Benefits for single mothers in 2021 - what they are entitled to, social, tax

Who can receive

A single mother is a woman who decides to raise a child on her own. In Russia, almost 30% of mothers, without the participation of their husband, raise the baby to his feet. There are many reasons for this: the death of the father, challenging paternity and others. It is worth noting that not every woman who raises a child on her own feet has the right to such status. Usually, this happens due to ignorance of the laws of the country. If the child’s birth document contains the man’s details, but he does not take part in the upbringing, then the mother cannot claim a special status. In this case, she can only sue the father to pay child support. However, married women can also obtain single mother status. This procedure applies if there is a dash in the “father” column on the baby’s birth certificate. But the young mother remarried after the baby was born.

The draft law of the Russian Federation states that the service that issues a birth certificate must ensure that the man’s details are indicated in the “father” column or there is a dash.

It is worth noting that this item is filled out on the basis of a marriage certificate. Even if the man is not the biological father, he will automatically be recorded on the certificate. However, this issue can be challenged, but only in court. A document that confirms the status of a single mother is issued to a woman in the following cases:

If the baby was born out of wedlock and the man does not recognize the fact of paternity.
In the event that an unmarried woman adopts a child.
In cases where a man disputed his paternity in court, regardless of the presence of marriage ties.

If there are documents confirming the status of a single mother, a woman has the right to receive benefits. To do this, you need to prepare a complete package of papers and contact the appropriate service.

Income and benefits

What types of income are taken into account?

When calculating income for each family member, you need to add up the following types of allowance:

wages, incl. all related payments - vacation pay, bonuses, sick leave, etc.;
student scholarship or grant;
pension, incl. due to disability or loss of a breadwinner (which is important for widows raising a child alone);
social benefits;
child support from the child's father;
compensation payments, incl. By the tribunal's decision;
maintenance of a military personnel;
other income - for example, royalties from the sale of copyrights, remuneration under a civil contract, etc.

The list of income does not include gifts (for example, from relatives or ex-husband), financial assistance from the budget or from the employer.

Learn more about income verification.

Amount of income

In order to understand whether a family’s income does not exceed the maximum for receiving benefits, all cash payments received must be added up and divided by the number of family members.

The result should be compared with one and a half times the cost of living. If it turns out less, then the payment is due.

Let's look at it with an example.

A family of two (mother and son) lives in the Murmansk region, where the cost of living is 15,048 rubles.

Mom’s salary is 15 thousand rubles, her son goes to school and is dependent on her.

The mother also receives alimony in the amount of 10 thousand rubles from her ex-husband.

At the end of the year, she was paid a bonus of 50 thousand rubles at work.

In February 2021, her daughter is born from her previous marriage, and she applies for benefits.

The mother’s income for the year is: 15,000*12 + 50,000 + 10,000*12 = 350,000. Average monthly income: 350,000 / 12 / 3 = 9,723 rubles.

This is less than the subsistence minimum of 15,048 rubles, therefore, the family will be able to qualify for the “Putin” benefit.

In each region, the size of the maximum income will differ depending on the cost of living.

Income verification period

The calculation is based on the monthly income received by each family member for the 12 months preceding the application.

If for some period a person had no income, then a value equal to zero is taken for that month.

Important: only official income is taken into account. If applicants have several jobs, then income from each of them must be reflected.

Other nuances

To confirm income, you can use a standard 2-NDFL certificate. You can also provide:

bank account statement;
certificate on the employer's form;
extract from the Pension Fund;
completed tax return for the past year, etc.

If it turns out that the applicant has concealed any income, he may be forced to return the amount of benefits paid and pay a fine.

When calculating income, the income of a single mother and her children is taken into account (for example, if the child is a recipient of disability benefits or a student with a scholarship).

Who exactly does the mother live with, does she live together with other relatives, does she have an unregistered marriage - these points do not matter.

What benefits are available to single mothers in 2021?

Women who officially have single mother status need help. The state takes every possible care of such mothers and provides them with many different preferences.

Social

A mother raising a baby on her own has the right to receive the following benefits from regional and state authorities:

Discount on domestically produced baby food for children under 1.5 years old.
Children's clothes, food, envelopes and linen for children under 3 years of age are provided free of charge.
Subsidy for utility bills.
Preference for education.
Benefits for passing physical. procedures at a local clinic.
Free meals in educational institutions.
Privilege when entering kindergarten or school.
Discounts on the provision of various services in the educational institution.
Taking part in the special “Housing” program to receive your own apartment.
Free trips for children to sanatoriums and children's camps.

