Since the onset of the coronavirus epidemic, many government processes have been significantly simplified. It has become easier for citizens to receive services, many of them are provided completely remotely. Thus, even maternity capital can be obtained through State Services, bypassing a personal application to the Pension Fund.
Let's look at how to get maternity capital through State Services, who is entitled to it, and what amount is given to whom. In fact, this is an excellent form of support for Russian families in which children are born and adopted. And now government assistance can be obtained without bureaucratic delays. All details are on Bank Spravka.ru.
Who is entitled to maternity capital?
The program for issuing maternity capital started in 2007. From January 1 of this year, Russian families could apply for financial assistance in the event of the birth of a child.
Initially, we were talking about the second and subsequent child who appeared in the family after January 1, 2007. The main condition is the Russian citizenship of the mother. In some exceptional cases, the father received maternity capital (for example, if the mother passed away or was deprived of parental rights).
But as of January 1, 2021, the situation has changed. Now you can get maternity capital even for your first child. In 2021, the following conditions and amounts of state support apply:
- You can receive maternity capital for your first child, provided that he was born after January 1, 2021. Amount - 483,881 rubles;
- if after January 1, 2021, a second and subsequent child appears in the family, she is entitled to an increased amount - 639,431 rubles;
- if we are talking about children born before January 1, 2021, the “old” conditions apply to the family. She receives 483,881 rubles for the second and subsequent children.
Maternity capital is a one-time type of government support. It is given to the family once when the corresponding right arises. They don't give money for each child.
How to find out whether matkapital was used in previous transactions
Maria Litinetskaya warns that it is impossible to completely guarantee the reliability of a transaction with an apartment that was previously purchased using maternity capital. In addition, there is a risk that the apartment was resold several times, and maternity capital was attracted in one of the previous transactions. And this complicates verification. To be on the safe side, the expert recommends ordering an extended extract from the Unified State Register of Rights to Real Estate (also called an extract on the transfer of ownership rights). The document will show the entire history of transactions with the object. You should be wary if there are minors among the former owners. Perhaps this is even a reason to refuse the deal.
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The old procedure for receiving maternity capital
A maternity capital certificate can be obtained at any time. That is, the mother does not need to run immediately after the maternity hospital and collect documents. The right to receive it appears and does not go away; you can get a document even after a few years, when you really need it.
Previously, in order to receive the coveted certificate, mom had to collect a package of documents and visit the Pension Fund office at her place of residence. Here the woman submitted an application and then received a notification by mail that the certificate was ready for issue.
Then my mother visited the Pension Fund again, stood in line (which is quite long) and then received the document in her hands. And then, if the certificate needed to be used for the same purchase of real estate, you had to go to the Pension Fund again and get a certificate stating that the capital was not touched.
Young mothers were forced to run and collect papers, but since April 15, 2021, the situation has changed dramatically. Now women can receive maternity capital through State Services without leaving home at all. Finally, the issuance of this document has become automated and free of bureaucracy. And the pandemic influenced this - now a lot of things have been transferred to a remote format.
Personal visit to the PF branch
Maternity capital is not issued for the first child. It is intended only for families in which a second baby has appeared. He may be born or adopted. After the birth of the second child, the family must take care of obtaining a certificate. It confirms that citizens have the right to receive support from the state.
How to obtain a certificate of maternity capital balance? This document may be required for various reasons, but it is usually transferred to other organizations. Therefore, a paper version of the certificate is often necessary. Many people prefer to personally visit the PF office to obtain the document. How to order a certificate of maternity capital balance from this organization? To do this, follow the steps:
- documents necessary for preparing the certificate are prepared;
- at the Pension Fund branch located at the applicant’s place of registration, an application is drawn up in the form of the institution;
- all documents are transferred to the fund employee;
- documentation is usually reviewed within 10 days;
- after this, the citizen can again contact the PF employee to receive completed documentation.
If the document is not issued, the PF employee reports the reasons for this decision. This is usually due to the lack of necessary documentation, which must be prepared by the certificate holder.
Documents can be transferred not only during a personal visit to the Pension Fund branch, but even by mail. Additionally, you can involve a trusted person, but in this case you will have to draw up a power of attorney in advance, which will be notarized.
How to get maternity capital through State Services
Again, great news. A woman does not even have to submit an electronic application. Everything is done automatically. If the mother has an account on the government services portal, the maternity capital certificate will automatically appear in her personal account.
Government agencies exchange information electronically. If a woman has a child who contributes to the emergence of the right to receive maternity capital, the Pension Fund receives this data and generates a certificate.
The parent registers the child in the registry office; after registration, the registry office submits information to the Pension Fund. The electronic certificate is ultimately issued within 15 calendar days from the date of registration of the child.
On whose initiative the transaction can be terminated
Various persons can initiate termination of a transaction. First of all, these are children whose rights have been violated: having reached adulthood, they can demand the restoration of their rights. This may happen years later. Secondly, the Pension Fund or interested third parties can go to court: guardianship and trusteeship authorities, the prosecutor’s office, etc. As a result, the court may rule in favor of the plaintiff, obliging the buyer to return the home. Maria Litinetskaya warns that in this case, the family that sold the apartment may not have any money left to reimburse the cost of the apartment at a time. Therefore, after termination of the transaction, the money can be returned over the years and in parts.
