Double increase: starting from 2026, the pension indexation system will change

The Government has approved a Strategy for Actions in the interests of older citizens until 2030, which contains a set of directions for improving the quality of life of older citizens. According to Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, one of the main vectors will be the transition to a two-stage system of indexation of insurance pensions. The innovation will start operating in 2026. For more information about how the planned increase in pensions will be made next year and when the next indexation of payments will take place in 2025, see the Izvestia article.

How will pensions be indexed in 2026

The government recently approved a strategy of action in the interests of older citizens. The program is designed until 2030 and involves the implementation of several areas to improve the quality of life of the elderly.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin stressed that one of the main objectives of the Strategy is to increase pension provision. To achieve this, an updated indexation system for insurance pensions will be introduced starting next year. Payments will be increased systematically twice a year:

— from February 1, taking into account the inflation rate for the past year;

— April 1 — taking into account the income of the Social Fund for the past year.

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Another important area of work is to improve the system of providing medical care to the elderly, especially those who live in rural areas. It is planned to expand advanced methods of early diagnosis and prevention of diseases.

"Regular medical check—ups, careful and responsible attitude to one's health should generally be the norm," Mikhail Mishustin noted.

At the moment, the implementation of a long-term care system is continuing, about 170 thousand people are already using support, and in six years their number is expected to grow to half a million people. Other key objectives include increasing life expectancy to 78 years by 2030 and outstripping healthy life expectancy.

The Head of Government also stressed that it is important to create conditions for the self-realization of older citizens, interesting leisure activities, sports, creativity and acquiring new skills.

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When is the next pension indexation in 2025

In 2025, several increases in insurance and social pensions were made. Since January 1, taking into account the inflation rate, insurance pensions have been increased by 9.5%. Starting from February 1, pensions of federal beneficiaries — veterans of the Great Patriotic War, Chernobyl victims, blockade survivors, and combat veterans - were increased by 4.5%. Since April 1, social pensions have been indexed by 14.75%, which are received by disabled people of three groups, children with disabilities, children receiving a survivor's pension, and other beneficiaries.

The next pension indexation is scheduled for October 1, 2025. Military pensions will be increased by 4.5% during this period. Payments are indexed by increasing the reduction coefficient, which is applied to the amount of monetary allowances for calculating pensions of former military and security officials, which include former employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, FSB, Rosgvardiya and others. In 2025, the amount of the allowance is 89.83%.

Large-scale pension increase in April: to whom and by how much will be indexed

The social pension in 2025 will be indexed immediately by 14.75%

Indexation of pensions for working pensioners

Since 2016, working pensioners have stopped having their pensions indexed annually by a fixed percentage. Instead of increasing payments, employed pensioners received an annual recalculation based on accumulated pension coefficients for the previous year. The amount of the increase depended on the year of retirement and the salary for the past year. The recalculation was carried out on August 1 of each year.

Since January 1, 2025, the Social Fund of Russia has resumed the indexation of payments to working pensioners. The increase in payments will be automatic and will be subject to annual recalculation, the amount of which is calculated based on the amount of the insurance pension and the fixed payment to it.

Also this year, the cost of the pension coefficient increased by 9.5%, amounting to 145.69 rubles, and the amount of the fixed payment to the insurance pension was increased to 8,907.70 rubles.