Reception of employees and registration of the work book

As a business grows, hiring employees ceases to be merely a human resources issue and becomes a matter of legal security. Mistakes at the start of employment relationships are costly: ranging from disputes with an employee to fines for undeclared work. Today in Ukraine, records of labor activity are maintained primarily in electronic form within the register of insured persons. The paper employment record book (labor book) has not disappeared entirely, but it is no longer the sole or primary carrier of information regarding length of service. For an employee being hired for the first time, a paper labor book is issued by the employer only upon the employee's request and no later than five days after employment begins. If the employee requests it, the employer also makes entries in the paper book, which the employee keeps in their possession. (Legislation of Ukraine)

A transitional period for digitizing paper labor books is in effect until June 10, 2026. During this period, the Pension Fund of Ukraine enters missing information into the register based on documents submitted by the employer or the employee. After the data entry is complete, the paper labor books still held by the employer are returned to the employees against a signature. This means that for a new hire, an entrepreneur must no longer think in categories of "how to correctly make an entry in the book," but in categories of "how to correctly formalize labor relations, submit a notification, and not lose data for electronic record-keeping." (Legislation of Ukraine)

Actions Required Before Actual Commencement of Work

An employee cannot be allowed to work without three actions: concluding an employment contract, issuing an order or instruction from the employer regarding employment, and submitting a notification to the tax authority before the work starts. For members of the executive body or the head of an enterprise, institution, or organization, a separate notification is not submitted if the information is already entered in the Unified State Register. (Legislation of Ukraine)

Before work begins, the employer must also inform the employee about the basic terms of labor: the place of work, labor function, start date, workplace, tools of labor, internal labor regulations, presence of dangerous or harmful factors, and their rights to benefits and compensation under such conditions. In practice, this means that without a proper personnel package — an order, familiarization with regulations, job documents, payment terms, and, if necessary, safety briefings — hiring cannot be considered safe for the business. (Legislation of Ukraine)

Documents the Employer Has the Right to Demand

When concluding an employment contract, the employee submits a passport or other identity document, a labor book if available, or information about labor activity from the register of insured persons. In cases provided by law, they also submit a document on education or qualifications, a health certificate, and the relevant military registration document. The employer does not have the right to demand documents or information not provided for by law. For an entrepreneur, this is an important rule: "the more papers, the safer" does not work here. Without a legal basis, excessive requirements for a candidate create unnecessary risks for the employer. (Legislation of Ukraine)

Special attention should be paid to military registration. If a candidate is a conscript, a person liable for military service, or a reservist, the employer works with their military registration documents within the framework of the procedure approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Ignoring this block is a typical mistake for small businesses, especially when hiring is done quickly and "through acquaintances." (Legislation of Ukraine)

When an Employment Contract Must Be in Writing

A written form of an employment contract is not always mandatory, but the law explicitly requires it, particularly in the case of organized recruitment of workers, work in regions with special natural or geological conditions or increased health risks, when concluding a contract, when the employee insists on a written form, when hiring a minor, when concluding an agreement with an employer who is a physical person (sole proprietor), for remote and home-based work, for an employment contract with non-fixed working hours, as well as for domestic workers. If a business operates remotely, attracts personnel flexibly, or hires employees through a sole proprietor (FOP) employer, a written contract is no longer a recommendation but a mandatory requirement. (Legislation of Ukraine)

First Job, Paper Book, and Confirmation of Service Length

If a person is employed for the first time, the employer should not automatically purchase and open a paper labor book. Such a book is issued only at the employee's request. At the same time, length of service after the implementation of personalized record-keeping is confirmed primarily by data from the register of insured persons. For periods prior to January 1, 2004, the paper labor book and other supporting documents remain significant. If the book is lost, entries are missing, or are inaccurate, length of service may be confirmed by other documents according to the special procedure of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. (Legislation of Ukraine)

How to Make Entries in a Paper Labor Book if requested by the employee

Paper labor books, if they continue to be maintained, are formalized according to Instruction No. 58. Entries regarding hiring, transfer, or dismissal are made on the basis of an order or instruction from the employer; they must exactly correspond to the content of such a document. The general rule for making an entry is no later than a week after the order is issued, while an entry regarding dismissal is made on the day of dismissal. For an entrepreneur, this means one simple thing: an entry in the book does not correct an erroneous order, but only repeats it. Therefore, first, there must be a flawlessly executed personnel document, and only then the entry. (Legislation of Ukraine)

It is best to verify the job title, profession, or work with the Classifier of Professions DK 003:2010 in its current edition. This is important not only for the labor book but also for orders, staffing tables, hiring notifications, timesheets, job descriptions, and further confirmation of service length. If an employee works part-time (as a second job), an entry regarding such work is made in the labor book only at their request and at the place of their primary employment. (me.gov.ua)