Amount of cash payments

Women with special status have all the same rights to receive benefits as other mothers. A single mother receives the following payments:

Maternity benefit in the amount of 100% of wages for the last 2 years.
If the birth was difficult, then according to the BIR regulation, payments are due for 16 days.
After giving birth, a woman receives a payment of 15,500 rubles.
Unemployed single mothers receive 3,000 rubles from the Central Employment Center per month for one child, and 5,817 rubles for two or more children. Payments are made for 18 months after the birth of the baby.
Women registered with the BIR receive a one-time payment in the amount of 613 rubles.

In addition to basic payments, a single mother can count on additional benefits, which she is entitled to due to her special status:

Monthly benefit for a child under 16 years of age (amount depends on regional authorities).
Additional payments for the third and subsequent children (the amount depends on the regional subsistence level for children).
The compensation paid to a woman until the child turns 3 years old is 50 rubles.

Privileges in the official workplace

As a rule, government organizations are required to comply with the rules prescribed in the legislation of the Russian Federation. They talk about special treatment of single mothers. In this case, women have the right to the following privileges:

The company often lays off employees. A woman who raises children alone is protected from such troubles. She does not have the right to fire her from work until each child turns 14 years old. Even if the company no longer needs the position occupied by a single mother, they must provide her with another, but not deprive her of her job. The only reason for layoffs is malicious violation of work order.
If the enterprise closes, the woman is automatically laid off. However, the employer is obliged to independently provide her with a new job while maintaining the same salary.
A woman has the right to leave without waiting in line. Its duration is no more than 2 weeks. It is worth noting that wages are not retained in this case. However, the company cannot refuse to grant her leave. A single mother has the right to independently choose at what time to receive the desired days.
Until the child turns 5 years old, a woman can refuse to work night shifts and holidays. To do this, the director must provide an application, which must be properly completed.
A woman has the right to receive sick leave if her child gets sick. In the case of inpatient treatment, additional payments are due, their amount depends on the length of service. For the first 14 days, payments are made in 100% volume, then 50%.
Features of payments in the presence of sick leave. Until the child turns 7 years old, compensation is paid in full. Starting from 8 years, payments in 100% volume are made only in 15 days.
The mother has the right to work part-time until the child turns 14 years old.
When applying for a job, the manager does not have the right to refuse a woman because she is a single mother. If this happens, then this is a serious violation that will be resolved in court.

Single mother benefits

A mother who is raising a child alone, without the help of a father, has the right to receive the same payments that are usually due to these categories of citizens. Individual situations are taken into account, but general payments are presented in the list below:

one-time benefit. Relies on women who are registered early in pregnancy at the antenatal clinic (period does not exceed 12 weeks);
maternity benefits (BIR benefits);
benefits paid at the birth of a baby;
monthly allowance until the child reaches 1.5 years of age.

The payments described earlier apply to all mothers. But, each subject of the Russian Federation has the right to independently choose what additional benefits to provide - to all mothers, single mothers, low-income people, etc.

Additionally, benefits from the following list are paid in the regions of Russia:

payments to families whose joint income is below the subsistence level;
compensation related to increased cost of living. Provided for children under 3 years of age and children under 16 years of age;
allowance for a disabled child up to 18 years old, for a disabled person from childhood to 23 years old;
monthly allowance for a child whose single parent is disabled and does not work.

Benefits for children

At the regional level, in the capital, a number of benefits are provided, depending on the family’s living conditions, income level, number of children, etc. A single mother has the opportunity to receive payments for all her children who are being raised by her without a father:

For children under 1.5 years and from 3 to 18, 2,500 rubles are allocated from the budget
For children aged from 1.5 to 3 years, the state allocates 4,500 rubles at the regional level.
The capital also provides for such a type of payment as compensation. Both a single mother and a single father can receive compensation in Moscow. For children under 16 years of age, up to 750 rubles are credited, if the teenager continues to study - up to 18 years of age.
There is also compensation for food - 675 rubles, paid to parents whose children are under 3 years old.

Note that these compensations, benefits and additional payments are due to single parents whose income is below the average subsistence level. The remaining categories of citizens are paid compensation for the increased cost of living - 300 rubles, and assistance for food - 675 rubles.

In addition to tax advantages and labor benefits, which will be described later in the article, single mothers have a number of social rights . According to the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated July 1, 1995 No. 677 “On approval of the standard regulations on a preschool educational institution,” children of single parents are primarily enrolled in preschool educational institutions with a 50% discount on tuition fees.

