The demographic component of the country is the leading problem for the national security of Russia, and analysts say one of the significant reasons is the decline in the birth rate. The usual reason for this is considered to be insufficiently favorable social protection for young mothers, lack of their own housing, and low salaries of parents. To provide support to young families, the state has developed special financial programs.
What is maternity capital
One of the forms of support for families with children in the Russian Federation is the state program of family maternity capital, enshrined at the legislative level. This is social assistance of the state, intended for Russian citizens after the adoption or the birth of two or more children, which began to operate from 01/01/07 and was extended until 12/31/16.
Maternity capital is not intended for a specific child, but is provided to the whole family, which is why it is also called family capital. If the family has already received assistance under this program, then the payments are no longer eligible. The size of maternity capital is fixed, its expression does not depend on the number of children, and it changes only due to indexation every year. For example, if in 2007 payments were 250,000 rubles, then the maternity capital in 2015, starting from January 1, will be increased to 453,026 rubles.
Eligibility for payments
The legislation provides for persons who have the right to receive maternity capital for a second child and all subsequent ones:
- a woman with Russian citizenship who, after 01.01.07, adopted or gave birth to a child;
- a man with Russian citizenship who single-handedly adopted a child after 01.01.07;
- an adoptive parent or a father who has another citizenship due to the termination of social payments and state support in the event of the loss of the mother, deprivation of her maternal rights;
- minor children under 23 years of age undergoing daytime education in higher or secondary institutions.
The document confirming the right to receive assistance is a state certificate issued by the Pension Fund.
How to apply for maternity capital
To obtain a certificate, you need to collect a package of documents and submit it to the local branch of the Pension Fund. This will require:
- application for a certificate;
- parent's passport;
- certificate of birth of all children;
- certificate of compulsory insurance in the Pension Fund;
- court decision in case of adoption of children;
- a document that certifies the Russian citizenship of children, if the applicant is not a citizen of Russia.
Originals are provided to the department for verification, and their copies are given. If the documents for the maternity capital are in order, then in a month one of the parents can receive a certificate. If it is impossible to pick it up in person, you can make an application to receive it by mail.
How to use capital
A feature of the assistance is that it cannot be obtained in cash, it is forbidden to spend maternity capital on a car, but it can be directed to other purposes.
First of all, this is the improvement of living conditions, the purchase or construction of new housing, provided it is located on the territory of the state. The list of possible capital investments includes: buying a new home; building a dwelling on their own, while it is allowed to attract contractors; payment of the first installment of a loan or mortgage for the purchase of a home, as well as payment of debt and interest on them; payment of a fee upon joining a housing cooperative. However, you need to know that when the maternity capital pays a part of the loan, which was issued for the purchase of housing, the borrower draws up a notarial document obliging him to issue a part of the dwelling for the children.
Maternity capital is used to pay for the education of children in any educational institution on the territory of the state, as well as for the placement and maintenance of children in kindergarten. Every child in a family can get an education, regardless of whom they were credited with at birth, however, the age of a pupil or student should not be more than 25 years old.
The law allows capital funds to be used to increase the funded retirement pension of the issuer of assistance in the state and non-state form of the pension fund.
You can use the family capital or part of it only 3 years after adoption or the birth of a child, except for situations when the money is used to pay for mortgage loans or interest accrued on them.
It is forbidden to cash out funds in any form, be it a fictitious purchase of a home, fake certificates from a maternity hospital, or an agreement with contractors that did not carry out construction work or repairs. All these illegal acts are punishable by severe criminal penalties.
