How to digitize a work record book?

The process of digitalization of labor relations in Ukraine has become one of the most important reforms of recent years. It fundamentally changes the interaction between the employee, the employer and the state. The main goal of this transition is the complete replacement of outdated paper work books with a modern electronic format stored in the databases of the Pension fund of Ukraine.

Digitizing a work book is not just transferring photos of its pages to a computer, but a complex process of verifying insurance experience, which directly affects a citizen's future pension. If you are interested in professional advice or legal support on this matter, you can contact the labor law lawyers of the law firm "Prikhodko&Partners".

What does the legislation say about digitizing the work book?

According to current legislation, the transition period for full data portability is 5 years, starting from June 2021. During this time, every officially employed citizen or his employer had to ensure that information about his professional career appeared in the Register of insured persons. The main advantages of this approach are as follows:

• if a paper document is easy to lose, then an electronic one becomes a guarantee of data security;
• a digitized work book will not disappear during moves or hostilities;
• it cannot be destroyed by fire.

The electronic register guarantees that not a single year of work will disappear without a trace. In addition to protecting information, digitization makes it possible to introduce a mechanism for automatic pension allocation. This means that upon reaching retirement age, a person will not need to collect dozens of certificates and personally visit the fund branch, since the system will already have all the necessary information about the length of service and contributions paid.

Technical requirements

The technical side of the process of digitizing a work book requires special care and adherence to specific standards. Please note the following requirements:

1. scanned copies of the work book must be in color and clear so that each symbol, signature and stamp are legible;
2. blurred images or files with cropped edges are not allowed to be uploaded;
3. each page with entries or marks must be scanned in chronological order;
4. not only the section on work information must be scanned, but also the title page with personal data, as well as sections on incentives and awards, as they may also affect certain social benefits or veteran status;
5. the file format should usually be PDF or JPEG, and the size of each individual object must not exceed the limits set by the server.

Many people try to digitize their work book on their own through the electronic services portal, but it is at the stage of technical preparation that the most errors occur. For example, if the seal on the dismissal record is smeared or superimposed on the text, the system or the fund employee conducting the check may not count this period as insurance experience. In such cases, it becomes necessary to obtain clarifying certificates from former employers or from archival institutions, which significantly complicates the process, especially if the enterprise has already been liquidated.

Problems you may encounter

The legal aspect of digitization is even deeper, as it reveals all the hidden problems of paper documents that have accumulated over decades. Quite often, upon inspection, it turns out that the owner's name on the title page is indicated incorrectly relative to the passport, or the seal of the company that first opened the book is missing. Such discrepancies make the document legally invalid until the errors are corrected or the fact of the document's ownership is established through a court.

Another common problem is the lack of numbers of orders on hiring or dismissal, the presence of uncertified corrections or erasures. Therefore, before uploading documents to the register, it is worth conducting a full legal audit of them. This will allow you to identify weaknesses in advance and prepare the necessary evidence base to confirm the length of service.

If a person worked in the 90s at small private enterprises that have long ceased operations, confirming such experience can be a real challenge. In such situations, digitizing the work book becomes a tool for taking inventory of one's life, when a person gets the opportunity to correct the situation in time, while they still have the strength and access to certain resources.

Why is it important to digitize the work book?

What role do professional lawyers play in the process of digitizing the work book?

Many citizens believe that digitization is a purely technical job for a personnel officer, but this is a mistaken judgment. When it comes to complex cases, such as preferential seniority under the first or second Lists, work in harmful conditions or in territories currently under occupation, the help of a lawyer becomes indispensable. A lawyer can:

• send requests to the relevant authorities;
• request copies of orders on job certification and other documents confirming the right to early retirement.

Moreover, in the event of an illegal refusal of the Pension fund to accept certain records for accounting, it is legal support that allows you to appeal such actions in administrative or judicial proceedings.

What does case law indicate?

Judicial practice in Ukraine is now actively siding with insured persons, indicating that formal errors in the registration of the employment record made by the employer should not deprive a citizen of his constitutional right to social protection. Thus, high-quality digitization of the work record book with the support of labor law lawyers becomes a guarantee of a peaceful old age and fair calculation of benefits.

You can order the services of such specialists by filling out the feedback form on our website.