Copy of a Dismissal Order: How to Prepare and Give It to a Store Employee

On the employee’s dismissal date, the employer must give them a copy of the dismissal order and written notice of the amounts accrued and paid. The money must be paid within the time limits set by Article 116 of the Labour Code of Ukraine. This rule also applies to an individual entrepreneur (IE) who employs sales assistants, cashiers, or other store employees, regardless of the grounds for dismissal.

Prepare a certified copy and a separate payment statement. Give the documents to the employee and keep proof of receipt. If the employee is absent or refuses to collect the documents, record the circumstances and arrange to send them. A signature confirming that the employee has read the order does not, by itself, prove that they received a copy.

Who must receive a copy, and when

Article 47 of the Labour Code of Ukraine requires the employer to give a copy to every employee whose employment relationship is being terminated. The employee does not need to submit an application or make a separate request. The obligation applies to termination of employment at the employee’s initiative, by mutual agreement, and on other lawful grounds.

The copy must be given on the dismissal date. The employer keeps the original order. Decide in advance who will prepare and certify the copy and give it to the employee: the IE personally or an employee with the appropriate authority.

Article 47 provides an exception for an employer who is a natural person and has been called up for military service during mobilisation or called up as a reservist during a special period. They must fulfil the obligations under that article within one month after discharge from such service, without sanctions or fines. Domestic workers are subject to separate rules; an ordinary store sales assistant does not belong to this category.

What to check in the order and copy

The employee should be able to understand from the document who dismissed them, from which position, on what date, and on what grounds. Before copying, check:

• the employer’s name or the company name;
• the order’s date and number;
• the employee’s first and last name and position;
• the dismissal date;
• the stated grounds for dismissal, with a reference to the relevant provision of law;
• the document on which the employer based the order, if there is one;
• the signature of the person authorised to issue the order.

This is a practical checklist, not a universally mandatory form. The contents of the order depend on the grounds for dismissal. The copy must reproduce the original accurately and legibly. Do not change the date, grounds, or other details in the copy separately from the original.

How to certify the copy

The Ministry of Justice Rules, approved by Order No. 1000/5, govern records management at institutions and enterprises. They provide for the word “Copy” in the upper-right corner of the first sheet and a certification statement below the “Signature” field. An IE can use this format as a clear way to confirm that the copy matches the original.

The copy is certified by the IE personally or by a person authorised by them. For a company, it is certified by an authorised officer. The statement includes the words “True to the original”, the signatory’s position or status, their personal signature, first and last name, and the certification date.

Illustrative certification statement on a copy of an IE’s order:

This is an example of the certification statement only. Insert the actual details and the date on which you sign the copy. The Ministry of Justice Rules provide for an institution’s seal if it has one. For an IE, this format does not mean that they must buy a seal or visit a notary. Number the pages of a multi-page copy; you may also state the number of sheets.

If the order concerns several employees

A complete copy of a joint order may contain other people’s personal data. To avoid unnecessary disclosure of that information, it is convenient to issue individual dismissal orders.

An extract reproduces the relevant part of a document. For institutions and enterprises, the Ministry of Justice Rules provide for preparing it on the standard letterhead, with the title “Extract from Order”, the full introductory part if there is one, the relevant clause, the “Signature” field without the personal signature, a certification statement, and the records management service’s seal impression. An extract from an order is certified by the head of the records management or HR service, or by the officer responsible for keeping orders. These requirements for institutions do not mean that an IE must set up an HR service or buy a seal.

Article 47 of the Labour Code of Ukraine expressly requires the employer to issue a copy of the order. If the employer has already issued a joint order, consult the person who maintains the HR records or a lawyer. Decide together how to fulfil this obligation without disclosing other employees’ personal data unnecessarily. A text shortened at discretion cannot automatically be treated as an adequate substitute for a copy.

How to confirm delivery

When handing over the documents in person, ask the employee to confirm receipt on the employer’s copy or in a separate receipt. Illustrative wording: “On 09.10.2026, I received a copy of the order dated 09.10.2026 No. 18-к regarding my dismissal. Olena Petrenko. Signature.” Record receipt of the written payment statement separately.

If the employee refuses to receive the documents or to confirm receipt by signing, draw up a report. State the date, place, which documents were offered, and who was present. Record separately whether the employee took the documents but refused to sign the confirmation, or did not receive them at all. Have those present sign the report. If the documents remain with the employer, send them by post using the procedure below or through an agreed electronic channel. A report stating that the employee refused to receive the documents does not, by itself, prove delivery.

Send the documents to an absent employee by postal item with an itemised contents list and proof of delivery. Choose a postal operator’s service that provides both forms of evidence: an ordinary receipt for a registered letter does not show which documents were inside. Keep the itemised list, receipt, tracking information, delivery notice, or returned envelope. The fact that a letter was sent or returned does not automatically prove that the employee received a copy.

When documents may be delivered electronically

During martial law, Article 7 of Law No. 2136-IX allows the parties to agree on alternative methods for preparing, sending, and storing HR documents, as well as electronic communication. Record the agreement: which address or account you will use, which documents you will send, and how receipt will be confirmed.

Send a legible document through the agreed channel and keep the agreement, file, correspondence, and proof of receipt. A one-off message in a messenger app without the employee’s consent should not be treated as an adequate way to fulfil the obligation.

