A strong family institution is one of the pillars of the prosperity and development of the state. President Vladimir Putin declared 2024 the Year of the Family in Russia. “The family is not just the basis of the state and society, it is a spiritual phenomenon, the basis of morality,” the Russian leader emphasized.
Today, there are more than two million large families in our country. The authorities positively assess the growth dynamics in this direction: in several years, the number of families with at least three children has increased by more than a quarter.
Large families in Russia are entitled to a number of preferences, benefits and social benefits. The heroine of our material, a resident of the city of Shchelkovo, Moscow region, Ekaterina Kuznetsova, spoke about support measures for large families. In the MK material, the mother of four children revealed the nuances of receiving government payments from the Social Fund of Russia, and also explained why one child may not be enough for complete happiness.
Ekaterina had no clear plan to become a mother of many children. At 18, she got married and had a child. Victoria became the first in the future family of many children. The Kuznetsovs were not going to stop at one child, and soon their family was expecting another addition.
“We thought it was time to go for a second child, we wanted two children at a minimum. Five years after my daughter, my son Maxim was born. At that moment we thought: there is a girl and a boy, a complete set, everything suits us, the set is ready. Then I found out about pregnancy, and the third child appeared. We decided to become a large family, why not. The state just began to announce support measures for parents with many children and their children. After some time, I gave birth to my fourth child. The two youngest are boys. And so she became the mother of four children,” recalls our heroine.
Ekaterina said that during pregnancy and after the birth of each of the babies, she enjoyed government support — she received a number of payments and benefits.
First of all, Catherine was entitled to maternity benefits. The size of the payment is 100% of average earnings.
“Here everything depends on the official salary; the higher it is, the higher the benefit will be. I was paid the entire amount at once for the period of maternity leave: 70 calendar days before the birth and 70 after the birth,” said Ekaterina Kuznetsova.
The Social Fund explained that the benefit is paid to the insured woman in total for the period of maternity leave. For a normal birth, such leave is 140 calendar days (70 before birth and 70 after), for a multiple pregnancy — 156 days (70 + 86 days), in the case of a complicated pregnancy — 194 days. When adopting a child under three months of age, the benefit is paid from the date of adoption until the expiration of 70 days from the date of birth of the child. If a family adopts two or more children, the payment period will be up to 110 calendar days.
Infographics: Victor Blinov
“New purchases and costs appear: strollers, cribs . With the second and third child it’s already easier, things move from one to another,” said our heroine.
In addition, for each of her four children, Ekaterina received a one-time payment (a one-time benefit in connection with the birth of a child).
“Everything is simple here. If one of the parents works, he receives a payment from his employer. If there is no permanent job, you need to contact the Social Fund. Then the payment will be assigned after completing the relevant documents. In 2021, I received 18,886 rubles for my fourth child,” explained Ekaterina.
: the amount of the benefit is indexed annually and now amounts to 24,604 rubles.
As follows from the information on the Social Fund website, a lump sum benefit for the birth of a child is assigned and paid by the territorial body of the SFR. The funds are transferred to the mother, father or the person replacing them. In this case, the department may request from the employer data on the regional coefficient used in calculating benefits if it does not have this information.
Ekaterina received maternity capital after the birth of her second child. Then its amount was about 450,000 rubles. The size of maternity capital, as well as other support measures, is reviewed annually. And if there is a balance on the certificate, it is indexed. Ekaterina said that she used maternity capital funds to pay for kindergarten for the children. Now she also pays for her eldest daughter’s college education with it. “Vika is studying to become an accountant here in Shchelkovo. She has three more years left to study, and the funds from her maternity capital should be enough to pay for her education,” shared the mother of many children. Today, this measure of social support is also provided in the event of the birth of a first child. From February 2024, the amount of maternity capital is 631 thousand rubles for the first child, 833 thousand rubles for the second child, or 202.6 thousand rubles in the form of an additional payment if the family previously received payment for the first-born. “Many people use maternity capital for a down payment on a mortgage. This is also a very good option for managing funds. And if a third child appears, then the family is given another 450,000 rubles to repay the loan plus maternity capital,” shared Ekaterina. For her fourth child, Ekaterina also receives a monthly payment from maternity capital. It is due to parents of children under three years of age if the average per capita family income is below two times the subsistence level in the region. Our heroine’s payment amount is 17,700 rubles per month. “This is very good for the Moscow region,” notes the woman.
The size of the monthly payment from maternity capital is equal to the subsistence minimum per child in the corresponding region. To apply for such a measure of support, the owner of the certificate for maternal capital needs to submit an application to the Social Fund for the disposal of funds in this way. This can be done in person at the client service of the Financial Markets Service or at the MFC, or through the government services portal. If there are several children under three years of age in a family, a payment can be received for each of them. Funds are provided monthly until the child reaches three years of age. A monthly payment from maternity capital can be issued for any child in the family. The main condition is his age.
In addition to the support measures indicated above, parents are also entitled to a monthly allowance for child care up to the age of one and a half years.
“Here again it all depends on the salary. For me it was about 21,000 rubles every month,” said Ekaterina.
To receive benefits, working citizens need to take parental leave. The benefit amount is 40% of average earnings for the previous two years, but not less than 9227.24 rubles. per month and no more than 49,123.12 rubles. Any working family member can apply for leave from their employer: mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, other relative or guardian. They can also take turns caring for the child.
The Social Fund explained that an important innovation in 2024 was the opportunity to receive a monthly benefit even if a parent returns to work early, including on a part-time basis, remotely or at home. 
Families with low incomes can receive another measure of support — a single benefit. It is assigned if the average income per family member is below the regional subsistence level and the family’s property does not exceed the established criteria. Payments are available to pregnant women who register early (up to 12 weeks), as well as to parents for children under 17 years of age. The amount of the benefit can be 50%, 75% or 100% of the child’s regional subsistence level (and if the expectant mother receives the benefit, then 50%, 75% or 100% of the regional subsistence level of an able-bodied citizen).
If a child under 8 years of age is sick, the mother or father can receive temporary disability benefits in the amount of 100% of their average earnings, regardless of length of service.
The maximum payment for one day of sick leave in 2024 is 4,039.73 rubles. And if the employee’s income is low, the payment is calculated based on the minimum wage (minimum wage) and ranges from 620.71 rubles. per day (if working full time). Sick leave for caring for children over 8 years of age is paid based on the parent’s work experience: the longer the length of service, the higher the amount of payment.
If a child falls ill, you need to see a doctor, record the fact of illness and issue a certificate of incapacity for work. After the child recovers, the Social Fund will receive information about the closure of the certificate of incapacity for work. It is currently issued electronically. Then the SFR will request all the necessary data through interdepartmental interaction channels and within ten days will send the parent a payment for the period of sick leave.
“Children are, of course, happiness. And the more, the better. When there are several of them, they support each other and many things in life are easier for them,” says mother of many children Ekaterina Kuznetsova. She is convinced that it is not without reason that the president declared 2024 the Year of the Family in Russia. Ekaterina noted that mothers of many children have the right to retire early. For example, if a woman has three children, the retirement age is reduced to 57 years, if four — to 56. The woman recalled that in January 2024, a presidential decree was issued, according to which a family with three or more children receives the status of a large family indefinitely. This means that parents will have a number of benefits and social preferences even after the children reach adulthood. «A lot has already been done for large families where three or more children were born. Social support from the state helps us a lot,» shared mother of four children Ekaterina Kuznetsova.