The key facts

  • Putin's directive: notify of payment denial with a detailed explanation of reasons simultaneously with the authority's decision
  • Frequent reasons for denials — absence of certificates in electronic form, errors in documents, property criteria
  • Families with many children are allowed an income excess of 10% above the subsistence minimum to retain the benefit

The President's Directive on Explaining Denials

Russians must receive a detailed explanation of the reasons for denial of social payments simultaneously with the decision of the authorized body itself. This directive of Russian President Vladimir Putin was included in the list of final documents of the meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects. Svetlana Bessarab, first deputy chairwoman of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans' Affairs, told Parlamentskaya Gazeta about this.

Why Payments Are Denied

According to the deputy, one of the common reasons for denials is the absence of necessary documents or certificates in electronic form. 'Given the digitalization of the vast majority of state and municipal services, people do not always understand the reason for the denial. And it can be anything. For example, failure to provide certain information that is not displayed in the personal account on Gosuslugi,' Bessarab explained. Even if the data, it would seem, is in the system, additional information is often required — for example, a income declaration or other documents for a family payment.

Additional Conditions and the Means-Test Criterion

In some cases, additional conditions are provided that allow preserving the right to social support, even if the family's income formally exceeds the established criteria. At the same time, to receive targeted assistance, one must meet the program's requirements: failure to comply with the parameters may lead to automatic rejection of the application. For families with many children, pursuant to the president's directive, a means-test criterion is provided with an allowable income excess of 10% above the subsistence minimum per person — with such income growth, the family will be able to retain the benefit for the next year.

Property Requirements

Denial of payments may also occur due to errors in documents or non-compliance with property requirements. According to the parliamentarian, the possession of one apartment, dacha, car, or boat does not in itself prevent the assignment of payments. However, two or more apartments may be considered as a potential source of income from renting out housing and become grounds for denial. An exception is cases when the housing area per family member does not exceed the norm established in the region.