We take the allowance. All about maternity benefits: when and who pays, what is the maximum and minimum amount

Formally, in order to apply for (BiR) and the corresponding benefit, a woman must be officially employed and her employer must pay mandatory contributions to the Social Insurance Fund (Social Insurance). Then the basis for going on vacation and accruing maternity money will be (sick leave).

However, some categories of pregnant women are entitled to maternity benefits, even if at the time of its registration they are officially does not work and are not subject to compulsory social insurance. They are provided with benefits in the form of a lump sum payment - the same as working mothers-to-be. But the accrual principle and sources of financing are changing.

Are maternity payments due if a woman does not work?

140 days in general (70 days before birth and 70 after it).
156 days for birth complications (the postpartum period is extended to 86 days).
194 days for multiple pregnancy (84 days before birth and 110 after).

That is, certain categories of unemployed are given the right immediately for two social benefits. To apply for benefits, a woman must write a corresponding application and provide a certificate of application to a medical institution and registration within up to 12 weeks.

Maternity benefit for the unemployed upon liquidation of an organization

If a woman until recently I worked, and her income was used to pay contributions to the Social Insurance Fund (SIF), the state cannot leave her without guaranteed disability payments associated with the birth of a child.

Special conditions are provided to women who are left without work and income if they have registered with the state as unemployment in employment center(TsZN), and within 12 months before that:

lost their job in connection with the reorganization(liquidation) of the enterprise;
ceased operations as ;
lost their status as a notary or lawyer.

Is sick leave paid for maternity leave for the unemployed?

Unemployed citizens dismissed from work have the right to join the labor exchange and receive unemployment benefit, representing a certain percentage of the salary. According to current standards, sick leave extends this period by the number of days indicated on the certificate of incapacity for work (but this period for 1.5 years cannot exceed 12 months).

For unemployed pregnant women There are special conditions in this regard. They should apply for several reasons:

Pregnant all holidays are paid according to the BiR duration. True, in a rather small size. In 2016, a non-working woman is entitled to RUB 581.73 for every month maternity leave, but this amount (in 2018 - from February 1).
A woman cannot be deregistered as unemployed during maternity leave.
For a woman's period unemployment benefit payment extended:
- that is, the benefit itself is not accrued, but it will be paid (if 18 months have not passed since registration with the employment service);
- If, after maternity leave, a woman wants to apply, the payment of unemployment benefits to her will be suspended for the period of its payment.

These conditions apply only if no more than 12 months have passed from the moment of dismissal until the woman is declared unemployed and until the day she goes on maternity leave, and the dismissal is related to the liquidation of the enterprise.

In all other cases (dismissal at will, lack of work before registration with the employment service, break in work for more than a year) maternity benefits for women not paid.

Payment of benefits under BiR to the unemployed through Social Security

Payment of maternity benefits to women who have lost their jobs and wages due to reorganization (including liquidation) of an enterprise or staff reduction is carried out through the authorities Social protection of the population at the place of residence of the pregnant woman.

Maternity benefits are not provided through the Employment Service (PES). Only unemployment payments can be processed through the labor exchange.

You need to contact Social Security in application form, that is, provide an application and the necessary documents:

issued at 30 weeks of pregnancy with a stamp and signatures;
a certified extract from the work book with a record of the last place of work and dismissal in connection with the reorganization (liquidation) of the company;
a certificate from the employment service stating that the woman is registered as unemployed;
decision of the tax service to register the fact of termination of activity as a notary, lawyer (for the self-employed population).

Funds are provided from the federal budget in the form of a subvention to the region for the payment of benefits. Social benefits must be assigned within 10 days after registering the application from the applicant. The money is transferred to the woman’s bank account or sent by postal order before the 26th of the month, following the month of application to Social Security.

Maternity benefits for unemployed women

Because of the above-mentioned feature, women who are undergoing military and equivalent contract service, as well as students, can be classified as unemployed in the proper sense of the word. They are provided with maternity benefits under special conditions, different from those that they can use.

Contract employees and non-working students must, in any case, register sick leave at a medical institution in order to apply for payment on its basis.

