People with many children are entitled to the same social support throughout the country.
Over the past ten years, according to the Ministry of Labor, the number of large families in Russia has doubled - there are 2.3 million of them.
In January 2024, the president signed a decree establishing the status of such families at the federal level. Basic social guarantees for parents raising three or more children will be the same in all regions of the country.
According to the decree, a large family in Russia is considered to be a family with three or more children. Parents will receive the required payments and benefits until the eldest child reaches the age of 18. If a teenager is studying full-time, support will be extended until he turns 23 years old.
Large families will receive a single federal certificate. It guarantees all state benefits and payments in connection with the birth and upbringing of children. Also, mothers and fathers have the right to count on support during employment. Parents will be able to undergo free vocational training or receive additional vocational education. In addition, mothers have the right to retire early. Large families will be able to visit museums, parks and exhibitions throughout the country for free.
The authorities of the constituent entities should give such families a priority right to conclude a social contract, encourage parents to engage in business and inform them about the benefits they are entitled to. Partnership programs with stores will also be developed locally. They will allow families with many children to receive discounts on necessary goods.
In addition, regional leaders are recommended to provide free prescription medications for children under six years of age from large families, and to provide parents with benefits on housing and utility bills of at least 30 percent. The list of recommendations included free travel, meals and uniforms for schoolchildren, as well as the priority right to enroll a child in kindergarten. The authorities will also assist in improving the living conditions of families, including by providing land plots.
Subjects have the right to expand the category of large families, taking into account their national, cultural and demographic characteristics, as well as establish regional payments and benefits.
The decree also provides for the creation of a data bank of large families. With its help, parents will be able to obtain both status and support without providing documents.
Now regions support families with many children at their discretion. In Moscow, for example, parents receive benefits until the youngest child turns 16 years old. A separate paragraph of the decree stipulates that support for families should not lead to a reduction in the level of allocations from regional budgets. That is, the situation of large families in the regions will not worsen.
Mortgage and tax
In addition to the support listed in the decree, large families have the right to take advantage of preferential mortgages. Parents with two or more children can take out a loan. Preferential mortgages are issued at six percent per annum. The limit for Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Moscow region and the Leningrad region is 12 million rubles, and for all other regions - 6 million rubles.
Parents can also receive a subsidy of up to 450 thousand rubles to repay an existing housing loan. It is available to families whose third or subsequent child was born in 2019-2023. On January 23, at a meeting with participants and winners of all-Russian family competitions, Vladimir Putin promised to extend both the subsidy and the preferential mortgage program.
People with many children have the right to a standard tax deduction, as well as an additional property tax deduction: five square meters per child for an apartment and seven for a house. The family has the right to receive a land tax deduction of six acres. These meters and hundred square meters are not subject to tax.
Working mothers and fathers can take annual leave at a time convenient for them. The benefit is valid until children turn 18 years old, and the youngest child is 14 years old.
Regions also establish their own benefits: for example, exemption from transport tax or compensation for travel on public transport. You can find out about them at the regional social security department.
For ten or more children in Russia, they are awarded the title “Heroic Mother” and the mother is rewarded with a million rubles. Parents of seven or more children are awarded the Order of Parental Glory. In this case, the payment is 500 thousand rubles. For four or more children, they are awarded the medal of the Order of Parental Glory and 200 thousand rubles.
Work in progress
On January 23, at the Council of the Chamber of Regions, senators discussed what bills need to be prepared in the near future in connection with the decree. Chairman of the Sofeda Committee on Social Policy Elena Perminova previously told the Parliamentary Newspaper about this.
For example, the decree gives mothers of many children the right to receive an old-age pension early. “In the near future we will study this issue in detail in order to prepare the necessary legislative initiatives for this,” the senator noted.
According to her, amendments to the budget may be required to ensure all payments and benefits. The number of large families will most likely increase, and new preferences will appear. For example, funds will be needed for vocational training and retraining of parents with many children, guaranteed by decree.
Take action! Resist the assault from the rainbow mafia: