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The motivation contract: what you sign, when you get out, and where the traps are
Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 768 of 12 June 2026 launched a two-year experiment: contracts with a fixed term of service, guaranteed discharge at the end of it, and a deferral from mobilisation after discharge. Below is a calculator that applies the resolution's rules to work out your term, your deferral and approximate pay — followed by how it all works and what to do in advance so that a year from now you are not arguing with your unit without documents.
Work out your contract
Choose your situation — the result updates immediately. The calculation is approximate: the exact amounts are set by the order and the pay certificate.
Deferral under para. 22 of the Procedure, terms under para. 8, payments under para. 4 of Resolution No. 768. Rewards for taking prisoners (100,000) and destroying the enemy (15,000) are not included. Payments under para. 4 are due to all servicemen in the relevant conditions; the contract determines the term, discharge and deferral.
What term your contract has
In its explanations the Ministry of Defence calls the contracts "infantry-assault", "combat" and "basic". Legally, though, the term is decided by one thing: whether your post and unit are on the list approved by the Ministry of Defence.
Deferral after discharge: how to calculate it
All the grounds add up. The deferral runs from the day of discharge; during it you cannot be called up, but you may return to service voluntarily.
- 6 months — the base, for any motivation contract.
- +3 months for every 30 days of direct participation in hostilities — for 10-month, 14-month and 6+-month contracts.
- +1 month for every 30 days of participation in hostilities — for a 24-month contract.
- +6 months for every year of service from 24 February 2022 until the contract is signed — only for a 10-month contract.
- +1 month for every year of continuous service before 24 February 2022 — for 10-month and 24-month contracts.
An example: a man mobilised in March 2022 signs a 10-month contract in an assault unit in September 2026 and has 180 combat days during the contract. Deferral: 6 + 3 × 6 + 6 × 4 = 48 months, that is four years after discharge.
For comparison: someone who served under an ordinary contract of a year or more and was discharged when it ended, without signing a motivation contract, gets 6 months plus a month for every 30 days of combat. Those discharged within the time limits set by a presidential decree get three years of deferral.
Money
Payments under the resolution depend on where you are and what you do, and apply from 1 June 2026.
- Up to UAH 100,000 a month — for direct participation in hostilities in the relevant areas, pro rata to the time spent.
- UAH 170,000 a month on the line of contact up to and including a platoon strongpoint, or UAH 70,000 — up to a company strongpoint, pro rata to the time spent; the higher of the two is paid.
- UAH 20,000 a day of assault action to retake own positions, UAH 40,000 a day — to capture positions.
- UAH 100,000 for taking a prisoner (shared among the participants) and UAH 15,000 for destroying the enemy in small-arms or hand-to-hand combat, with video confirmation.
- UAH 50,000 — at command posts; UAH 15,000–30,000 — for instructors; UAH 10,000 — for everyone else.
- Combat payments together — no more than UAH 460,000 a month. They do not count towards a pension.
Separately, on a first contract there is a one-off payment: UAH 26,624 for privates, UAH 29,952 for sergeants and petty officers, UAH 33,280 for officers.
If you are already serving: switching to the new contract
- The report is submitted to your immediate commander — on paper or through Army+.
- A medical examination and professional psychological selection are not carried out for servicemen.
- The previous contract ends; the motivation contract applies from the date set in the personnel order.
- Those serving in a post on the list may be transferred only between posts and units on the list.
- Those of limited fitness — with a medical board conclusion "fit for service in designated units" — sign a contract on general terms for service in support units, recruitment centres, training centres and medical units.
Where the traps are: a lawyer's view
A motivation contract applies from the date set in the personnel order. Both the term and the right to discharge are counted from that date. No order in hand — no proof of when your term began.
Every 30 days of combat means three months of deferral, and money. Who records "direct participation", and how, is the most contentious point of the new system. Keep everything that confirms it: combat orders, extracts from orders, certificates.
If combat pay was not accrued, or not in full, you have to go to court within six months of the day you learned of the non-payment. Do not wait for discharge.
Unauthorised absence from a unit during a contract is the same offence under Article 407 of the Criminal Code as during mobilised service. If you already have an episode of unauthorised absence or open proceedings, see a lawyer first, then submit the report.
What to do before signing and straight after
Frequently asked questions
Can I sign a motivation contract without waiting for my current one to end?
Yes. The previous contract ends, and the motivation contract applies from the date set in the personnel order. This also applies to contracts "until the end of the special period".
I have been mobilised since 2022. What does the contract give me?
A term: 10 months in a combat unit or 24 in another post, after which you are entitled to discharge. For a 10-month contract, every year of service since 24.02.2022 adds six months to the deferral.
I returned after unauthorised absence. Am I required to sign a contract?
No. It can be signed voluntarily on general terms. The contract does not close criminal proceedings over the absence — they are dealt with separately.
What if I am not discharged when the contract term ends?
Submit a report requesting discharge, with copies of the contract and the order. A refusal or silence is challenged in the administrative court. Without a copy of the order on the start of the term, proving your right is much harder.
In short
The term of a motivation contract is 10, 14, 6+ or 24 months, depending on who you are and whether the post is on the Ministry of Defence list. After the term — the right to discharge and a deferral of at least six months, which grows with combat days, and for a 10-month contract also with every year of service since 2022. The term runs from the order, not from the signature. Keep copies of the contract, the order and the report, log your combat days, and do not wait for discharge to challenge non-payment.
Not discharged after your contract, or combat pay not paid?
Send copies of the contract and the order — we will tell you what you can demand from the unit and what you can take to court.