In 2023, 1.5 million Russian families took advantage of maternity capital and spent a total of over 454.9 billion rubles.

The country's Social Fund reported this on Thursday, January 18.

“Improving living conditions has traditionally remained the most popular area of ​​the program.

677.1 thousand families used state support funds to purchase or build housing.

In accordance with their statements, the Social Fund transferred 394.1 billion rubles,” the statement says.

In addition, parents of 414.8 thousand children received a monthly payment from maternity capital funds for a child under three years of age.

A total of 36.7 billion rubles were spent for these purposes.

At the same time, recipients of state support allocated another 23.7 billion for the education of 376 thousand children.

Let us recall that for the first time maternity capital payments in Russia began to be paid back in 2007, and the initiative itself is valid until the end of 2026.

Initially, only parents of two children could apply for financial assistance from the state, but since 2020 it has been extended to first-born children.

In addition, from January 1, 2024, maternity capital began to be accrued only to those who have Russian citizenship at the time of the birth of the child, and only if the baby himself is a citizen of the Russian Federation by birth.

Exceptions are provided only for residents of new regions: they are provided with financial support regardless of the basis and timing of acquiring Russian citizenship.

A maternity capital certificate is issued without an application.

At the same time, the payment amount is traditionally indexed from February 1 to the inflation rate for the previous year.

Currently, the state allocates 586.9 thousand rubles for the first child under the program, and 775.6 thousand rubles for the second child.

If the family has already received money for the first child, then when the second child appears, they will be paid an additional 188.7 thousand rubles.

Since inflation in Russia in 2023 was approximately 7.4%, on February 1, 2024, maternity capital will be indexed exactly by this value.

As a result, the payment for the first child should increase to 630.4 thousand rubles, and for the second - to 833 thousand rubles (up to 202.6 thousand if the parents have already received money for the first-born).

It is noteworthy that if a family received a certificate before February 1, but did not have time to use it, the payment will still be raised by 7.4%.

If the money has already been partially spent, then only the unused balance will be indexed.

  • globallookpress.com

  • © Zamir Usmanov

Please note that maternity capital funds cannot be cashed out, but can be spent on several purposes.

In particular, a family can use money to improve housing conditions (including repaying the mortgage and building housing), forming a funded pension for the mother, obtaining an education for the child, purchasing goods and services for social adaptation and integration into society of children with disabilities.

In addition, parents with incomes below two subsistence levels per person (a total of about 30.9 thousand rubles) can apply for a monthly payment from maternity capital for a child under three years of age.

If there are several such children in a family, then each of them can receive this form of support.

The amount of the benefit is equal to the subsistence minimum per child and the average in Russia is now almost 15 thousand rubles.

In addition, parents with many children who have received maternity capital can count on a subsidy from the state in the amount of 450 thousand rubles to pay off the mortgage.

Thus, when a third child appears, the family has the opportunity to allocate over 1.2 million rubles to solve the housing problem, and from February 1, 2024, the figure should be almost 1.3 million.

Financial incentive

According to the Social Fund, since the launch of the maternity capital program in Russia, 13.8 million certificates have already been issued.

Moreover, in addition to the federal program, in recent years the country has built a whole system of regional initiatives, as previously stated by the Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation Anton Kotyakov.

“In 72 regions, regional maternity capital was introduced, which is provided mainly at the birth of the third and subsequent children.

The size of regional maternity capital varies today from 52 thousand rubles in the Altai Republic to 500 thousand rubles in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, and in most regions the range of this amount varies from 150 thousand to 250 thousand rubles,” noted the head of the Ministry of Labor.

  • January 18, 2024.

    Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation Anton Kotyakov before the start of a meeting of the Russian government.

  • RIA News

  • © Dmitry Astakhov

In general, the maternity capital program for the most part has a positive effect on the birth rate in Russia, since it improves the well-being of citizens and, above all, helps solve the housing problem.

Associate Professor of the Department of Statistics of the Russian University of Economics named after G.V. spoke about this in an interview with RT.

Plekhanova Olga Lebedinskaya.

“The connection between maternal capital and reproductive plans causes a lot of discussion.

On the one hand, studies show that a woman’s decision to give birth or not to give birth is primarily influenced by demographic and social factors.

However, the same surveys demonstrate that financial difficulties come first among the reasons for postponing the birth of a child.

Almost 56% of parents who received maternity capital are Russians with an average per capita income of 15-30 thousand rubles.

Most often, certificates are used to pay off a mortgage.

This only confirms the fact that there is a direct connection between owning your own home and the likelihood of having a child.

So there is an effect from maternity capital,” noted RT’s interlocutor.

Nikita Maslennikov, head of the Finance and Economics department at the Institute of Contemporary Development, expressed a similar point of view in a conversation with RT.

According to him, the program has become one of the most effective measures to increase the birth rate in Russia.

Nevertheless, the initiative needs to be developed and, in particular, more benefits should be given to parents with three or more children, the specialist believes.

“In 2024, the authorities are going to establish the status of large families at the federal level, so that in all regions Russians with three or more children will have the same benefits and bonuses.

Against this background, it is necessary to reform the maternity capital program to stimulate the birth rate of the third and subsequent children, so that the number of large families in Russia increases over time.

Of course, the program cannot be stopped, but it is better to think about making it indefinite,” Maslennikov concluded.