Those undergoing military service under contract and government service. organs

Expectant mothers serving in public service are entitled to maternity payments in the amount of monthly allowance(for each month). This category of women includes:

undergoing military service under contract;
serving as privates or in senior positions in:
- internal affairs bodies;
- fire and customs services;
- drug control authorities;
- penal system.

The employee must provide the following documents to the accounting department of her unit:

application for maternity leave and benefits;
a certificate from a medical organization;
a certificate from the place of residence stating that she does not receive benefits for employment and labor there (if the place of service does not coincide with the place of residence).

According to Russian legislative norms, 10 days are allocated for calculating benefits. The recipient will be able to count on payment from the day she officially left service in. That is, if she continued to serve after the start of sick leave, during this period she will receive only one monetary allowance, but not in the form of its amount from .

The money is transferred from the federal budget allocated to executive authorities that provide contract service.

When planning to go on maternity leave, not all women know what payments are due to pregnant and young mothers. Some of them are issued at work, and for the rest you will have to contact the social security office.

What can you get during pregnancy?

The first benefit is paid if within 12 weeks. Its size is quite modest. In addition to everything, it is “plus” to the assistance that is paid when going on maternity leave. So, those who are unemployed (with the exception of those who have been fired from their jobs) or who are studying full-time at a university will not be able to get it. In order for it to be credited, you must present a certificate from the antenatal clinic at work.

Separately, it is worth noting that in the capital there is another payment for registration. Those who started it before the 20th week of pregnancy can receive it. To obtain it, however, you will have to contact RUSZN.

What payments are due to pregnant women in addition to those described above? The largest of all compensations falls on the moment of departure (the exception will be those who are expecting twins, then this date comes earlier). This is the so-called maternity leave. By default, its duration is 140 days. During this time, a woman has the right to receive compensation equal to her salary for the same period of time, but not more than 186,986.80 rubles. In the case of complicated childbirth, the duration of this leave is increased by sixteen days, and in the case of the birth of several babies - by forty days.

If the baby was born before 30 weeks, postpartum leave will last 156 days, not 70, as in normal cases. Payment for additional days is carried out according to the same scheme as for the main part of the vacation.

The unemployed are not paid maternity benefits (even to those on the labor exchange). During this period, female students are paid a stipend.

What payments are due to pregnant women who do not work?

If a woman is not employed while expecting a baby because the company where she worked was liquidated, she does not lose her right to benefits. The payment will be made from the federal budget.

If the expectant mother is registered at the labor exchange, then until the pregnancy is 30 weeks old she has the right to receive prenatal and postnatal leave will not be paid.

What can you expect after childbirth?

The birth of a baby gives parents the right to receive it, which is paid at the place of work. By the way, if a young mother does not work and her husband is employed, he can receive the payment.

If both parents are not officially employed or are students, they should contact the Social Protection Center.

These payments can be received while living in any region of the country. In some constituent entities of the Russian Federation, young parents also have the right to count on local compensation.

So, in Moscow, parents whose age has not exceeded thirty years have the right to a fairly serious one. This also applies to those who have not given birth to their first child.

Maternity capital also falls into this category of payments. It is placed after the birth of the second baby. In 2013, its size was 408,960 rubles.

When the postpartum leave ends, another one begins - to care for the child. It lasts until the child’s third birthday, but is paid up to one and a half years. depends on the salary that the mother received before maternity leave (it is 40% of it). The maximum payment for such leave is limited to 16,241 rubles.

Unemployed mothers are also entitled to a child benefit, albeit in a minimal amount. For the first child it is 2,454 rubles, for the second - twice as much.

Well, after this moment and before the baby turns 3 years old, you can only count on compensation, which is enough for a couple of bags of kefir, since it is equal to 50 rubles.

Knowing what payments are due to pregnant women and those who have already become mothers, you can get a solid increase to the family budget, which so badly needs it.

The state provides the opportunity for expectant mothers to leave their jobs for a certain period of time and devote their free time to their health and preparation for the birth of their baby. However, it is the birth of a child that requires additional costs from future parents. A one-time benefit in connection with pregnancy and childbirth is paid to financially support the family while preparing for the birth of the baby.

Purpose of maternity benefits

The very name of the benefit suggests that only women who have recently given birth can receive it. The mother's spouse or other relatives are not entitled to this type of government support; the funds are intended to maintain and restore the mother's health.

