Working status: the number of self-employed in Russia reached 4 million

The number of registered self-employed in Russia has reached 4 million people.

This was announced on Monday, January 24, by the Federal Tax Service (FTS).

According to the agency, more than 7,000 Russians receive the status of self-employed in the country every day.

In total, since the launch of the experiment in January 2019, its participants have registered income of 882 billion rubles.

“The main areas of their activity are taxi services, as well as in the field of repair and marketing, delivery of goods and rental apartments.

The most highly paid professions are in the IT field, lawyer, consultant, designer and others,” the Federal Tax Service noted.

Recall that the self-employed include people who work for themselves, receive money for their services from individuals and legal entities, do not have an employer and do not involve additional workers in their activities.

The annual income of citizens with this status should not exceed 2.4 million rubles.

“The status is actively processed by those who used to work outside the state and are now legalizing their status.

Also, people who want to find a part-time job and monetize their skills join the program.

At the same time, it is clear why the new regime is gaining popularity so actively.

It is easy to register, there is no need to keep records during work, there are no mandatory contributions, and the tax burden is quite low, ”anastasia Uskova, CEO of the Rocket Work platform, explained to RT.

Note that the self-employed pay tax on professional income (PIT).

When working with individuals, its rate is 4%, and when dealing with individual entrepreneurs and organizations - 6%.

You can get the status of self-employed using a mobile application, on the website of the Federal Tax Service, through a bank or a public services portal.

At the same time, registered program participants automatically receive a tax deduction in the amount of 10,000 rubles.

“Self-employment can be combined with employment or an open sole proprietorship.

In addition, business also generates demand, for which partnership with the self-employed often turns out to be more profitable than standard GPC agreements,” added Anastasia Uskova.

From January 1, 2019, Russians began to pay tax on professional income in Moscow, the Moscow and Kaluga regions, as well as in the Republic of Tatarstan.

Since January 2020, a special tax regime for the self-employed has been launched in another 19 regions, and since July 1, all regions of the country have received the opportunity to join the initiative.

The program is expected to run until 2029.

As noted in the Federal Tax Service, during this entire period, tax rates for the self-employed will not change.

According to the latest data from the agency, the average age of self-employed Russians is 35 years.

Among all registered participants in the program, 42% are women and 58% are men.

“Quite often, the status of self-employed is chosen in the field of construction and information technology.

This allows you to work legally in these industries.

In turn, the proposed tax advantages contribute to the fact that the popularity of such a regime is growing at a fairly rapid pace in the country, ”said Pavel Sigal, First Vice President of the all-Russian public organization of small and medium-sized businesses Support of Russia, in an interview with RT.

It is noteworthy that back in March 2021, only 2 million self-employed people were registered in Russia.

At that time, only 5,000 people received the status of NAP payer every day.

• Legion Media

The observed increase in the number of self-employed in the country has become one of the reasons for the sharp decline in unemployment.

This point of view was expressed in an interview with RT by Georgy Ostapkovich, director of the Center for Market Research at the Institute for Statistical Research and the Economics of Knowledge of the National Research University Higher School of Economics.

According to Rosstat, in the middle of autumn 2021, the unemployment rate in Russia dropped to 4.3% for the first time in almost two years and now continues to remain close to this mark.

“We see a trend towards a gradual whitewashing of the labor market in the country.

Now we have about 8-12 million people or 18% of the total labor force employed in the informal sector of the economy.

By obtaining the status of self-employed, they can not only claim tax benefits, but also, for example, loans.

Those employed in the shadow sector do not have the opportunity to confirm their income, so there is little chance of getting a loan,” Ostapkovich said.

In addition, according to the specialist, the increase in the number of NAP payers has a positive effect on the economy as a whole.

First of all, the filling of the country's budget is improving.

“In fact, the Russians themselves find a way to earn money for themselves and no longer need state assistance in finding employment.

At the same time, they spend what they earn officially and on a transparent market, so the money works and returns to the economy.

Consumer demand is also growing, which plays in favor of increasing GDP.

At the same time, the situation with poverty in the country is improving, as people, although they themselves, still provide themselves with work,” Georgy Ostapkovich concluded.