Insurance pension adjustment
The Social Fund will adjust insurance pensions for Russians by 7.6% in January, above the inflation rate. As a result, the average insurance pension on retirement will increase by RUB 1,900, to RUB 27,000. 38 million retiree will get a pension hike. The adjustment will be different for each individual retiree, depending on the amount they currently receive.
It covers all types of insurance pensions, including disability and loss of breadwinner. The increase will be effected automatically; retirees do not need to apply or submit any documents to receive it.
Due to the approaching New Year holidays, most retirees will receive their adjusted pensions ahead of schedule. They will be remitted on or before December 30 (only for pensions that retirees receive through banks). The Russian Post will begin deliveries of adjusted pensions on January 3, as per the specific schedule in each region, depending on the operations of local post offices.
Future pension adjustment for working Russians
Simultaneously with the payouts to current retirees, the future pensions of working Russians will also see adjustments in January, through a 7.6% increase in both the value of the pension coefficient and the fixed payments, which together make up the insurance pension. The single coefficient value will increase from RUB 145.69 to RUB 156.76. The amount of the fixed payment to the insurance pension will grow from RUB 8,907.7 to RUB 9,584.69.
Child allowance hike
The minimum subsistence rate will go up in January, affecting many benefits in Russia, such as the unified allowance which the Social Fund currently provides to millions of families with children. Under the rules currently in force, its amount is based on the subsistence rate for a child or a working-age adult in each region. After the subsistence rate goes up, the Social Fund will automatically adjust the amounts due to families.
The unified allowance for children under 17 will average RUB 9,200, RUB 13,800 or RUB 18,400/month across Russia. These amounts are equivalent to 50%, 75% and 100% of the federal subsistence rate for a child for the next year. The amount due depends on the family's income level: the lower it is, the higher the allowance provided.
Starting January 1, the unified allowance for pregnant women will average RUB 10,300, RUB 15,500 or RUB 20,600 across Russia, which is equivalent to 50%, 75% and 100% of the federal subsistence rate for a working-age adult for the next year. Similar to the child allowance, this benefit depends on the family's income level.
Families will receive their adjusted payments in early February, as the unified allowance is paid each month for the preceding one.
On top of that, in January and February, the Social Fund will also increase the monthly allowance for children under 18 months and the lump sum payment on the birth or adoption of a child. The maximum monthly allowance for children under 18 months will grow to RUB 83,021.18. The maximum maternity and childbirth benefits will increase to RUB 955,836. The specific amount of insurance payouts depends on the recipient's salary.
Social welfare increase
On top of pension adjustments, starting February, many citizens will see their social welfare payments increase. That concerns, for instance, the monthly allowance which is one of the most widespread social welfare payments in Russia. The allowance is assigned to disabled individuals of all groups, combat veterans, Chernobyl disaster survivors, veterans of the Great Patriotic War, Heroes of the Russian Federation and the USSR, Heroes of Labor, and certain other groups.
Along with the monthly cash allowances, the Social Fund will adjust the value of the social services package. It is provided by default in the form of free medicines and medical products, a health resort voucher or suburban commuter train trips, as well as travel to the place of treatment and back. Recipients of monthly cash allowances can get their social packages in the monetary form, fully or in part.
Also in February, social welfare for Chernobyl survivors will be adjusted up, and by April, the Social Fund will automatically issue annual payouts for length of service, health improvement, health damages, and loss of breadwinner.
Maternity capital adjustment
On February 1, the Social Fund will adjust the amount of maternity capital. It will be increased based on the actual inflation rate, to be determined by the Statistics Service in January.
The adjustment applies not only to families who have not yet used their maternity capital but also to families who have already partially spent it. The maternity capital balance kept on the certificate will also grow. Parents can always find out the amount of unused funds through the Gosuslugi Portal, as well as at Social Fund offices and Multifunctional Centers.
