In wartime, the demand for IT specialists is growing not only among commercial companies but also in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, the approaches to forming payments for technical specialists in these two areas differ significantly. While in the civilian market, salary primarily depends on experience, qualifications, and specialization, in military units, rank, place of service, and level of risk play a key role.
This is reported by Finway
What Payments Do IT Specialists Receive in the Armed Forces
In the Armed Forces of Ukraine, IT specialists do not receive the usual civilian market salary but have a monetary provision. The minimum amount is 20,130 UAH per month, but this figure can be much higher depending on a number of factors, including:
- military rank;
- position and specialization;
- length of service;
- place of service;
- participation in combat operations;
- affiliation with a specific type or branch of the military.
According to Work.ua, as of May 2026, there are 33 vacancies for IT specialists in the Armed Forces. The level of monetary provision for these vacancies starts at approximately 20,000 UAH and can reach up to 214,000 UAH per month.
In the Armed Forces, the monetary provision for IT specialists starts at approximately 20,000 UAH and can reach 214,000 UAH per month
The highest payments are offered by the active operations unit of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine “Ferrata”. Here, an IT specialist responsible for administering the internal network, communication equipment with software control, and data transmission systems can expect a monetary provision ranging from 44,000 to 214,000 UAH per month.
Highly paid vacancies are also available in the drone systems battalion (50,000–120,000 UAH), the recruitment center of the Ukrainian army (20,000–60,000 UAH), the marine brigade (23,500–55,000 UAH), the 31st OMBr (21,000–50,000 UAH), the SBS recruitment center (around 50,000 UAH), the 159th OMBr (20,000–120,000 UAH), “Azov” (27,000–127,000 UAH), and in the RTC and SP (21,000–120,000 UAH).
Thus, the basic monetary provision for most IT positions ranges from 20,000 to 30,000 UAH, but in units with increased complexity and risk, payments can reach several hundred thousand UAH.
Salaries of IT Specialists in the Civil Sector
In the civilian market, the income level of an IT specialist is formed considering qualifications, work format, city, type of company, and area of responsibility. In May 2026, the average salary for the position of “IT Specialist” in Ukraine is 30,000 UAH, calculated based on 144 current vacancies on Work.ua. Over the year, this figure has increased by 20%, although the number of open positions in May was lower than in April.
The highest average salaries are recorded in Kyiv — 35,000 UAH. A similar income level is offered to specialists working remotely.
Specific offers in the market cover a wide range:
- head of the department for operation and modernization of IT infrastructure — 60,518–87,531 UAH;
- IT specialist in an international company — 80,000–120,000 UAH;
- head of the marketing development department in an IT project — 60,000 UAH;
- mid-level specialist — 50,000–60,000 UAH;
- technical support specialist — 25,000–50,000 UAH;
- system administrator — about 35,000 UAH;
- user support specialist — 20,000–30,000 UAH.
It is worth noting that for many candidates, the possibility of exemption from mobilization is an important criterion, which some companies offer in their vacancies.
Thus, the average minimum salary for a civilian IT specialist is 30,000 UAH, while starting payments in the Armed Forces are from 20,000 UAH. However, the upper limit in military units is significantly higher and can reach up to 214,000 UAH per month, which is related not only to technical requirements but also to the level of danger to life and health.
Moreover, after completing their service, military IT specialists may receive a one-time monetary assistance that can reach up to 50% of their monthly monetary provision.