On December 27, 2018, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted an order on granting housing subsidies to the population in cash. The rules for applying for payment of utility bills remain unchanged, only the payment procedure will be retrofitted.  

The process of monetization of subsidies will be carried out in three stages. Starting already from January 1, 2019, those families who applied for subsidies for the first time will receive monetization of subsidies and benefits. The state assistance will be allocated to their personal account at Oshchadbank. The bank will disburse these funds to utility companies and will immediately inform citizens via SMS message about how much they will have to pay for communal services.

The recipients of subsidies will not have to pay their monthly binding payment for a separate type of housing and communal services. The state through Oschadbank will pay a part of the cost of communal service within the limits of the allocated subsidy and social norms, and the recipients of subsidies will pay the second part of the bill.

For example, an allocated subsidy for gas, water, and electricity makes up UAH 1,500. And the sum of all utility bills is UAH 2,000. Oschadbank will allocate UAH 1,500 to utility service providers and inform the recipients of subsidies that they have to pay for communal service  UAH 500.

Starting from May 1, 2019, monetization will affect those families who have been receiving a subsidy or benefit for many years, including summer subsidy.

And from October 1, 2019, full-scale monetization will be kicked off, when every recipient of a housing subsidy will receive compensation for part of saved resources during the heating season.