Two pensions at once in December: a surprise has been prepared for elderly Russians

Analyst Belyaev: “The authorities have not accomplished any feats, it’s pure accounting”

In December, some Russian pensioners will receive two old-age pensions at once: for the first month of winter, in the usual amount. Plus already indexed payments for January 2024. Such happiness awaits those pensioners whose payment period is from the 1st to the 8th of the month. After all, in January these days will be officially holidays and non-working days. The pension delivery date will move earlier.

Which elderly Russians should expect December payments and when? Recipients using the Mir card will receive pensions on the usual days. Pensions will be received through Russian Post taking into account the work schedule of a particular post office, which can be found out even without leaving home – for example, by calling the Hotline of the Social Fund.

The first payments will take place at the beginning of December, and the second at the end, between December 25-29. Those who do not receive January indexed payments in December will be able to receive them in January at the usual time.

Let us remind you that according to the law approved by the State Duma, from January 1, 2024, pensions will be indexed by 7.5% – in accordance with the expected official inflation rate in 2023. On average in Russia, pension payments to non-workers will increase by 1.6 thousand rubles.

As you know, they are not indexed for working senior citizens. But they will also receive their 2nd pension (without indexation) at the end of December – if the receipt date falls on the same first 8 days of the month.

Let us note that a couple of years ago the State Duma made a proposal to the government to make the traditional and annual payment of the 13th pension to veterans. So that they can celebrate the New Year with dignity and not go into debt. The idea was widely discussed in society and was warmly supported by the pensioners themselves. But the number, as they say, did not go through. The government has been unable to find sources of funding for additional payments to the multi-million army of Russian pensioners.

According to the associate professor of the department of “Human Resource Management” of the Russian Economic University. Plekhanov Lyudmila Ivanova-Shvets, in Russia today there are 41.7 million pensioners, of which the vast majority are unemployed – over 32 million. When asked whether Russians will ever expect a 13th full pension, the expert answers negatively.

“It is believed that the level of indexation of pensions in our country is quite normal, in terms of inflation and even higher,” she says. – And there is no particular need for such an additional pension. It’s just that deputies like to periodically, especially during pre-election periods, engage in populism and put forward proposals that are obviously impossible to implement in practice. During the pandemic, as you remember, when consumer prices rose sharply, all pensioners were paid an additional 5 thousand rubles. But it was a one-time payment.

Therefore, older Russians are even lucky that at the end of the year the government met them halfway and paid them two pensions?

“This is a common accounting rule: if payments fall on weekends or holidays, they are transferred the day before,” says financial analyst, candidate of economic sciences Mikhail Belyaev. – For example, on Thursday or Friday, if the payment day in a certain month coincides with Saturday or Sunday. The authorities haven’t accomplished any feats here, it’s pure accounting.

– But will older people have an additional opportunity to “treat” themselves and their loved ones with something for the New Year?

– Yes, after December 25, some elderly citizens’ pensions will come in indexed form. But you need to remember that the next time the pension will be paid only at the beginning of February – in fact, a month and a half later. Therefore, in my opinion, it is better to put this second pension away in the chest of drawers and forget about it for 2-3 weeks. And remember only after the New Year holidays. Then you won’t have to take out a loan from microfinance organizations to survive until your February pension.

– Can a second pension accelerate inflation? After all, everyone will run to the store for shopping…

– Inflation will already be accelerated by the pre-holiday rush. After all, ours is not of a monetary nature – that is, it does not depend on the amount of money, but on the actions of trade monopolies and large companies. They jack up prices. Demand, of course, will increase slightly and trade will, of course, take advantage of this. But not due to the fact that additional money from pensioners will appear on the market. So it’s definitely not worth holding the two December payments to some pensioners responsible for the rise in prices.