The lawyer warned about exceptions when cutting premiums by 20% for Russians

On September 1, amendments to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation come into force, limiting the ability of employers to reduce bonus payments to employees. According to the addendum in Article 135 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, a reduction in the premium should not lead to a reduction in the employee's monthly earnings by more than 20%. Makka Saligova, a mediator and lawyer for corporate and family disputes, told Izvestia on July 7.

According to her, the new limit will be calculated from the total monthly income, and not just from salary or bonus separately.

"This is an important change, because in practice, many companies set salaries at the minimum wage, and the bulk of payments were issued as bonuses. In such cases, the employee could lose a significant portion of his earnings upon disciplinary action. Now the law protects the rights of employees by setting a clear limit for reducing payments," the lawyer explained.

Keep in the bonus: every third Russian had his bonus cut or cancelled

Why did this happen and what companies are willing to offer in return?

According to the expert, there are no direct exceptions to the new rule in the law. However, there are nuances: if the bonus is a one-time payment and is not included in the wage system, or if its reduction is due to non-fulfillment of the KPIs prescribed in the employment contract, then the 20% limit may not apply.

For violating the established limit, the employer faces serious sanctions. Exceeding the acceptable threshold for reducing premiums can be regarded as a violation of the terms of payment of wages under Article 142 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation. In this case, the company will face fines under Article 5.27 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation. In addition, the employee has the right to demand compensation for delayed interest payments in accordance with Article 236 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.

Earlier, on July 7, Head of the Legal Department of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia (FNPR) Yakov Kupreev said that starting from September 1, 2025, employers in Russia will not be able to cut an employee's bonus by more than 20% of their monthly salary. According to him, according to the new amendments to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, starting from September 1 of this year, the amount of bonus deduction in case of disciplinary action should not exceed 20% of the total salary.