In February, 40 social payments will be indexed: who will receive and how much

The increase in the amount of benefits will occur at the level of established inflation

More than 40 social benefits will be increased in Russia from February 1. This was announced by the Ministry of Labor in its Telegram channel. The increase will take place at the level of actual inflation – by almost 12%. As the head of the Ministry of Labor Anton Kotyakov pointed out, we are talking about an increase in maternity capital, a one-time allowance for the birth of a child and for caring for him, a monthly payment to veterans, an insurance payment and a number of other compensations. About how noticeable this increase will be for Russian families, MK found out from experts.

In 2022, official inflation in Russia was 11.94%. The corresponding figure was announced by Rosstat in mid-January, and almost immediately after that, the Ministry of Labor announced the indexation of all social benefits by 11.9% from February 1. It is clear that in the conditions of such a large-scale indexation, millions of Russians will receive assistance from the state. As the head of the analytical department of BKF-Bank Maxim Osadchy pointed out, according to the same Ministry of Labor, at the end of 2021 there were 3.6 million recipients of child benefits, of which 755 thousand were single mothers. The number of children on whom the allowance was assigned was 6.8 million people. According to the information and analytical material “On the Development of the Banking Sector of the Russian Federation” published on January 27 by the Central Bank, almost 1.5 trillion rubles were allocated at the end of 2022. for the provision of pensions and social payments to citizens, including for January 2023.

So, from February 1, payments related to the protection of motherhood and childhood will increase markedly:

– one-time allowance for the birth of a child;

– monthly allowance for child care;

– maternal capital.

Recall that since 2023, the system of child payments has been radically transformed in Russia: a single allowance for children has been introduced. Citizens must now apply for the appointment of benefits through the public services portal. As lawyers have repeatedly explained, from now on the payment is tied to the subsistence level. Moreover, families in some cases will be able to receive social support in the amount of up to 100% percent of the subsistence minimum.

According to the Ministry of Labor, after indexation in February, the amount of maternity capital for the first child will be 587 thousand rubles, which is 62.5 thousand more than last year. Cash payments for a second child will increase to 775.6 thousand rubles, which is 82.5 thousand more than in 2022.

In addition to supporting families in Russia, the following benefits will also increase:

– monthly cash payment to veterans;

– monthly insurance payment;

– allowance for the liquidators of the Chernobyl accident;

– funeral allowance;

Each of these payments has internal divisions depending on the category to which the recipient of social benefits belongs (for example, whether he is a veteran of labor or military operations, etc.) and on the degree of damage to health, such as with Chernobyl victims.

As noted by economist Andrei Loboda, director of communications at BitRiver, the state continues to provide comprehensive social support to vulnerable categories of the population. This form of assistance has proven to be a very effective measure, because it comes to those who are in dire need of it. “This year, the increase in assistance as part of the indexation of payments will grow by more than 100 billion rubles, and in two years – by 500 billion rubles,” the expert pointed out. Of course, not everything is measured in money. Citizens receive very effective assistance in kind. Beneficial categories of the population still have the right to free travel on public transport, treatment and stay in sanatoriums, they also pay significantly less for housing and communal services. “Today, the Russian authorities are giving very optimistic forecasts for reducing inflation. If this year it does not exceed 5% and the ruble does not lose its position against foreign currencies, there will be much less headache with indexation. Respect for the ruble will pay off a hundredfold with good social well-being in society,” Loboda is sure.

With all the scale of social support provided by the state to Russians, it should be noted that the level of official inflation does not fully reflect the real picture with an increase in the cost of the most popular types of goods. According to the same Rosstat, for example, the price of iodine in 2022 increased by 55.2%, for matches – by 50.6%, for margarine – by 38.5%, etc. As Aleksey Zubets, a professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, noted, one must understand that the food price index in Russia is usually higher than average inflation, especially for low-income families. And even various consumer goods rose in price last spring even more than food, as the dollar strengthened sharply. In his opinion, it is best to introduce advanced indexation (based on the official forecast) and carry it out at least in two stages – at the beginning and middle of the year.