Changes in the procedure for paying maternity and childhood benefits

The Committee on Social Policy considered government legislations concerning the payment of maternity and childhood benefits. It is proposed in particular to change the procedure for assigning and paying them. Currently, a one-time benefit for the birth or adoption of a child is paid at the place of work, according to the law. The authors of the law-in-draft propose to calculate the benefit directly by the territorial offices of the social insurance fund at the place of residence or registration. The same mechanism is proposed for the child care benefit, which is paid every month until the baby turns 2 years old.

If the benefits are calculated by the territorial office of the social insurance fund, then young mothers will be able to receive payments on time. Another innovation is that child care benefits for mothers who are employed or self-employed or studying full-time will be paid from the date of birth of the child, and not after the end of maternity leave. Thus, from the moment of birth of the child, women will have the right to simultaneously receive two benefits: maternity benefits and child care benefits until the child reaches the age of 2 years. In addition, the amount of child care benefits until the child reaches the age of 2 years will be the same for both employed and unemployed. The amount is 121 calculated levels of the minimum wage, which is 1294.7 rubles. Currently, women who do not work or study in the correspondence department of an educational institution receive a payment of 88 minimum wages, which makes 941.6 rubles. The government proposes to increase their benefits by 37% from July 1 – at the expense of existing limits. The specialized committee decided to recommend that the deputy corps adopt the legislations in the first reading and continue working on them.