Indexation in 2022. The State Duma adopted a law indexing maternity capital according to actual, rather than forecast, inflation. President Vladimir Putin had previously proposed this. He noted that inflation this year would exceed forecasts amid the pandemic and difficulties in the global economy. Maternity capital will be reviewed annually from 1 February based on the previous year’s consumer price growth index and an indexation coefficient set by the Russian government. The exact figure for 2022 will be known later.

Current maternity capital amounts. In 2021, families with one child born or adopted in 2020 or later receive 483,881 rubles 83 kopecks, plus 155,550 rubles upon the second child’s birth. The second-child supplement is available even if the first portion has been partly or fully spent. Families whose second child was born in 2020 or later, or whose third or subsequent child created entitlement for the first time, receive 639,431 rubles 83 kopecks.

Proactive issue of the certificate. After a child is born, the certificate is issued automatically without an application, so the family can immediately use the funds for their chosen purposes. Issuing maternity capital takes no more than five working days, and consideration of an application to use the funds no more than ten working days.

Can maternity capital be received in cash? Cashing out maternity capital is prohibited by law. However, families whose per-capita income is below twice the subsistence minimum and whose second child was born from 2018 can arrange monthly payments from maternity capital. The payment is made upon the child reaching three. Its amount equals the regional subsistence minimum for children for the second quarter of the preceding year. What can maternity capital be spent on? The funds may be used partially or fully only for purposes prescribed by law. These are:

  • Receiving a monthly payment upon the birth or adoption of a second child.
  • Improving housing conditions, including a mortgage.
  • Education for a child or children.
  • Building the mother’s funded pension savings.
  • Purchasing goods and services intended for the social adaptation and inclusion of children with disabilities.

Maternity capital cannot repay consumer loans, fund home repairs or buy a car.