Minimum pension in Moscow: amount and additional payments in 2021

Minimum pension in the capital

Linking insurance pensions and social benefits to the national minimum subsistence level will be unfair for disabled citizens living in the richest city in the Russian Federation. Therefore, to support the socially vulnerable population of the capital, the GSS (City Social Standard) minimum income was introduced.

According to this standard, the amount of the smallest amount sufficient for the normal living of a pensioner in the capital is calculated based only on Moscow prices. The minimum pension in Moscow in 2021 is 17,500 rubles. (equal to GSS).

This indicator is the same for the following:

• Social benefit. Disabled children and adult citizens with disabilities of categories 1-3 apply for it. Social benefits are also paid to non-working people of retirement age who have not accumulated sufficient work experience, the IPC for an insurance pension.
• State pension. It is paid to certain categories of citizens: former military personnel, rescuers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, cosmonauts, WWII veterans, liquidators of man-made disasters, residents of besieged Leningrad.
• Insurance pension. Replacement of previous labor benefit, old age benefit. Issued upon reaching retirement age, having accumulated sufficient insurance coverage, and accumulating a minimum number of points in the Pension Fund system.

The minimum pension in Moscow (RUB 17,500) is relevant only for the following residents of the capital:

• Non-working pensioners.
• Registered (permanently registered) in Moscow for at least 10 years.

For all other citizens living in the city, the minimum pension benefit for January 2021 is 12,115 rubles.

The minimum pension in Moscow (17,500 rubles) is relevant only for pensioners: those who are not working and those who have been registered (permanently registered) in the city for at least 10 years. For everyone else – 12,115 rubles.

If the income of a capital pensioner is below the GSS, he is entitled to receive payment from the city budget, which will equalize his state support with the minimum in Moscow. The supplement is of an application nature - for its calculation, apply to the Pension Fund of Russia or MFC branch at the place of residence. Electronic application is available on the Moscow Government website.

Who has the right to receive a Moscow pension

According to Russian legislation, you can apply for pension benefits on various grounds. Payments are made for a specified period or for life. Recipients of state benefits are non-working pensioners, as well as persons who, having retired, continue to work.

Conditions of appointment

Registration of pension payments is carried out on an application basis. The applicant has the right to apply for an appointment to the territorial branch of the Pension Fund, the Multifunctional Center (MFC) or directly to the employer. You can also submit an application online – through your personal account on the fund’s website. The conditions for receiving a Moscow pension depend on its type:

• Old age insurance. Reaching the age limit (60 and a half for men and 55 and a half for women), having a minimum insurance period (10 years) and an individual pension coefficient (16.2 points).
• Disability insurance. Having at least one day of insurance coverage and assignment of disability group I, II or III.
• Survivor's insurance. Being dependent on a deceased person who had at least 1 day of insurance coverage.
• State (for old age, disability, loss of a breadwinner). Assigned to military personnel and astronauts affected by radiation disasters. The criteria for each group of applicants are specified separately (age, length of service, conditions for obtaining disability).
• Social in old age. It is assigned if a citizen does not have an insurance period or its duration is insufficient for calculating a pension. A mandatory condition is permanent residence in Russia.
• Social disability. It is accrued if a person has received a disability, but has never officially worked. A prerequisite is permanent residence in Russia.
• Social support for the loss of a breadwinner. Assigned to persons under 18 or 23 years of age if they are studying full-time. Mandatory conditions are the applicant’s permanent residence in Russia and the deceased breadwinner’s absence of insurance coverage.

• Entry into inheritance by law - acceptance procedure, registration and deadlines
• How much money will working pensioners lose in 2021?
• Treatment of impotence

"Luzhkov" surcharges and 10-year qualification

Supplements for pensioners up to the SSS level are sometimes called “Luzhkov’s” - after the surname of the mayor M.Yu. Luzhkov, during whose work they were introduced. The social standard was calculated based on the real needs of non-working pensioners. The amount of 17,500 rubles includes:

• High-quality products for daily energy replenishment and maintaining health within normal limits.
• Medications.
• Travel by public transport.
• Medical service.
• Cultural leisure - tickets to exhibitions, museums, theaters.

Along with the increase in the cost of the listed products, goods and services, the GSS, the minimum capital pension, increases annually. Every year it increases by an average of 1000 rubles. In 2021 (compared to previous periods), the size of pension benefits for Muscovites increased by 19%.

It is no coincidence that the additional payment is assigned with a temporary qualification - given the same M.Yu. Luzhkov, senior citizens from other regions sought registration in the capital in order to receive an increased pension. In order to limit the flow of applicants and not to introduce a deficit into the city budget, a decision was made to introduce a qualification. The 10 years of residence in the capital includes the following periods:

• permanent registration;
• temporary registration.

This is a summary indicator: a citizen could reside and be registered for some period of time in the territory of other subjects of the federation. Such breaks are calculated from his Moscow “length of residence.”

Pension Fund or MFC employees are authorized to ask a pensioner to confirm the fact of a total 10-year residence in the city. Documents to be presented:

• Civil passport: stamps on the place of registration, registration and deregistration.
• Extracts from house books.

You can obtain confirmation from the registration authority at your place of current or previous residence or registration.