If the certificate did not arrive automatically
In general, such situations are very rare, because the exchange of information between departments is automatic. But if it so happens that 15 days have passed since the child was registered with the registry office, and the certificate for maternity capital has not appeared in the personal account, you must apply for it manually through State Services.
How to apply for mat capital through State Services:
1. Log in to the website using your credentials and use the search bar to find the service “Issue of a certificate for maternity capital.” On its page on the right side you will see the “Get service” button, you need to click it:
2. Information will appear that a certificate for maternal capital is provided automatically; the system will offer to check its availability in the citizen’s personal account. If there is nothing there, then click on the “Start” button:
3. The system will begin polling. He will ask who is submitting the application, whether the child was adopted or born, what age the child is, when he was born, whether the applicant has previously received maternity capital, and whether he is a citizen of the Russian Federation. This is necessary in order to provide information to the citizen about his rights and the amount of invested capital.
4. After the survey, the system indicates how much the citizen is entitled to under the stated conditions, and information about the necessary documents (data will be taken from the account on the State Services).
5. Next, you need to confirm the information and send the application for consideration.
Review takes 5 business days. If the applicant really has the right to receive maternity capital, after approval the certificate will immediately appear in his personal account and can be used for its intended purpose.
What to do if the apartment was bought with a mortgage
According to the managing partner of the bar association “Starinsky, Korchago and Partners” Vladimir Starinsky, if housing was purchased with a mortgage, part of which was repaid using maternity capital, the matter becomes more complicated. In this case, the contract will not contain clauses regarding maternal capital. The bank is also unlikely to agree to provide information about loans. Therefore, the only option here would be to request from the seller a certificate or a certificate from the Pension Fund that the maternity capital funds have not been spent or were used for other purposes. Such risks also exist when purchasing an apartment under an equity participation agreement - in this case, you also need to check whether maternity capital funds were used when the agreement was initially drawn up, the expert notes.
How can you spend maternity capital funds?
Please note that the amount of maternity capital is not fixed. Periodically, usually once a year, the government indexes the capital, making it larger. And even if you received a certificate several years ago, it is constantly being indexed and becoming larger.
What can you spend this money on:
- to improve living conditions and purchase housing. This goal is pursued by citizens in the overwhelming majority of cases;
- for the education of the family’s children (any children, and not just the one whose appearance gave them the right to maternal capital);
- you can send funds to your mother’s retirement savings account;
- for expenses for disabled children;
- You can receive money in the form of a monthly benefit for a child born from January 1, 2021.
It is not possible to receive cash. If you decide to spend maternity capital for some purpose, you must submit an application. It is sent through the State Services portal, through the Pension Fund or MFC.
Risks for the buyer
If the children were not given shares in the apartment and the fact of using maternal capital when purchasing the apartment was hidden from the buyer, the transaction may be declared invalid. In this case, the buyer has another problem - to return his money, which the seller could have spent by this point.
According to Natalya Karetova, legal adviser at the Domodedovo office of the secondary market department, when buying housing in a new building with a mortgage, which will be partially paid for with maternal capital, the parent undertakes in writing to the Pension Fund to allocate each family member a share in the apartment within 6 months after registration of property rights. But then this obligation can be ignored, and the person puts the property up for sale without fulfilling the requirement, the expert notes.
Managing partner Maria Litinetskaya complains that today in Russia there is no effective mechanism for controlling the allocation of shares to children in housing purchased using state support. But, according to the expert, parents cannot always comply with this rule: for example, if an apartment is purchased in a building under construction, it is impossible to give shares to children, since the property has not yet been put into operation. In this case, you can postpone the registration of property for children until the construction is completed. Litinetskaya notes that the Pension Fund may not give consent to the sale of an apartment at all if, in its opinion, the rights of children are violated and their living conditions worsen. This is the main difficulty when buying apartments that were previously purchased using maternity capital, the expert says.
Is it possible to obtain a certificate of capital balance through State Services?
If you intend to spend capital, the department will request a certificate of the balance of funds in the account. For example, if it was partially spent, the amount due will be less. Unfortunately, it is impossible to order such a document through State Services. It is requested at the Pension Fund branch, where the personal file of the certificate holder is kept.
If the information is needed simply for information, and not for presentation for the same real estate purchase transaction, the certificate can be ordered online in your personal account on the Pension Fund of Russia website. In any case, the service is provided to citizens free of charge and is completed within 5 working days.
Methods of obtaining
Many people who use maternity capital for various purposes often think about how to find out the balance of maternity capital. You can use different ways to do this:
- a direct visit to the regional branch of the Pension Fund, for which you must have a passport and a certificate confirming the citizen’s right to use maternal capital;
- sending an application with copies of other documents by mail, and a direct certificate is sent to the applicant in the same way;
- engaging an official representative with a notarized power of attorney;
- use of the PF website;
- obtaining information on the State Services portal.
To obtain a certificate of maternity capital balance, it is necessary that applicants already have a certificate issued in advance. You can start decorating it immediately after the arrival of the second baby in the family.
Each method of obtaining a certificate is considered simple and understandable. The applicant is required to prepare certain documentation.