However, the state does not control the use of maternity benefits. A woman can spend money on her own food, buy diapers and a crib for her unborn baby, or use the money differently. However, not every expectant mother can count on this type of social support.

Maternity benefits are intended for those women from whose income contributions were made to the insurance fund. According to Federal Law No. 81, the following categories of women can receive financial assistance:

are in an official labor relationship with the employer;
workers in military units as support personnel;
employees of special units and the Russian Armed Forces;
those who lost their jobs due to the sale or closure of an enterprise and closed their own business within a year and are registered with the employment service;
those undergoing full-time training;
who became mothers after adopting a child under 3 months old and belonging to one of the above categories.

Who pays the benefit?

To receive maternity benefits, a woman must write an application at her place of work, study or service. It usually contains a request for maternity leave and payment of a lump sum benefit.

According to Order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation No. 1012n, if the expectant mother lost her job within 30 days before her maternity leave, she must contact her last employer. You can apply for a previous place of work if a woman:

left work due to the need to move to another city due to her husband’s service;
has a disease incompatible with work;
forced to care for a disabled relative.

If the expectant mother has been in an employment relationship with several employers over the past 24 months, she has the right to apply to all of them. If a woman has changed several jobs in 2 years, she should contact the employer with whom she is currently registered.

Many citizens do not understand why the benefit is considered state, but the enterprise pays it. Who pays financial assistance to expectant mothers? The employer actually pays the benefit from his own funds. However, after reporting to the Social Insurance Fund, he is reimbursed for the amount paid.

Thus, the actual payer of maternity benefits is the Social Insurance Fund. This fact explains the possibility of receiving benefits directly through a government agency. Women can apply to the Social Insurance Fund for maternity benefits if the following events occur:

the enterprise where the expectant mother is registered has gone bankrupt, has no money in its accounts, has been subject to a procedure for seizing its accounts, and is subject to sale;
the employer cannot be found;
At the time of the appeal, the company ceased to exist.

In some regions of Russia, a woman can apply for benefits directly to the Social Insurance Fund, regardless of the status of the employing organization. This is possible in localities where the Direct Payments project operates. A woman takes the necessary documents to the enterprise. Employees of the organization transmit them to the insurer's body. Payments are made directly from the state budget.

When should benefits be paid?

Women apply for benefits on the day they go on maternity leave. If for some reason the expectant mother was unable to write a request for funds, she can contact her employer or the Social Insurance Fund within six months after giving birth.

The law provides that a woman has the right to apply for benefits even if the application deadline has been missed. However, the reason for late application must be valid. These include:

emergency situation (combat operations, natural disasters, etc.);
long-term serious illness;
forced relocation;
death of a relative.

The timing of payment of benefits in connection with pregnancy and childbirth depends on where the mother applies. If the appeal occurs at the place of work, the employer is obliged to check the documentation and calculations within 10 days and assign payments. The benefit is credited to the woman’s salary account on the day the company makes wage deductions.

When contacting the insurer directly, the documentation is also reviewed within 10 days. Deductions in favor of the applicant will be made the next month after the application. The deadline is the 26th of the next month.

What documents are needed to calculate payments?

The list of documents for receiving payments also depends on where the woman applies. The employer assigns payments upon presentation of the following documents:

Written appeal.
Sick leave from the antenatal clinic. In a normal pregnancy, it is issued at 30 weeks, and in case of expecting several babies - at 28 weeks.

If a pregnant woman has worked at several enterprises over the past 2 years, she must also bring a certificate calculating the average salary from another place of work. An application for benefits is written on the day of going on maternity leave and contains a request for leave.

Female students apply to the institution where they are studying. The law does not provide for a clearly established form of application. However, it must contain the following information:

Each organization has its own procedures for filling out such documentation. The expectant mother will be provided with an example. Below is a sample.

Women who are not working at the time of maternity leave apply to the Social Insurance Fund. The following documentation must be presented at the institution:

written request for payment assignment;
personal documents;
certificate of incapacity for work from a medical institution;
paper from the employment center confirming unemployed status;
work book;
a document from the tax office about the status of a former employer or confirmation of the closure of your own business;
a certificate from the Social Insurance Fund at the place of registration about non-receipt of payments when a woman writes a statement at her place of residence.

