Employee Reservations in 2026: Who Can Get a Deferral and What Mistakes Will Cancel It?

Ukrainian enterprises may lose the right to reserve military personnel due to incorrect calculation of quotas. Even exceeding the established limit for one person requires elimination of the violation within 10 working days. At the same time, for certain industries, the government has provided for the possibility of booking up to 95% of personnel.

Who has the right to reserve employees

In 2026, state bodies and enterprises that have received the status of critical for the functioning of the economy or meeting the needs of the population can reserve military personnel.

At the same time, individual entrepreneurs do not have the right to make reservations. This restriction applies to both individual entrepreneurs themselves and their employees.

For most critically important enterprises, the total reservation limit is 50% of military personnel, which are taken into account when calculating the quota.

How to correctly calculate the number of employees for reservation

When determining the maximum number of reserved employees, the employer must correctly form the calculation base.

In particular, it does not include:

women who are on military service;
persons excluded from military service;
part-time workers who already have a reservation at another place of work.

For example, if an enterprise employs 20 people, including six women and two part-time workers with a reservation at another company, the calculation base will be 12 employees.

With a standard limit of 50%, an enterprise will be able to book six employees.

At the same time, if the enterprise employs only one conscript, the Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 76 provides for the possibility of booking him in full.

Who cannot be included in the reservation lists

Employers must check the military registration data of employees before submitting applications.

In particular, booking of persons working under civil law contracts is not allowed, since they are not in an employment relationship with the enterprise.

Problems may also arise when submitting employees with violations of military registration rules or outdated personal data.

Special attention should be paid to employees who already have legal grounds for deferment from mobilization. According to the updated rules, such persons may be taken into account when determining the maximum share of reserved employees.

Can business owners receive reservations outside the limit

Separate conditions are provided for ultimate beneficial owners of enterprises.

If the owner of the company is listed in the Unified State Register and is not on the staff of the enterprise, his reservation may be made outside the general quota.

However, if the owner simultaneously works as a director of the company under an employment contract, he is taken into account in the general reservation limit.

A limit of up to 95% has been set for the energy and defense industries

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has also changed the approaches to booking employees of enterprises of the fuel and energy and defense industries.

For the relevant categories of enterprises, the possibility of booking up to 95% of military-required employees is provided.

In addition, the government has created a Coordination Center for Organizing the Reservation of Military-Required Employees.

Among its main tasks are the analysis of the criticality criteria of enterprises, consideration of appeals from state bodies, and preparation of recommendations for increasing reservation quotas by more than 50%.

The Center will also be able to recommend the review or cancellation of the status of a critical enterprise if there are appropriate grounds.

At the same time, the final decisions on granting such status remain with the authorized state bodies.

What are the risks for enterprises due to violations

Incorrect determination of the number of military-required employees or exceeding the permitted quota can create serious problems for the employer.

If the enterprise has exceeded the established limit, the situation must be corrected within 10 working days.

Failure to comply with the requirements may be grounds for reviewing the reservation and the status of a critical enterprise.