Holiday payments await pensioners by October 1: who will receive and how much

Why the authorities will not legalize cash benefits for the Day of the elderly

Every year on October 1 in Russia, as indeed throughout the world, the International Day of Older Persons is celebrated – a holiday introduced back in the last century by the UN General Assembly. In recent years, on the eve of this date, rumors regularly appear and begin to actively circulate on the Internet that supposedly by October 1, pensioners will be given 10 thousand rubles each as a kind of gift. These rumors do not find confirmation, nevertheless, some categories of older people really have a chance of receiving certain cash payments by October 1.

This year, a corresponding rumor about the payment of a lump sum to all pensioners also arose. Obviously, last year’s situation became the reason for it: in September 2021, all Russian pensioners were given 10 thousand rubles each. However, last year’s payment was not formally connected with the Day of the Elderly, although it was carried out on the eve of it. The authorities explained that step by the need to support pensioners due to high inflation, and experts linked this “attraction of unprecedented generosity” with the upcoming State Duma elections at that moment.

Inflation still remains high (more than 14% on an annual basis), but there are no elections, and the federal budget is turning from a confident surplus into an increasingly deficit due to sanctions. So it seems that pensioners have no reason to count on new massive payments from it.

Nevertheless, older people will receive money as a gift on October 1 – although not all of them. The fact is that such payments are made exclusively at the regional level, and they are not mandatory. And besides, they differ significantly depending on where the pensioner lives, since they are entirely determined by the possibilities of the budget of a particular subject of the Federation. In some regions, such payments are established only for people over a certain age, in others – exclusively for pensioners with disabilities, in others – only for those people who have lived in the region for many years and worked specifically at local enterprises.

According to open sources, we have studied in which regions, to whom and in what amount such payments have been announced to date. The largest one – 10 thousand rubles – is provided for by October 1 in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug. But not all pensioners there will receive it, but only those of them whose work experience in the territory of this particular district is at least 15 years. In the neighboring Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, an annual allowance for the Day of the Elderly will be received by all women and men over 60 and 65 years old, respectively – there are about 50 thousand people there. But the amount of payment is much more modest – 1122 rubles.

However, this is more than in the Chelyabinsk region. There, the local authorities decided to benefit all men over 60 and women over 55 who receive a pension. One-time they will receive 700 rubles. Non-working pensioners of the Yaroslavl region are waiting for an increase of 500 rubles. The veterans from the Ryazan region will receive the same amount – but only those who are already 90 years old.

In the Nizhny Novgorod region, participants and invalids of the Great Patriotic War, as well as victims of concentration camps and ghettos of those years, will receive the right to an annual one-time cash payment for rehabilitation by October 1 – they will be given 1,000 rubles each.

The situation with payments for the Day of the elderly for “MK” commented economist Andrey LobodaDirector of External Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility at BitRiver.

– Payments by October 1 are not provided in all regions, and their level is extremely low. How normal is this?

– Two years ago, the state began to seriously and very effectively develop targeted social programs to support the population. Helping one or another group of older people is an unmistakable decision, and the amount of assistance here will depend only on the financial capabilities of the regions. Somewhere the payments are quite modest, but financial support even in the amount of 500 rubles is a kind of marker of humanity, a tribute to the elderly, who remain important people for the country.

– But the elderly, and, as a rule, poor people would certainly like to receive more significant financial support?

– The situation with incomes and quality of life of the elderly population of the country remains difficult. However, we will not see any deterioration this year. A strong and stable ruble works real miracles. The country’s budget is still in surplus, and prices have stopped rising since May. Meaningful aid, however small, will support demand and improve consumer sentiment. The winners will be retail discounters, pharmacies, inexpensive clothing stores. In addition, older people in Russia are traditionally prone to savings. With the money they receive, they will surely replenish their deposits in large state-owned banks. So targeted support for the elderly is still one of the most effective.

– Then maybe the system of payments for the Day of the Elderly should be somehow developed: make it mandatory for all regions and equalize the amount of payments?

– Against the background of still low and heterogeneous levels of pensions in the regions of the country, such payments are a very correct measure. The economic, moral and social implications of such assistance would be invaluable. It is quite difficult to talk about a sufficient level of support for the elderly, whether it is 1,000 or 2,000 rubles. It is important that this assistance be meaningful and its architecture evolve.