By 2026, social pensions in Russia are projected to rise to nearly 15,000 rubles. This outlook comes from a draft outlining the key features of the budget for the Pension and Social Insurance Fund of the Russian Federation, as reported by News Draft.
The document sketches a schedule where non-working pensioners will see their pensions indexed twice a year starting in 2025. It also notes steady growth in social pension amounts: a 4% increase in 2024, followed by 8% in 2025 and 8.4% in 2026. The expectation is that the average social pension will climb to about 12,901 rubles next year and reach roughly 14,955 rubles in 2026.
Officials emphasize that social pensions should not fall below the national minimum wage. As of January 1, 2023, the minimum wage in Russia stood at 16,242 rubles. Tatyana Esaulkova, the general manager of KFOR Garant, told the publication that there is a plan to raise the minimum wage by 18.5% to 19,242 rubles starting January 1, 2024, reflecting a broader effort to align retirement support with living standards.
Another notable change involves how pension supplements for northern and rural experience are calculated. The new approach removes the need for an owner to trigger the supplement and moves to a different, streamlined calculation method. This adjustment aims to simplify qualification and ensure more retirees receive due extras without unnecessary hurdles.
In related context, previous reports indicated that roughly a third of younger Russians foresee working even after reaching retirement age, highlighting shifting expectations about work and pensions in the period ahead. This evolving landscape underscores the interconnected goals of raising pension adequacy while encouraging longer workforce participation under a stable social safety framework.