Arrest of funds in a bank account is a standard instrument for enforcing decisions against a debtor. If a person does not repay their debt voluntarily, a state or private executor restricts their access to money and directs it to cover the debt. However, even in such a situation, the law leaves room for maneuver: during martial law, a debtor has the right to use a certain amount from one account, despite the arrest.
When funds in an account can be arrested
The basis for forced collection is an open enforcement proceeding. The Law "On Enforcement Proceedings" provides for forced execution of requirements fixed in enforcement writs, court decisions, separate rulings and court orders, and other documents recognized as enforceable.
After opening a proceeding, the executor sends requests to banks to determine what funds the debtor has. Collection is primarily directed at funds in hryvnia and foreign currency, and the arrest can extend to funds that arrive in the account after the ruling is issued. The law also allows for the arrest of electronic money and other defined assets.
Only the amount specified in the ruling of the relevant body can be collected. However, this amount includes not only the "principal" of the debt—additionally, the debtor will have to pay an enforcement fee, enforcement proceeding costs, fines, and the main remuneration of the private executor, if provided by law.
Which funds cannot be touched
The State Enforcement Service cannot collect certain social and compensation payments—assistance related to pregnancy and childbirth, one-time assistance upon birth of a child, adoption assistance, payments for children under guardianship or guardianship. Separate compensations to employees are also protected, in particular those related to official business trips or transfer to work in another location.
The law separately prohibits arresting accounts with a special mode of use. If a bank receives a ruling on arrest of such an account, it is obliged to notify the executor of existing restrictions. However, in practice, the bank's notification alone is often insufficient—the debtor should independently collect documents confirming the social origin of the funds and submit them to the executor.
When arrest is lifted
The main basis for account unblocking is full satisfaction of the requirements of the enforcement document together with the enforcement fee, proceeding costs, and fines. Arrest is also lifted if the State Enforcement Service receives documents about the special mode of the account or the protected origin of the funds—in this case, the account should be unblocked the next day after receiving the documents.
Arrest can also be canceled due to violation of the procedure itself by the executor. If a person believes their actions or inactions to be unlawful, they have the right to appeal them—regarding the execution of a court decision, a complaint is filed with the court that issued the enforcement document, and actions in the execution of decisions of other bodies are appealed to an administrative court.
How much can be spent from an arrested account now
Even with an arrest due to debts, a person can continue to use part of the funds—but only from one selected bank account. Additionally, it is permitted to pay taxes and fees from it without taking the fact of arrest into account.
The limit on such an account is tied to the minimum wage: each month, you can use an amount not exceeding two minimum wages established by the law on the state budget as of January 1 of the respective year. Currently, this is 17,294 hryvnia.
How to designate an account for expenditure operations
The debtor submits to the executor conducting the proceeding an application to designate one current account with the account number specified according to the IBAN standard and the name of the bank. After reviewing the application, the executor issues a ruling, and the bank permits operations in the amount established by law.
Even if a person has accounts arrested in several banks, only one of them can be chosen. The same rule applies in multiple simultaneous enforcement proceedings—one common current account is designated for all of them.
The presence of three enforcement proceedings does not mean that the debtor will receive three separate limits of 17,294 hryvnia—the total available amount in 2026 remains within two minimum wages per month.
What to do if your account is arrested
First, you should find out who and in what proceeding imposed the arrest—this information is often provided by the bank itself in the mobile application. Next, you need to verify the amount of debt and the grounds for collection.
If the debt is real but access to funds is needed for everyday expenses, during martial law you can submit to the executor an application to designate one account for expenditure operations. If funds that cannot be collected by law have been arrested, you should collect documents about their origin or the special mode of the account and demand the arrest be lifted.
After full repayment of the debt, you should additionally verify that the executor has issued a ruling on lifting the arrest and that the bank has received it—it is this ruling, not the fact of payment itself, that legally unblocks the account.
