The concept of maternity capital
Until recently, maternity capital was financial assistance provided to families with two or more children. From 01/01/20 it will be paid for the first child, and for the second or subsequent child the amount of capital will be increased by 150 thousand rubles. In addition, its size will be indexed taking into account the level of expected inflation and will amount to 466,617 rubles in 2020.
These changes were announced by the President of the Russian Federation in his Address to the Federal Assembly on January 15, 2020 and must be legislatively confirmed before April, and they will come into force “retroactively,” that is, from January 1, 2020.
These funds cannot be used to further personal interests. Methods of how and what to spend state aid on are provided for by law.
Find out more about maternity capital.
How many times and when can you get maternity capital?
The legislation clearly stipulates how many times this type of assistance can be received: only once. Since the law states that money is issued for the second, third and subsequent children (and from 01/01/20 also for the first), many parents find it difficult to understand how many times state support funds will be provided.
You should know that the mentioned norm does not mean that funds will be issued for each born/adopted child. To find out how many times maternity capital is given to a family, let’s figure out under what conditions it can be received.
Maternal capital at the birth or adoption of the first child
Initially, it was assumed that maternity capital funds would be issued for the second, third and subsequent children. However, after several years of the program’s operation, a bill was introduced to the Duma that would abolish restrictions on the number of children in a family.
As noted above, from 01/01/20 it is planned to issue maternity capital at the birth or adoption of even the first child in the amount of 466,617 rubles (the amount is indexed compared to what it was last year).
The corresponding changes in legislation must be enshrined before 04/15/20 with the possibility of their effect from 01/01/20.
Maternity capital for the birth and adoption of a second child
Upon the birth/adoption of a second child, the family has the right to receive financial support from the state. Due to the expected changes, in 2021 maternity capital for 2 children will be 466,617 + 150,000 = 616,617 rubles.
To exercise the right to state support, the family must permanently reside on the territory of the Russian Federation, and the mother and child must be citizens of the Russian Federation.
From January 1, 2018, it became possible to issue a monthly payment, which will be accrued per child. The assistance is paid until the child turns one and a half years old. Please note: this only applies to children born after 01/01/18.
Maternal capital at the birth or adoption of a third child
The family will receive the right to maternity capital at the birth of the third child, if the baby is born or is adopted in accordance with the same criteria that apply to the second child.
The amount of assistance will be the same as for families with two children.
A similar amount and conditions for receipt are provided for each subsequent child in the family: the fourth, fifth, and so on, if the parents did not take advantage of this right earlier.
Maternal capital for the birth or adoption of twins
Many young parents do not know what to do with government assistance if twins are born in the family. Although two children are born at once, maternity capital can only be issued for one of them.
At the same time, it does not matter for the legislator how many children the maternity capital is divided into: the funds can be used both for one child and for all children in the family. However, this will not change the amount of assistance.
When can a certificate be refused?
As noted earlier, not all families with children can qualify for maternal capital. Thus, applicants will hear a refusal in the following cases:
- lack of Russian citizenship of the mother and/or child;
- indication of false information about the order or date of birth of minors;
- deprivation of mother's parental rights;
- issuance of maternity capital funds earlier.
In addition, a woman will not receive the desired certificate if there are no grounds for providing government assistance. In this case, the applicant will be sent a corresponding notification indicating the reason for the refusal. You can appeal this decision to a higher authority of the Pension Fund or in court.
The procedure for obtaining maternity capital
To receive maternity capital, you must submit an application to the pension fund, which will decide on the transfer of maternity capital funds. To do this, you attach the relevant documents confirming your disposition options.
For example, to purchase an apartment, you will submit a purchase and sale agreement and an agreement drawn up with a notary stating that you undertake to allocate shares in the apartment to your children if the purchase is on a mortgage.
The documents submitted to the Pension Fund are:
- Certificates of birth of children or establishment of paternity and maternity (if children are adopted)
- Marriage certificate
- Copies of passports.
The Pension Fund reviews your application and documents and makes a decision on transferring maternity capital funds or refusing.
Procedure for registering maternity capital
If you really have the right to apply for maternity capital, familiarize yourself with the procedure and rules for obtaining a certificate.
You must wait until the baby is born or adopted before applying. You can begin officially processing state aid only after receiving supporting documents:
- birth certificates;
- a court decision on adoption that has entered into force.