If the application deadline is missed, the woman must contact the government agency directly. In addition to the above documents, it is necessary to prepare papers confirming valid reasons for late application. If the mother officially worked before giving birth, you need to get a certificate from the employer about the average income for the previous 2 years.

How is the benefit amount determined?

The amount of the benefit depends on several factors: the woman’s earnings, the length of the vacation, and standards established by the state. Working mothers will receive more money than unemployed ones. The duration of maternity leave depends on the progress of labor and the number of babies born. Payments are calculated at the enterprise or at the Social Insurance Fund. However, a woman should know how much she should be paid.

Calculation example

According to Federal Law No. 81, benefits are calculated based on the employee’s average daily salary. Benefits are calculated for the period of leave due to pregnancy and childbirth. Vacation duration:

in the normal course of pregnancy and when expecting 1 child - 10 weeks before the date of birth and 10 weeks after it;
for complications during childbirth - 10 weeks before and 86 days after the birth of the baby;
in the case of the birth of twins or triplets - 12 weeks before and 110 days after birth;
when adopting one baby under 3 months - from the date of adoption until the 10th week of the child’s life;
when adopting 2 children - from the date of admission to the family until 110 days of the children’s life.

If an employee was on maternity leave in the last two years before giving birth, calculations can be made based not on the last years, but on another period.

The benefit amount is calculated as follows: total earnings for 24 months are divided by 730 (731) days minus days of temporary unpaid leave, maternity leave, days on sick leave.

Let's look at the procedure for calculating benefits using an example. Citizen Rudneva is going on maternity leave in 2018 due to expecting twins. Over the past period, she was on sick leave for 15 days. The financial aid calculation is as follows:

for 2016, she received a salary of 540 thousand rubles;
in 2017, she received a total of 620 thousand rubles;
the average salary is (540 thousand + 620 thousand): (731 – 15) = 1620.11 rubles;
the benefit amount is 1620.11 x 194 = 314301.34 rubles.

A woman has the right to work all the time before giving birth. However, when calculating maternity payments, only the period when she was actually on vacation is taken into account. So, if a pregnant woman went on maternity leave 35 days before giving birth, then payments will be made 35 days before the birth of the baby and for the days after his birth.

If a pregnant woman has been employed for less than 2 years, then the average salary per day is calculated taking into account the salary for the previous period and the minimum wage for the time when she did not work. For example, for a second-year student, the scholarship for the first year and the minimum wage are taken into account for calculation. For official employment of less than 6 months, calculations are also made based on the minimum wage.

Maximum and minimum possible amount

When calculating benefits, a woman must take into account that there are restrictions on the amount of payments. The law establishes the maximum and minimum amount of financial assistance. The minimum benefit threshold is calculated based on the minimum wage accepted at the time of going on leave. The amounts of state support available to pregnant women who went on maternity leave in 2017 and 2018 are presented in the table.

Thus, women going on maternity leave in 2018 cannot receive less than 35,900 rubles. However, the maximum amount of state support is paid only to officially employed mothers. The benefit threshold changes annually. This is caused by a change in the minimum wage.

Other types of benefits for pregnant women

At the regional level, various types of financial assistance have been developed for pregnant women. In some regions of Russia, unemployed women can count on monthly benefits. The table shows some types of regional support that are paid to pregnant women in 2018.

Region	Purpose of benefit	Procedure and conditions of issuance	Amount, rub.
Chuvashia	Maternity and childbirth services for unemployed mothers	Monthly, from 12 weeks	459
Chuvashia	Pregnant and lactating	Recognition of a low-income family, every month	100
Penza region		Monthly until the child turns 3 years old	580
Kamchatka Krai		Monthly, registered in the region	1390
Ulyanovsk region		Monthly, for low-income families, from 12 weeks of pregnancy until the child is six months old	706,47
Khakassia		Every month if there are medical indications and low family income	788,72

In Russia it is also recommended to register with a doctor as early as possible. An expectant mother can claim a benefit of more than 600 rubles if she registers before 12 weeks of pregnancy. This benefit is issued when you contact your employer or social security agency with a certificate from a medical institution. The woman is paid at the same time as maternity benefits. You also need to write the following sample appeal.

