A meeting of the Board of the Social Fund of Russia focused on the issues of voluntary pension insurance for self-employed individuals, the provision of the new family payout, and the development of the Social Fund's service system took place in Moscow. In addition to the Social Fund management, board members representing the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Finance, Bank of Russia, the State Duma, the Federation Council, as well as professional and public associations, including the Federation of Independent Trade Unions and the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs attended the meeting.
As was noted during the meeting, future pensions are an important issue for those who have chosen the self-employment tax regime today. Marina Semyonova, Deputy Chairwoman of the Social Fund, who delivered a report on the topic, explained that, unlike individual entrepreneurs, workers paying the professional income tax are not required to pay annual pension contributions but accumulate retirement funds on a voluntary basis. To ensure that the self-employed remember to make contributions, the Social Fund periodically reminds them of the opportunity to accumulate a pension within the compulsory insurance system. Since the system launched in autumn of 2024, notices have already been received by over 30,000 people who have less than 15 years left until their retirement age.
A report on the progress of the annual family payout, launched on June 1, was also presented at the meeting. According to Oksana Sanarova, Head of the Department for Social Security of Families with Children, virtually all parents apply for the new benefit online, submitting up to 134,500 applications per day on average. Thanks to the structured review process, branches of the Social Fund promptly issue decisions on them: in just four business days on average, instead of the ten days stipulated by the regulations, which is two and a half times faster than the standard requirement.
Kristina Lapitskaya, Head of the Department for Public Services, Interaction with Citizens, and Feedback, explained the factors behind this rate of service. According to her, over the past year, the Social Fund optimized the delivery of 17 services, including tools for managing maternity capital, informing pre-retirees, booking appointments, and granting pensions and their corresponding social supplements. If prior to 2022 a pension was granted within 10 business days, today this process is automated and takes no more than 3 hours in total.
As a result of the Social Fund's effort to develop its services, they can be obtained now in simpler, more transparent ways. Consequently, the number of request submitted to the Fund is decreasing. In Q1, their total number dropped by 26% compared to the same period last year. Proactive assignment and notification made the number of inquiries related to pension decrease even more sharply: by 29%. A significant reduction was also observed for child allowances: by 37%.
Better service quality allows for the optimization of services handed over to the Fund by other departments and government authorities. As pointed out at the meeting, thanks to regulation amendments adopted this year, new mechanisms have been developed for transferring regional welfare benefits to the jurisdiction of the Social Fund. The transfer of powers and the allocation of subventions are based on agreements signed between the Social Fund and regional authorities. A number of regions have already expressed their willingness to transfer their functions to the Social Fund starting next year.
For reference, the Social Fund Board is a collegial governing body. that meets at least once in every three months. The Board reviews issues related to the Social Fund's involvement in government programs and priority areas for the development of social insurance systems. Board members also take part in discussions concerning the Fund's draft regulations and, if necessary, provide recommendations on sending them for consideration to the Russian Trilateral Commission for the Regulation of Social and Labour Relations.