Where to go
In order to declare your intention to use this type of support, you need to know who issues the certificate for maternal capital. You should contact the territorial body of the Pension Fund. You can submit documents in person or by post.
Find out in advance the visiting days and work schedule of the territorial PF office to save time.
For those who are interested in where to receive maternity capital for their second child, it is important to know that recently it has become possible to submit an application via the Internet or through Multifunctional Centers.
How to apply through State Services
To apply for maternity capital via the Internet, you need to register on. After registration, you will have an electronic account through which you can receive other state and municipal services.
The portal has detailed instructions on how to use State Services. A registered user can fill out a special application form to receive maternal capital.
How to get maternity capital through the MFC
Multifunctional centers for the provision of state and municipal services were created specifically to simplify the preparation of documents for citizens. MFC is an excellent option for those who are interested in how to obtain maternity capital in a short time.
The centers operate by appointment, which eliminates the need to wait long hours in line to submit documents.
Otherwise, the procedure for issuing a certificate through the MFC is no different from that which takes place in the Pension Fund.
List of documents
You can find out what documents are needed to obtain maternity capital from. The package of papers is submitted in person or through a representative.
Before contacting a particular authority, make sure that you have prepared everything necessary to obtain a certificate. In standard situations, this list is the same for all applicants. Thus, the list of documents for obtaining a maternity capital certificate includes:
- applicant's passport;
- children's birth certificates;
- adoption certificates in case of adoption of a child;
- a document confirming the child’s Russian citizenship;
- identification document of the representative, in case of filing an application through a third party.
In some situations, other documents may be needed. For example, an additional list of securities for the Russian Pension Fund (PFR) may include:
- materials confirming the death of the mother or recognition of her as deceased/disappeared;
- information about the deprivation of a woman’s parental rights;
- materials proving the mother committed a crime.
To receive a certificate for financial assistance, you must submit an appropriate application. It has a clearly defined form and must contain the following information:
- name of the authority to which the request is submitted;
- applicant's passport details;
- SNILS number (if any);
- information about the person’s citizenship of the Russian Federation;
- information about the place of actual residence of the family;
- information about all children;
- information about the method of obtaining a certificate;
- list of documents attached to the application.
To fill out the document correctly, check out what a sample certificate looks like.
Deadlines for transferring maternity capital
How long it will take to collect the necessary materials and submit them to the relevant authorities depends entirely on the applicant. If the process is properly organized, this procedure does not require much time and only takes a few hours.
When all the stages have been completed and the documents have been submitted, all that remains is to wait for the decision of the authorized bodies. The legislation allows no more than a month for this. If the result is positive, the certificate must be issued within 5 days.
As for the transfer of funds, according to the Government Decree dated March 3, 2017, they decreased slightly. Now the period for issuing money is 10 working days from the date of the decision.
Who is entitled to maternity capital?
The following categories of citizens have the right to receive maternity (family) capital:
- from a mother who gave birth to or adopted a second or subsequent children from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2016. To obtain a certificate, the mother and child must have Russian citizenship;
- from the father, if he is the sole adoptive parent of the second child, the court decision on whose adoption came into force after 01/01/2007;
- from the father, regardless of citizenship, if the mother’s right to receive MSK has ceased (clause 4, article 3 of Law No. 256-FZ);
- for a minor child (for children in equal shares), as well as for an adult child studying full-time in an educational organization, but not longer than before reaching 23 years of age - in case of termination of such right from parents or adoptive parents.
Important: registration of guardianship does not give the right to receive maternity (family) capital.
Information about all citizens entitled to MSC is compiled in the Federal Register of Persons entitled to additional measures of state support.
The following data is displayed there:
- SNILS;
- Full name and surname of the copyright holder at birth;
- Date of Birth;
- Floor;
- Residence address;
- Details of a passport or other identity document (series, number, date of issue);
- Date of inclusion in the Register;
- Information about children;
- Information about MSC (amount, directions of order, actual use);
- Information about termination of the right to MSC
The register is maintained by the bodies authorized to issue MSKs - the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation and its territorial branches.
For how long can maternity capital be used?
Having learned about their right to receive government assistance, many parents rush to apply for it because they are afraid of missing the deadline during which they can use the funds.
Many people are interested in how long it takes to submit a package of documents to receive a certificate. In this matter, the legislation practically does not limit parents in any way.
You can submit an application until the child reaches adulthood, but funds can only be used when the child reaches three years of age.
