A lawyer told about the reason why pensioners lost their benefits to pay for housing and utility services

The presence of a bank deposit in some cases may deprive pensioners of the opportunity to claim benefits for payment of housing and communal services (HCS). Polina Gusyatnikova, senior managing partner of law firm PG Partners, told the agency "Prime" on February 13.

She reminded that when charging a large number of social benefits and payments, the principle of income accounting is applied. Not only pensions are taken into account, but also interest on bank deposits. The lawyer also noted that this is done to ensure that only those who really need it receive social benefits.

According to the current norm in the Russian Federation, a subsidy is provided to citizens if their payment for housing and utility services is more than 22% of the family budget.

In the regions, these figures may be less, as the subjects can independently set the norms downward, said Gusyatnikova. For example, in Moscow the bar is only 10%, and in St. Petersburg - 14%. If the pensioner's expenses are higher, the state accrues a subsidy.

"Not everyone knows that the presence of a bank deposit can deprive them of the opportunity to qualify for payment. The fact is that the bank deposit itself is not counted as income, but the interest on it - yes," explained Gusyatnikova.

If the total income will be above the bar, subsidies are not entitled, she added.

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