Visit Ukraine – Non-payment of alimony can lead to mobilization: How the new law works

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In a month, a new mobilization law will come into force, which, among other things, provides for additional sanctions for parents doing military service who do not pay child support. Find out who can lose the right to deferment and under what conditions

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On May 18, an updated law on mobilization will come into force, which provides for a number of changes for military personnel, conscripts and men serving abroad. Among other things, the law provides for sanctions for parents of three or more children who evade paying alimony. According to LB.ua, the TACs will soon have access to a database of arrears, which means that the fact of non-payment of alimony will be tracked. At the same time, the Ministry of Justice warns that mobilization is not a punishment, but “an opportunity to pay off their debts and provide for their children by serving in the army and paying relatively high salaries.”

Read more about how Ukrainians' cars are being confiscated for the benefit of the armed forces here.

Who loses the right to deferment if maintenance payments are not made?

According to the updated provisions of the law, debtors “who are in arrears with the payment of alimony and the total amount of which exceeds payments for three months” may be called up for military service.

This means that people who have three or more children to care for and are therefore entitled to a deferral can have this entitlement withdrawn if they have not paid child support for at least one child for more than three months.

Iryna Friz, a member of the European Solidarity group, said in a comment to LB.ua that the war continues and “those who have a reprieve should fully fulfill their parental duties.”

How many maintenance debtors can be mobilized?

As of March 1, 2024, 520.2 thousand documents for the collection of alimony were executed by the State Enforcement Service. The Ministry of Justice provided these data at the request of LB.ua, noting that their number may fluctuate monthly, but on average at least half a million alimony payers live in the country.

At the same time, according to Andriy Haichenko, Deputy Minister of Justice for the Enforcement Service, there are no exact statistics on parents who have been in arrears for more than three months and have three or more children. However, he noted that this is at least 20,000 people who could lose their deferral of payments.

How are maintenance debtors identified?

As the Ministry of Justice explains, after the new mobilization law comes into force, military parents with three or more children must report to the TAC within 60 days and update their data, that is, prove their right to deferment. At the same time, persons who must pay child support must confirm not only the fact that they have three or more minor children, but also that there are no arrears in payments.

Instead, the TACs submit enquiries to the state debtors and enforcement register, which then sends certificates similar to a police clearance certificate.

At the same time, the ministry noted that if a person loses the right to a deferral and then repays the debt, he can regain this right. However, in case of non-payment, the person can be mobilized.

We remind you! The updated law on mobilization provides for an expansion of the powers of the military commissariat, as well as some changes in the procedure for delivering conscription notices and mobilization. You can read more about the rules in our previous article.

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