HR expert spoke about double payments when combining work and self-employment

A new employment model is being formed in Russia: more and more citizens combine work under an employment contract with self-employed activities. Galina Yurmanova, HR Director of the Console platform, told Izvestia about the changes in the social security system on April 16.

"With the launch of the experiment on voluntary social insurance, the situation has changed: for the first time, the self-employed have access to sick leave and partially to "maternity" mechanisms. The legislation does not prohibit combining both statuses, but the rights under them are not automatically combined. An employment contract provides basic social guarantees, including sick leave, maternity payments, and pension points, while self—employment provides access to benefits only if you voluntarily join the insurance system," the expert noted.

Yurmanova explained that from 2026, the self-employed can receive temporary disability benefits provided they pay contributions to the Social Fund for at least six months. When combined with employment, it is possible to receive two payments at the same time, since they are calculated from different sources — wages and the selected insurance amount.

The situation with maternity payments remains less clear. The main part of the allowance is formed through an employment contract, while payments for the self-employed are still limited by experimental conditions and are not a full-fledged alternative.

The pension system under this employment model also retains the basic principle: the basic length of service is formed at the expense of the employer. The self-employed can additionally participate in the accumulation of seniority, but only with the voluntary payment of contributions. In 2026, the minimum insurance premium is more than 71 thousand rubles, which gives one year of experience.

The expert stressed that combining forms of employment opens up additional opportunities for receiving payments and income diversification, but requires the active participation of the employee himself.

"Without voluntary insurance, the self-employed do not receive payments at all. In addition, there is a waiting period — contributions must be paid for at least six months, and the amount of payments is limited by the chosen insurance base," concluded Yurmanova.

On February 24, Yaroslav Nilov, head of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans' Affairs, proposed limiting the regime of the self-employed to services for individuals and revising its parameters. He believes that this procedure should apply to services provided only to individuals (services of nannies, tutors, household assistants), and activities related to the rental of residential and commercial real estate.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.