Maternity benefits are a type of financial assistance paid to women for the entire period of maternity leave from the Social Insurance Fund (SIF). This type of benefit is also popularly called “maternity benefits”.

Who will receive the payment and under what conditions?

The list of those who can count on state support when going on maternity leave includes:

working women;
those who recently lost their jobs due to corporate bankruptcy;
full-time students of universities, technical schools, colleges;
women contract employees in military structures;
adoptive parents belonging to one of the above groups.

Maternity benefit (M&B) is guaranteed only to women. Neither the spouse nor other family members can count on corresponding payments. If the pregnant woman continues to work, then the benefit is not paid, since the woman still receives a salary. If a woman simultaneously has the right to benefits for labor and child care, then she must choose one or the other.

Who pays?

Payments to pregnant working women at their place of work are paid by the employer, who reimburses the funds from the Social Insurance Fund. If a woman was fired due to the cessation of the enterprise’s activities, then an application and sick leave are submitted to the social security authorities. There are often cases when an employer delays the payment of funds, then you can contact the Labor Inspectorate or, if there is a delay of 2 months or more, the Prosecutor's Office.

Appointment procedure and terms of receipt

At the place of work. The employer undertakes to schedule the payment of the B&R benefit within 10 days from the date of submission of the necessary documents. The full amount of benefits for all months of vacation is given to the employee with the next salary. If an employee has been working recently and has not provided a certificate on time about the amount of earnings for the last two years from her previous place of work, then the amount of payment is assigned in accordance with the data available to the employer. After the insured person provides the relevant certificate, the benefit must be recalculated. The amount of maternity benefits that was excessively accrued to an employee cannot be recovered. The exception is a counting error or the provision by the recipient of benefits of knowingly incorrect information.
At the place of study. Full-time students must contact the accounting department of the educational institution. Funds can be transferred in the same way as a scholarship from the budget allocated to the educational institution.
In social protection authorities. Funds are transferred through a bank or by postal transfer until the 26th of the next month. The source of money is the Social Insurance Fund.
When contacting the FSS directly. The payment is made directly through the Social Insurance Fund as part of the “Direct Payments” project and does not require the mediation of the employer.

Amount of maternity benefit

The amount of maternity payments depends on the social status of the pregnant woman:

employed women receive 100% payment of average monthly earnings (the amount before tax is taken into account);
Full-time students receive 100% of the scholarship amount;
female military personnel serving under a contract can count on the entire amount equal to the amount of their salary multiplied by the number of months of vacation;
if a pregnant woman’s work experience is less than six months, then for each month she will receive an allowance equal to the minimum wage;
women dismissed due to liquidation of the organization or termination of individual entrepreneurs receive for each month of vacation - the amount of 628.47 rubles, which from February 2019 will be 655.49 rubles.

Maternity payments are calculated using the following formula:

Income for the previous 2 years excluding tax deductions ÷ 731 or 730 (number of days in the specified period) × number of days of maternity leave.

In 2019, the size of the minimum and maximum maternity benefits increased due to inflation calculated by Rosstat. Indexation of the B&R benefit and other payments is carried out in accordance with inflation based on the results of 2018. Rosstat determined inflation at 3.5%, which corresponds to an increasing indexation coefficient of 1.035, but later changed this coefficient to 1.043, since the actual inflation was 4.3%.

In connection with the indexation of benefits, two more indicators have changed that affect the amount of payment:

Minimum wage increased to 11,280 rubles, which is 117 rubles. more than since May 1, 2018.
Limit base for calculating insurance premiums for the past two years is 815,000 rubles and 755,000 rubles.

The average salary of an employee should not exceed the established minimum and maximum. Let's look at the current figures from the table of maximum and minimum payments after indexation.

Minimum benefit, due to women employed (calculated based on the minimum wage for all days of the period of temporary disability).

RUB 51,918.90 – with sick leave 140 days;
RUB 57,852.49 – with an additional 16 days of vacation, 156 days of maternity leave;
71,944.76 – for 194 days of maternity leave.

Maximum benefit amount, due to working women.

301,095.89 – for 140 days of maternity leave;
335,506.85 – if the vacation is 156 days;
417,232.88 – with maternity leave of 194 days.