Underage Employees: Special Requirements

The general rule is as follows: employment is permitted from the age of 16. From age 15 — with the consent of one of the parents or a person replacing them. Persons who have reached age 14 can be hired only for light work that does not harm their health and does not interfere with their studies, also with the consent of one of the parents or a person replacing them. All persons under the age of 18 are hired only after a preliminary medical examination. Furthermore, a probationary period is not established for minors upon hiring. (Legislation of Ukraine)

How to Digitize a Labor Book and What to Do if Entries are Missing

Information about labor activity can be submitted to the Pension Fund by either the employer or the employee themselves through the PFU electronic services web portal. To do this, one uses a personal account with a qualified electronic signature, the "Communications with PFU" section, and the "Information on Labor Relations" tab. The PFU requires high-quality color scanned copies of the pages in PDF or JPEG format; all filled pages are submitted in chronological order. If the labor book is missing or the necessary entries in it are insufficient, other documents are accepted to confirm service length in accordance with Resolution No. 637. (Pension Fund of Ukraine)

Employer Liability

The riskiest violation is the actual admission of an employee to work without proper formalization of an employment contract, without an order, or without notification to the tax authority. For this, Article 265 of the Labor Code (KZpP) provides for a financial penalty in the amount of ten minimum wages for each employee regarding whom the violation was committed. As of 2026, the minimum wage is 8,647 UAH, thus the penalty amount equals 86,470 UAH for each unregistered employee. For legal entities and sole proprietors (FOPs) who are payers of the single tax in groups 1–3, a warning is provided for the first such violation. The law also allows for the payment of 50 percent of the penalty within ten banking days from the date the resolution is served. Separately, administrative liability remains under Article 41 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (KUpAP). (Legislation of Ukraine)

Judicial Practice

In case No. 260/1743/19, the Supreme Court noted that the duty to properly formalize labor relations lies precisely with the employer, regardless of whether the employee insists on it. In the same case, the court emphasized that a sole proprietor (FOP) using hired labor cannot be simultaneously punished for the same violation under both Part Two of Article 265 of the Labor Code and Part Three of Article 41 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, as this contradicts the principle of inadmissibility of double liability. For business, the conclusion is practical: reliance on a "verbal agreement" with an employee does not protect the employer. (Supreme Court of Ukraine)

For an entrepreneur, a safe hiring algorithm looks like this: check the documents, conclude an employment contract in the proper form, issue an order, submit a notification to the tax office before work starts, fulfill the duties regarding informing the employee, and resolve the issue of the paper labor book only as an additional matter — at the employee's request and taking into account electronic record-keeping. It is this approach that reduces risks for the business, preserves the employee's labor data, and avoids problems during inspections, dismissal, or pension assignment. (Legislation of Ukraine)

Official Sources

Labor Code of Ukraine, No. 322-VIII — Articles 24, 25, 26, 29, 48, 188, 191, 265. (Legislation of Ukraine)

Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated 17.06.2015 No. 413 — procedure for notifying the tax authority of employee hiring. (Legislation of Ukraine)

Law of Ukraine dated 05.02.2021 No. 1217-IX — electronic recording of labor activity, transition period, issuance of paper labor books to employees after digitization. (Legislation of Ukraine)

Order of the Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Social Protection dated 29.07.1993 No. 58 "On Approval of the Instruction on the Procedure for Maintaining Employment Record Books of Employees" — rules for making entries, terms, part-time work, corrections. (Legislation of Ukraine)

Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated 30.12.2022 No. 1487 — Procedure for organizing and maintaining military registration of conscripts, persons liable for military service, and reservists. (Legislation of Ukraine)

DK 003:2010 "Classifier of Professions" and Order of the Ministry of Economy dated 13.12.2024 No. 27751 — current edition of the classifier and Change No. 14. (me.gov.ua)

Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated 12.08.1993 No. 637 — Procedure for confirming available length of service for pension assignment in the absence of a labor book or relevant entries in it. (Legislation of Ukraine)

Law of Ukraine "On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2026", No. 4695-IX — Article 8, minimum wage in 2026. (Legislation of Ukraine)

Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses, No. 8073-X — Article 41. (Legislation of Ukraine)

Official explanations of the Pension Fund of Ukraine regarding the electronic labor book, submission of scanned copies, and confirmation of service length. (Pension Fund of Ukraine)

Supreme Court Practice: Case No. 260/1743/19, Resolution dated 22.12.2020. (Supreme Court of Ukraine)