The employer and employee must remain reachable and notify each other of changes to their contact details promptly, no later than within ten calendar days. An IE fulfils this obligation by updating their details in the Unified State Register (USR). The employee sends new contact details to the employer’s address or email listed in the USR. If the employee cannot use postal or electronic communications, they may send a text message to the employer’s official phone number.

If the employee has not notified the employer of changed contact details, the employer may contact them at their last known postal address, email address, or phone number. Under Article 7, paragraph four, in this case the employer is deemed to have duly fulfilled the obligation to notify the employee.

This part of the article also provides for a separate exception. If the employee’s last known contact details have no postal service and/or technical means of electronic communication, the employer is not required to notify them of the creation or termination of employment rights and obligations, including termination of the employment contract. Applying these rules does not, by itself, prove that the employee received a copy of the order.

What to give along with the copy

The written payment statement must separately show each type of amount accrued and paid: basic and additional wages, incentive and compensation payments, and other payments due to the employee.

The general payment deadline is the dismissal date. If the employee did not work that day, pay the amounts due no later than the day after they request payment. Article 116 requires written notice of the amounts accrued and paid on the payment date. If there is a dispute about the amount payable, pay on time the amount the employer does not dispute. At the employee’s request, enter the dismissal record in the employment record book kept by the employee.

Consequences of failing to issue a copy

For other violations of labor legislation, a court may impose an administrative fine of UAH 510 to 1,700 on an individual entrepreneur (IE) or a culpable officer of an enterprise, institution, or organization under Article 41(1) of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses (KUpAP). Under Article 41(2), the fine increases to UAH 1,700–5,100 in either of these cases:

• The person repeats a violation covered by Article 41(1) within a year and has already been subjected to an administrative penalty for that violation.
• The violation is committed against a minor, a pregnant woman, a single father or mother, or a person acting in their place who is raising a child under 14 or a child with a disability.

The KUpAP sets these fines at 30–100 and 100–300 non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens. For calculating the fine, one such minimum equals UAH 17: for example, 30 × 17 = UAH 510, and 300 × 17 = UAH 5,100. Whether an administrative fine and a financial sanction may both be imposed on an IE for the same violation depends on the circumstances of the case.

Failure to issue a copy violates labour law. For other violations not covered by the separate sanctions in Article 265, paragraph two, of the Labour Code of Ukraine, the State Labour Service may impose a fine of one minimum wage on the employer for each violation. If the same type of violation is repeated within one year from the date the previous violation was detected, the fine is two minimum wages for each violation.

If the employer complies with an order issued by the State Labour Service and remedies the violation within the specified period, the Service does not hold the employer liable for a violation for which Article 265 provides a fine of one minimum wage. This exception does not apply to a repeated violation carrying a fine of two minimum wages. A separate rule applies to inspections during martial law, as described below.

During martial law, Article 16 of Law No. 2136-IX allows unscheduled inspections, including inspections into the lawfulness of terminating employment contracts. A broader rule applies for this period: if the employer fully complies, within the prescribed time, with orders to remedy violations found during an unscheduled inspection, fines under Article 265 are not applied.

Article 117 provides for compensation when payment is delayed through the employer’s fault. If the employer has not paid the amounts due within the time limits in Article 116 and there is no dispute about their amount, the employer must pay the employee average earnings for the period of delay until final payment, but for no more than six months. If the parties dispute the amount due, compensation is payable to the employee when the dispute is resolved in their favour. If the claims are granted in part, the body resolving the dispute determines the compensation amount within the same six-month period. Failure to issue a copy of the order is not, by itself, grounds for this compensation.

During martial law, the rules on remuneration in Article 10 of Law No. 2136-IX also apply. The employer must take all possible measures to pay wages on time. The employer is released from liability for missing payment deadlines if it proves that hostilities or other force majeure circumstances caused the delay. The obligation to pay wages remains. If hostilities make timely wage payment impossible, the law allows payment to be deferred until the enterprise resumes operations.

An employee has one month from the date they are given a copy of the order to bring a dismissal case to court. The court may restore a time limit missed for valid reasons if no more than one year has passed since the copy was received. Constitutional Court Decision No. 1-р/2025 concerning paragraph one of Article 233 on the time limit for wage claims did not abolish the one-month time limit for challenging dismissal.

What to keep in the document file

• The original order and a certified copy.
• Proof of receipt or a report of refusal.
• Postal evidence or the agreement on electronic exchange and proof of delivery.
• A copy of the written payment statement and proof of receipt.
• Documents confirming payment of the amounts due.

Official sources

• Labour Code of Ukraine No. 322-VIII: Articles 47, 116, 117, 233, 234, 265; note to Article 233 concerning Constitutional Court Decision No. 1-р/2025.
• Law of Ukraine No. 2136-IX “On the Organisation of Labour Relations under Martial Law”: Articles 7, 10, 16.
• Rules for Records Management and Archival Storage of Documents, Ministry of Justice Order No. 1000/5 of 18.06.2015: Section II, Chapter 11, paragraphs 7–12.
• Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses No. 8073-X: Article 41, paragraphs 1–2; Article 221.
• Tax Code of Ukraine No. 2755-VI: Section XX, Subsection 1, paragraph 5 — calculation of fines in non-taxable minimum incomes.