The maximum and minimum values may change if the region has regional coefficients that increase the payment. These amounts can only be received by those who became entitled to the corresponding amount after February 1, 2019. Benefits that have already been calculated are not subject to indexation.

It is necessary to take into account some features of the accrual of funds.

When calculating the average monthly income, periods of illness, maternity leave, and parental leave are not taken into account.
The periods when the employee was released from work, while the salary was retained in full or in part, are also not taken into account.
If the employee has been on maternity or parental leave for the past two years, then these dates will be excluded from the overall calculation. But a woman has the right to replace the time when there was no salary with the previous year or two years. This is allowed if the woman receives a large amount.

Benefit calculation example

Let's consider a possible example of calculating benefits for Birth and Labor using the example of complicated childbirth, for which 156 days of leave are due. Let us assume that during the previous two years there was no period of incapacity for work. Let’s assume that the salary in 2017 was 450,000 rubles, and in 2018, the funds received amounted to 522,000 rubles. The number of calendar days for two years, as mentioned above, is 730 days.

From here we begin calculating the benefit: (450,000 + 522,000)/730 × 156 = 207,715.07 rubles.

This amount will be paid to the employee in a lump sum with her next salary after acceptance of documents and calculation. The maternity benefit is not subject to taxes and fees, so the woman will receive all the money at once.

Read also:

Required documents

To receive maternity benefits, the expectant mother must provide the employer with a small package of documents:

certificate of incapacity for work;
an application for a one-time allowance for accounting (it is drawn up in free form or according to a sample issued by the human resources department);
for women who have worked for less than two years in this organization, an additional certificate can be provided with the amount of earnings for the last two years from the previous place of employment or from the enterprise where the woman works part-time.

In 2019, a package of documents can be sent to the employer by mail, then certified copies or in electronic form are attached to the letter.

For the unemployed, maternity leave will be issued based on the provision of the following documents:

application for appropriate payment;
a salary certificate from the place of work or an application for a request for information on the amount of wages;
certificate of incapacity for work from the antenatal clinic, signed by an obstetrician-gynecologist.

Sick leave

Payment of benefits under the BiR is made on the basis of the sick leave certificate issued to the pregnant woman. It is received at the antenatal clinic where the pregnant woman is observed. The document specifies the exact number of days of maternity leave, and sick leave is issued on a certain day. The table will help you figure out when a woman can go on vacation.

The nature of pregnancy and childbirth	Number of days until birth	Number of days after birth	The entire period of maternity leave
Uncomplicated birth, pregnancy proceeds calmly	70	70	140
Normal pregnancy, complications in the postpartum period	70	86 (16 additional days)	156
Childbirth occurred at 22–30 obstetric weeks	-	156	156
Multiple pregnancy	84	110	194
Multiple pregnancy (determined during childbirth)	70	124	194

In addition to obstetricians and gynecologists in antenatal clinics, sick leave can be filled out and signed by general practitioners (family doctors) or paramedics. If a woman at 30 weeks pregnant refuses to receive this document due to her unwillingness to leave her job and go on maternity leave, then when the pregnant woman applies again, a certificate of incapacity for work is issued in accordance with the general procedure. The countdown of the days set by the state still starts at 30 weeks.

The sick leave form for BiR is identical to the one issued for general diseases, but there are some features of filling out:

In the “Cause of disability” field, code 05 is indicated.
In the “Exemption from work” section, in the “From what date” column, the start date of maternity leave is entered. The column “By what date” counts the day when a woman can start work or write an application for leave to care for a newborn.
When applying to an antenatal clinic for registration during pregnancy up to 12 weeks, the appropriate mark must be indicated.
The employer does not need to fill out the employee's TIN (the field should be left blank).
The line “Benefit amount” remains blank, since the funds are accrued by the Social Insurance Fund.
All other points are filled out in the same way as for other certificates of incapacity for work.

Important! In the column “Registration in the early stages of pregnancy (up to 12 weeks)” the word “yes” should be checked. This is necessary so that the woman receives a lump sum payment. The obstetrician-gynecologist will issue a special certificate confirming your right to receive funds. It will need to be presented to the employer or the Social Insurance Fund.