Transfer of regional social pension supplements to the Social Fund
Starting next year, regional social pension supplements will be assigned and paid out by the local offices of the Social Fund. The relevant amendments to the Law on State Social Assistance were approved this year. The new procedure will apply to all regions, except for Moscow and Sakhalin Region.
Today, the Fund pays regional pension supplements to retirees in 59 Russian regions. In the remaining 28 regions, those supplements come from the regional social welfare authorities. After the payments are handed over to the Social Fund, both supplements will be synchronized at a single contact point and provided under a single standard.
According to the rules in force, social supplements are paid to retirees whose income is below the subsistence rate. If the subsistence rate in a region is below the federal level, the supplement is paid by the Social Fund of the Russian Federation; if above that level – by the social welfare authorities.
The Social Fund will assign the regional social supplement under an application-free procedure and pay it together with the pension, just as it does today. This means that retirees will not have to visit the Fund's client offices to or submit any documents to get the benefit. The offices will assign the social supplement on their own, based on the records available in the information systems.
Those who have already been assigned the regional social supplement will keep receiving it. Just as before, the social supplement amount will be adjusted automatically following any increases in the subsistence rate.
Higher pensions for mothers of large families
Starting December, the Social Fund began accepting applications for pension adjustment from women with five or more children. From next year on, such mothers can include all their children's maternity care periods in their work duration record. Under the rules in effect until the end of this year, only care for four children has been factored in when assigning a pension.
Under the new procedure, the fifth, sixth, and all subsequent children in the family will be factored in for the mother's pension. The mother will also get pension coefficients for them, on top of the work duration, provided she cared for each child for at least eighteen months: 2.7 coefficient for the 1st child, 5.4 for the 2nd and 8.1 for the third and subsequent children.
According to Social Fund estimates, over 410,000 women will be able to claim a childcare-based pension adjustment. The 2026 Social Fund budget has the required funds.
Travel to the Social Fund rehabilitation centers for SMO servicemen
The procedure for financing the travel of SMO veterans for treatment at Social Fund's rehabilitation centers will expand in January. Former servicemen will be able to get travel tickets for this purpose. This form of payment is introduced in addition to the current option, providing SMO servicemen with refunds for travel expenses after treatment From the new year on, veterans will be able to secure a ticket right away. That way, they will not have to spend their own money and will avoid applying for reimbursement later.
Travel tickets to the Social Fund's centers and back will be provided for all types of transport, including rail, motor car, airplane, bus, or water transport. Tickets will be issued simultaneously with the treatment application being approved. On submitting an application, an SMO veteran can choose the form of travel payment: refund or a ticket. The new payment option will be available for applications submitted the start of 2026.
Note that veterans will be able to come for treatment to the Social Fund's rehabilitation centers with accompanying persons, whose travel, accommodation and meals will also be covered. This applies to former servicemen with group I disabilities or those requiring assistance due to their medical condition.
As a reminder, starting from 2025, veterans of the special military operation have been receiving medical rehabilitation and resort treatment under a special procedure at rehabilitation centers controlled by the Social Fund.
Sick leave for the self-employed
An experiment on voluntary insurance for self-employed individuals against temporary disability starts in Russia in 2026. Under this program, payers of the professional income tax will be entitled to a paid sick leave, while today, only those working under employment contracts or civil law contracts have that right.
To take part in the experiment, a self-employed individual needs to register with the Social Fund and pay monthly contributions. An application to join the program can be submitted through the Gosuslugi Portal, the My Tax app, as well as at the Social Fund's client offices.
In order to participate, a self-employed individual has to choose an insured amount that their sick leave payments will be based on RUB 35,000 or 50,000. The higher amount will bring higher payouts in case of an illness.
To qualify for sick leave payments, contributions shall be paid either monthly or as a lump sum for the entire year. The contribution rate is 3.84% of the chosen annual benefit amount. A required monthly contribution would be, therefore, RUB 1,344 or RUB 1,920 (3.84% of RUB 35,000 or RUB 50,000, respectively). If paid annually, the contribution stands at RUB 16,128 or RUB 23,040 (the total of monthly contributions for 12 months).