After this, you can freely use the money in accordance with the methods specified by law.
In addition, there are exceptions when maternity capital is issued after the birth of a child and is allowed to be spent before the age of three. Most often this concerns cases of attracting credit funds and an urgent need to improve housing conditions.
It is also worth noting that parents of disabled children can spend maternity capital before the child turns three years old for purposes strictly prescribed by law.
What can you spend money on?
The age at which a child can use maternity capital depends on the purpose of state aid. For example, tuition funds must be used before the student turns 25 years old.
It was previously stipulated that funds can only be spent on certain purposes. Thus, the use of this type of state assistance is permitted exclusively for:
- improving family living conditions. Most often, the funds are used to pay the down payment for a mortgage;
- payment for children's education in kindergarten, secondary or higher educational institutions;
- formation of the funded part of the mother’s pension. The money is transferred to a management company or non-state pension fund;
- social adaptation and integration into society of disabled children: purchase of everything needed for the maintenance and treatment of a child with a disability, payment for services.
What is maternity capital
MSC - maternal (family) capital - funds allocated from the federal budget to families in which, starting from January 1, 2007, a second or subsequent child was born. Receipt of MSK is guaranteed by Federal Law No. 256-FZ of December 29, 2006 “On additional measures of state support for families with children.” In 2015, in accordance with Federal Law No. 433-FZ of December 30, 2015, the program was extended until December 2021.
Maternity capital is not cash, but funds in Pension Fund accounts that can be used for certain purposes. The right to receive MSK can be used only once. That is, if you applied for MSC after the birth of your second child, then after the birth of your third you are not entitled to maternity capital.
Conditions under which mothers with Russian citizenship have the right to additional measures of state support:
– the second or subsequent child was born (adopted) from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2021
– a child whose birth (adoption) gives the right to receive MSK has Russian citizenship
In certain cases, the legislation of the Russian Federation provides for the receipt of maternity capital by the father.
Currently, the legislation of the Russian Federation provides for three areas to which maternal (family) capital funds can be directed:
– improvement of living conditions is the most popular area
– education for a child (children) – you can pay for the education of any of the children, and not just the one whose birth gave the right to receive maternity capital
– formation of mother’s pension savings
– for the purchase of goods and services intended for social adaptation and integration into society of disabled children. Money can be directed to any disabled child in the family, natural or adopted, and not just to the one in connection with whose birth the family received a certificate. This direction was approved by Federal Law No. 348-FZ of November 28, 2015 No. 348-FZ “On Amendments to the Federal Law “On Additional Measures of State Support for Families with Children.”
Maternity (family) capital funds can be disposed of no earlier than three years after the birth of the second child. An exception is repayment of the principal debt and payment of interest on a loan (loan), including a mortgage, taken out for the purchase or construction of housing.
In order to use MSC funds, you must first obtain a state certificate for maternity capital - a personal document confirming the right to receive funds. You can apply for it at the territorial office of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation at your place of residence at any time after the birth of the child.
Having in hand a certificate confirming the right to receive maternity capital, and when the child reaches three years of age, you can submit an application to the Pension Fund for the disposal of MSC funds. The application indicates the type of expenses for which the funds are allocated, as well as the amount of funds and details of the recipient of the funds.
The territorial body of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation is obliged to consider this application within a month and make a decision to satisfy or refuse the application, after which, within five days from the date of the decision, it must send a corresponding notification.
If the application is granted, the funds must be transferred by the Pension Fund no later than two months from the date of acceptance of the application. After the MSC funds have been used in full, the Pension Fund is obliged to notify of the termination of the right to additional measures of state support.
MSC funds can be divided. For example, part of the funds should be allocated to the education of children, the other part to the formation of pension savings for the mother. You can also use maternity capital partially, and postpone the disposal of the remaining part to a later period.
Receiving a certificate and disposing of its funds, in accordance with the law, is not limited by time, that is, persons entitled to MSC can use it after December 31, 2021.
The size of maternity capital is indexed annually, and if in 2007 the size of the MSC was 250 thousand rubles, then by 2015 it almost doubled and amounted to 453,026 rubles. They stopped indexing maternity capital in 2021 - this year the amount of maternal family capital was maintained at the level of the previous year - 453,026 rubles. The same thing was repeated in 2017 - the size of the MSK was kept at the level of the previous year - 453,026 rubles.