The main document is issued, including to women going from maternity leave to maternity leave. For adoptive parents of children under three months of age, maternity leave is also provided for a period of up to 70 days; the paper is issued from the moment of actual adoption. But the 70-day countdown begins from the day the baby is born. If parents adopt two or more babies, then the duration of maternity leave increases and becomes, as in a multiple pregnancy, 110 days.

(or, as it is often called, “maternity benefits”) is one of the types of insurance coverage for compulsory social insurance. Let’s figure out who is entitled to maternity pay and in what amount, what the duration is and the specifics of receiving it.

Payment of maternity benefits

It is important to understand that only women can count on maternity benefits (as opposed to child care benefits). All categories of recipients of maternity benefits in 2019 are listed in No. 81-FZ dated May 19, 1995 “On state benefits for citizens with children.” These include women:

working

unemployed (dismissed due to the liquidation of organizations during the 12 months preceding the day they were recognized as unemployed)

full-time students

undergoing military service under contract

who have adopted a child and belong to the above categories

If a woman simultaneously becomes entitled to child care benefits and maternity benefits, she can choose only one of these benefits

Note: Maternity benefits in 2019 are paid only for the period of leave of the same name. This means that if a woman does not take advantage of the right to the specified leave and continues to work (and, accordingly, receive wages), then she is not entitled to benefits. In this situation, the employer does not have the right to provide the woman with two types of payments at once: both salary and benefits. Therefore, wages will be paid for days worked. As soon as a woman decides to exercise the right to maternity leave and it is issued, the payment of wages will stop and the employer will accrue benefits.

Maternity benefit paid at the place of work, service or other activity. For women dismissed due to the liquidation of an organization, benefits are paid by social security authorities at their place of residence (place of actual stay or actual residence).

Note: if the employee is a part-time worker and has worked for the same employers for the two previous years, then both employers pay her maternity benefits in 2019.

Maternity benefit is paid .

Documents for receiving maternity benefits

The list of required documents is given in No. 255-FZ dated December 29, 2006 “On compulsory social insurance in case of temporary disability and in connection with maternity.” You will need:

application for granting benefits (drawn up in free form)

Maternity benefit is paid to the insured woman in total for the entire vacation period.

Amount of maternity benefit

The amount of maternity payments depends on the status of the recipient:

Working women receive benefits in the amount of 100% of average earnings

Those dismissed due to the liquidation of the organization - in the amount of 300 rubles

Female students - in the amount of the scholarship

Contract servicemen - in the amount of monetary allowance

If an insured woman’s work experience is less than six months, she can count on benefits in an amount not higher than the minimum wage (from January 1, 2019 - 11,280 rubles)

Calculation of maternity benefits

Since 2013, women have not been given the right to choose the procedure for calculating benefits

Maternity benefit is calculated based on average earnings and does not depend on the employee’s length of service (unlike temporary disability benefits). For convenience, the calculation of benefits can be presented in the following diagram:

Maternity benefit in 2019
equals

income for 2 calendar years
(preceding the year of maternity leave)
divide by
number of days in this period
multiply by
number of maternity days

Now about the nuances.

Firstly, average earnings for each of two calendar years should not exceed a certain maximum. This maximum is established - the maximum value of the base for calculating insurance contributions to the Social Insurance Fund for the corresponding year. In 2017, this amount was 755,000 rubles, in 2018 - 815,000 rubles. That is, when calculating for each year, you need to use the amount that is smaller.

Secondly, the amount of average daily earnings (that is, the quotient from dividing income for two years by the number of days) is now legislative. The permissible maximum is determined as follows: we take the maximum bases for calculating contributions to the Social Insurance Fund for the two years preceding the decree, add them up and divide the resulting amount by 730.

Third, from the total number of calendar days in a two-year period should be excluded:

Periods of temporary disability, maternity leave, parental leave

The period of release of an employee from work with full or partial retention of wages, if insurance premiums were NOT charged on the retained wages for this period

Fourth, if during the two years preceding the maternity leave the employee took maternity or child care leave, then these periods, as we see, will be excluded from the calculations. However, in this case, the woman is given the right to such periods (one year or both) of the previous year (two years), so that this leads to an increase in the amount of maternity payments.