A self-employed individual will be able to receive sick leave benefits six months after making an annual contribution or following continuous payment of monthly contributions. The sick leave benefit amount will depend on their work duration and the contribution payment period.
The Social Fund will notify the self-employed individual once their entitlement to sick leave payments arises. Benefit notices will also be sent right after closing sick leave certificates.
Please note that the ongoing experiment applies only to sick leave benefits for self-employed individuals and does not affect maternity allowances for pregnancy and childbirth or child care entitlements for children under 18 months.
Annual family allowance
Next year, Russian families with children will get a new social welfare benefit – the annual family allowance. It will complement the existing list of child benefits provided by the Social Fund.
Working parents with two or more children will be entitled to this allowance. As with some other child allowances, several conditions shall be met in order to qualify for it. That ensures that the money goes only to those families who really need the government support.
Only parents who are Russian nationals, permanently living and paying taxes in Russia will be eligible for the annual family allowance. Personal income tax payments are another mandatory condition. In addition, the per capita income in the family shall be at or below 1.5 times the regional subsistence rate.
The allowance will be in the form of the difference between the paid personal income tax amount and 6% of the taxed income. The allowance is disbursed annually.
Russian parents will be able to apply for the family allowance for the first time from June 1 to October 1 of the next year. Applications can be submitted through the Gosuslugi Portal, at the Social Fund's client offices, and Multifunctional Centers.
New unified allowance conditions
In the new year, certain conditions for assigning the unified allowance for families with children will change. Specifically, the family income will no longer include one-time monetary disbursements made by employers to employees upon the birth or adoption of a child, as well as monthly monetary assistance to residents of the Kursk Region who lost their housing or other property as a result of the actions of Ukrainian armed groups.
The changes will also affect the requirements for able-bodied family members to have an income in the amount of at least four minimum wages (as of today). From the new year on, the income needed to qualify for the unified allowance will be at least eight minimum wages for the reporting period, or RUB 216,744 (the minimum wage starting January 1, 2026, is RUB 27,093).
In addition to salaries, income from business and other activities, temporary disability benefits will also count toward the required minimum income.
Importantly, the requirement to have an income of at least eight minimum wages does not apply or can be reduced if there are valid reasons for the lack of income. Furthermore, starting January 1, 2026, receiving age-related, loss of breadwinner or disability pensions will be considered valid reasons for having an income below eight minimum wages.
Just as before, the unified allowance will not be denied even to individuals with zero income if there were valid reasons for the lack of income for 10 months of the reporting period.
In addition, the procedure for taking child support into account will be adjusted starting March 1 of the next year. If the applicant has not obtained a court ruling or a court order for child support payment, then the following amounts of child support will be factored in for the purposes of the unified allowance: for one child – a quarter of the average monthly nominal accrued wage in the region; for two children – a third of the average monthly nominal accrued wage in the region; for three or more children — a half of the average monthly nominal accrued wage in the region.
In case of court-assigned child support payments, just as now, only the amounts actually transferred and specified in the application for the unified allowance will be counted toward the family income, same as they are now.
In the autumn of next year, experimental assessments of account turnovers when assigning the unified allowance will also take place in three Russian regions: Moscow Region, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area and Yamalo-Nets Autonomous Area.
Presumably, the permitted account turnover limit shall not be higher than the double of the total annual family income. In other words, an amount making up to 200% of all receipts to the family, including salaries, welfare benefits, bonuses, self-employment income and other types of earnings and payments. Transfers between family members, loans, tax deductions and income from property sales will not be counted toward account turnovers.
Remember that the unified allowance is a targeted payment for low-income families whose per capita income is below the subsistence rate upon a comprehensive assessment of financial position.
For reference, all the Social Fund's services are available at its client offices and via the Gosuslugi Portal free of charge.