Nobody canceled natural benefits

What else is interesting? Even at the time of monetization, when in-kind benefits were abolished in many territories and regions, Moscow retained them in full. All pensioners, without exception, still travel for free on city public transport. Over 900 thousand people receive payment for the subscription fee for a landline telephone. Veterans of the Great Patriotic War, labor veterans, disabled people and families with disabled children - in total more than 50 categories and a total of almost 4 million citizens enjoy benefits for housing and communal services and major housing repairs. These benefits exempt them from paying entirely or half. More than 47 billion rubles have been allocated specifically for these purposes in the Moscow budget in 2021. Another million citizens receive assistance in the form of subsidies - special payments that compensate for the cost of utilities if they are too difficult for the family. To receive them, you don’t even have to be a beneficiary; all Muscovites who spend more than 10% of their entire family’s income on housing and communal services are entitled to a subsidy. This is the lowest threshold for assistance in the country.

Allowances for non-working pensioners

The GSS is valid only for the officially unemployed population. Working pensioners can qualify for an increase of up to 17,500 rubles (2019) only in one case: the amount of their salary and state support was below the Moscow minimum.

Working pensioners can apply for an increase of up to 17,500 rubles (2019) only in one case: the amount of “salary + pension” was below the Moscow minimum.

The GSS is exceptionally relevant for the following categories of officially employed citizens:

• Disabled people of categories 1-2.
• Citizens with disabilities of 3 groups, working in specialized organizations (created for people with disabilities).
• Participants, disabled people of the Second World War.
• Disabled people working in budgetary institutions: educational, medical organizations, public utilities.

Moscow Government Decree No. 1462 lists positions and professions whose employment does not deprive a pensioner of the right to receive an increase to the State Social Insurance Fund. There are 35 of them in total: librarians, concierges, janitors, pharmacists, bibliographers, couriers, kindergarten teachers and nannies, social workers, nurses, etc.

Social card of a Muscovite pensioner: registration and benefits

In the capital region there is a special pensioner card that gives the right to a number of benefits:

• Payment for various purchases and payments without charging commissions.
• Banking organizations do not charge any fees for card servicing.
• Free use of public transport within the city and the Moscow region.
• Register for an appointment with a doctor.

Pension and other payments are transferred to the card, at the owner’s request. The following categories of Muscovites have the right to obtain it:

• Pensioners.
• Disabled people.
• Parents with many children.
• Veterans of the Great Patriotic War.

You can apply for a social card through the district MFC or social security institution. To do this, you need to submit the following documents:

• Passport with Moscow registration.
• Documents confirming the right to benefits: pension certificate, disability certificate, etc.
• Insurance policy.
• SNILS.
• Photo in 3 x 4 format.

The waiting time after submitting documents is no more than a month. If, after reviewing the submitted package of documents, social security employees find no errors, the pensioner will be issued a preferential card.

Additional payments for disabled people

Pensions for disabled people of all categories are transferred not from the regional, but from their federal budget. The amount of the benefit depends on the sum of factors:

• time of registration of disability;
• region of residence;
• insurance experience;
• presence/absence of dependents.

Disabled people living in Moscow receive federal benefits, increased by city subsidies:

• First category. In 2021, the minimum social benefit is RUB 10,360. Disabled children and adult citizens who do not have work experience apply for such a payment. If a disabled person of group 1 has at least one day of official employment, he is entitled to apply for an insurance pension. Its minimum is 10,668 rubles (2019). The pension includes additional payments for dependents - 1,778 rubles for each family member. However, the state compensates for the maintenance of only three dependents.
• Second category. Minimum pension – 10,668 rubles. The basic amount of the insurance pension (the minimum below which it does not fall) is 5,334 rubles. A disabled person is also entitled to an additional payment for each dependent (but not more than three).
• Third category. The fixed part of the insurance pension is 2667 rubles. An allowance is also provided for each disabled family member who is supported.

If the total pension provision (social or insurance) of a disabled person is less than 17,500 rubles, he is entitled, on general terms, to apply to the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, MFC for an additional payment to the State Social Insurance Fund. If official employment is not prohibited, then the temporary qualification (10 years of registration in Moscow) continues to apply for people with disabilities.

Disabled people living in the capital also claim mandatory benefits for citizens:

• Compensation for medicines and medical equipment.
• Annual discounted vouchers to sanatoriums.
• Compensation for housing maintenance and utilities.

Disabled people of all categories have access to preferential, free visits to city cultural institutions.

Special allowances

The Moscow government has introduced additional monthly surcharges for certain categories of pensioners. As in the case of the GSS, they are available only to native residents of the city (registered in Moscow for more than 10 years):

• Citizens who defended the city during the Second World War: 8,000 rubles.
• Home front workers during the Second World War: 1500 rubles.
• Labor veterans: 1000 rub.
• Participants of the Great Patriotic War: 2000 rubles.
• Citizens who became disabled as a result of a combat wound during the Second World War: 2000 rubles. Additionally, a free monthly food basket is provided.
• Heroes of the USSR, Russian Federation, Labor, Knights of the Order of Glory and other holders of honorary state awards: 25,000 rubles.
• Honorary residents of Moscow: 50,000 rubles.
• People's Artists of the Russian Federation, USSR, Honored Artists of the Russian Federation, USSR: 30,000 rubles.

Long-lived Muscovites who celebrated their 101st birthday are entitled to a one-time payment of 15,000 rubles.

Couples who celebrate their Golden Wedding (50 years of marriage) receive a one-time benefit of 20,000 rubles. And for the Platinum wedding (70 years), the city administration gives 30,000 rubles. To receive a gift, pensioners contact the social security department. A marriage certificate and a stamp in the passport confirming the duration of the marital relationship are presented.