the law that should improve protection of mothers with children.
Once the new law is in place, there will be harsher penalties for parents who don’t pay their dues. The law also allows for longer periods during which the carer is allowed to seek retribution.
If a person is skipping on paying alimony, the first time it happens he could be hit with up to 3 months of community service.
The second time, the parent could be sentenced to 240-360 hours of labour through the administrative court. The people who try to avoid such orders may be arrested for up to 10 days. The ones who don’t get to their senses after such punishments will be committing a crime, punishable for up to 2 years of jail.
Regardless of the administrative or criminal punishment, the parent will still have to pay the alimony due.
If the child is ill, the period of non-payment that causes prosecution will be lowered to 3 months. Such parents will be also unable to leave Ukraine, their driver licenses could be suspended. If they had a gun license, it will be also suspended.
In addition, there will be fines to people who skip on paying child support, in accordance with the following gradations:
- If the amount due exceeds 20% of the yearly payment;
- If the amount exceeds 30% of 2-year payments;
- If the amount exceeds 50% of 3-year payments.
The new law will also provide for mechanisms to arrest the debtor’s finances.
Family breakdowns are a problem in all countries. But in Ukraine it can substantially affect the mother’s ability to live a good life, especially if the father doesn’t support his children financially.
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“In nearly 100% of cases children remain with the mother after the divorce”
Need a marriage contract which clearly state – in the case of divorce:
1. Children will stay with the father
2. There will be no place for any official financial demand from the formal wife
If that not possible in a certain country for some reason, then do the full progress in a different one.
Robert, marriage contract deals with property. Kids are not property. Full stop. The laws that grant custody to the mother after a divorce were operating in western countries as well and only changed fairly recently to shared care. So, it’s nothing unheard of and the laws in Ukraine will definitely change once the society is ready for it. About signing the marriage contract in a different country, your divorce will be handled by the laws of the country where you reside, and contracts that have been signed in another country will not be considered. You have to enter into a… Read more »
Incorrect! A marriage contract differs from state to state in the United States. It is not merely about property, but assets, welfare of parties, welfare of children, etc… And provided the terms and conditions of the contract are agreed to, legally recognized and understood, notarized, it will bare its true significance and legitimacy independent of the court of law for life, unless amended and mutually agreed to by both parties. Children should remain with the best capable (responsible) parent. The same applies to Trust Funds, and to business law! For example, those arriving into the USA on a work Visa,… Read more »
Joe, are you an attorney? If not, check the facts first. You are unable to stipulate in a MARRIAGE CONTRACT anything about custody of UNBORN kids. Or, if you believe this is incorrect, then include links to government sources. Regarding jurisdiction, the laws of the country/state where you and the kids reside will be applicable, that’s exactly what I said. My point was you cannot sign a legally valid contract at the time of marriage that (unborn) kids will stay with one parent if there is a divorce. You guys sound insane making such suggestions, I am starting to get… Read more »
Robert, I don’t know what country you are from, but in the US the overriding principle for child custody and support is “in the best interest of the child.” The courts can and will set aside contracts that don’t meet that standard, so it doesn’t matter what you’ve signed.
Elena, I certainly wanted to validate what you have said in multiple places on this blog. Women really appreciate a man who truly cares about and interacts with her children as the typical males of the culture deem that as a woman’s duty. The highest points of my Russian experience were when I arrived at the airport and meeting her and her son personally at the airport and took a long taxi ride back to her apartment. And the other time she became so enamored of me that she was literally climbing all over my body, was when I was… Read more »
Roger, What women think they are looking for and which men they are really falling for are different things. You cannot “convince” a woman you are what she is looking for. She has to “feel” attraction, it’s not logical. You think that women are logical, and they are emotional. And any little thing may just feel “off”; there is no point in “wetting” because you are you and you want someone who accepts you as you are. But one thing, your posts are too long and too detailed. Limit any communication to 300 characters (not words). Try to put only… Read more »