Here is a list of those areas of social life of citizens that are affected by privileges:

assistance in purchasing necessary school supplies and preparation for school, if a single mother is not able to cover these costs on her own;
50% discount on medications for children over 3 years old;
children who grow up with only one parent (single mother) have the right to eat 2 meals at school if the parent collects the necessary papers and submits an appropriate application addressed to the management of the educational institution;
summer vacation at the expense of the state - trips to camps, sanatoriums, resorts, etc.;
a minor of a single parent is admitted to kindergarten as a priority;
preschool educational institution is paid for half at the expense of the state (50% discount);
30% discount on additional extracurricular educational activities - sports activities, drawing clubs, etc.

Parents who raise a child on their own do not always know about the availability of such benefits, much less can take advantage of them. If the local management of an educational institution refuses to provide what is required by law, a complaint is filed against the school management to the appropriate authorities - the Ministry of Education at the regional level, the department of social protection in the city, etc.

Can they refuse?

If all the woman’s documents are completed correctly and contain only truthful information, she will receive the status of a single mother, and, accordingly, the required benefits. However, sometimes a mother may be denied status and preferences:

When divorcing your husband, even if he does not pay alimony.
If the spouses have not legalized the marriage, but the father is indicated on the child’s certificate.
Women whose baby was born 300 days after the breakup of their legal marriage;
Girls who gave birth to a baby from a deceased or missing man.

It is worth noting that if the father is not indicated on the child’s birth certificate, then the woman is not given the status of a single mother. Naturally, she does not have the right to apply for financial assistance and social benefits provided in this case.

Who gets the status of a single mother?

Recognition of single mother status is the main requirement for receiving benefits. Not everyone knows the legal nuances of the fact that not every mother raising a child or several on her own without a husband has a similar status. So, below are cases when, according to the law, a mother has single status:

the child was born outside of official marriage;
the baby was born within 300 days after the divorce;
the child’s parents are officially married or divorced, but 300 days have not yet passed and the father has challenged the fact of paternity;
the child was adopted out of wedlock.

In ordinary language, the status of a single mother is given to a woman raising a child who officially does not have a father.

Cases in which, according to the law, a woman is not considered a single mother:

raising one child after an official divorce. Whether the husband pays alimony or not does not change the status;
the marriage is declared invalid;
the child was born within 300 days after the divorce;
the baby was born within 300 days after the death of her husband;
the birth of a child outside of an official marriage, but paternity has been established (even if the man lives separately);
widow;
raises children whose father has been deprived of parental rights.

In the described cases, children living with their mother have a father and are officially recognized, even if he does not live with the family. Often, in the column about the father there is a dash deliberately, at the request of a single mother or according to recommendations received from the registry office employees. Bureaucratic goals may pursue such actions

in case of traveling abroad temporarily or for permanent residence, the father’s permission is not required. Even if there is an actual father, if he is not registered, legally his decision means nothing;
the opportunity to register the child at the mother’s place of residence;
in case of emergency situations, such as a serious illness and the need for urgent surgery, one of the parents may not give consent. If legally there is no father, then his consent is not necessary;

The disadvantage of such a decision by the mother may be the lack of inheritance rights . Children who have a dash in the column about their father on their birth certificate do not have the right, by law, to inherit his property. This opportunity arises when a father voluntarily expresses his desire to leave an inheritance to his child.

Benefits for a single mother with one child

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Preferential programs for single mothers in Moscow

Single mothers who are registered and live in the capital can count on preferential programs in 2021, namely:

additional rights;
natural help;
labor benefits;
privileges.

Natural assistance includes:

essential medicines;
clothes and bedding sets for newborns free of charge;
dairy kitchen up to 2 years free;
meals at school 2 times a day;
massage course for a child in a hospital;
free vouchers for the health of schoolchildren and preschoolers.

Benefits are provided on the following points:

discounted school education costs;
admission to kindergarten without a queue;
benefits in the amount of 50% on payment for educational services in kindergartens;
discount on payment for housing and communal services;
participation in the Housing program at a discount.

Labor benefits for single mothers

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Payments for single mothers in Moscow in 2021

Residents of the capital are entitled to receive a number of additional payments. At the end of 2021, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin proposed increasing payments for some benefits. Single mothers were also affected by the adopted program.

In 2021, single mothers from Muscovites have the right to receive the following types of assistance every month:

before the child turns 3 years old - the payment is 15,000 rubles;
compensation for regional price increases - for the poor the payment is 750 rubles, and for the rest 300 rubles;
compensation for regional increases in the cost of baby food - the payment is 650 rubles (until the age of 3).

If a Muscovite with the status of a single mother gives birth to more than two children, she is entitled to an additional monthly amount of 18,700 rubles for each child until she turns 3 years old.

Single mothers in Moscow can receive all necessary types of benefits, even if these are 2 or more types of payments. For example, if a woman is not only a single mother, but also a mother of many children, she is entitled to full payment of benefits in both categories.

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