Pensions for the disabled of all groups: when and by how much payments will increase

In 2026, a significant increase in pensions for people with disabilities of all groups is expected in Russia, aimed at improving the financial situation of citizens with disabilities. For more information, see the Izvestia article.

Indexing dates

In 2026, pension indexation will be carried out in two stages. Starting from February 1, it is planned to increase insurance pensions by 7.6%, which takes into account actual inflation for 2025. Nadezhda Kapustina, Professor of the Department of Economic Security and Risk Management at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, noted that the practice of recent years has demonstrated a steady trend in which the actual increase in prices for essential goods, medicines and housing and communal services is significantly ahead of official statistical indicators. According to her, this is especially critical for people with disabilities, whose health and life support costs significantly exceed the average.

Indexation of insurance pensions in 2026 will amount to 7.6%. As a result, the average amount of old-age pensions will increase by almost 2 thousand rubles and amount to 27.1 thousand rubles. The maximum amount of temporary disability benefits will reach more than 207 thousand rubles per month. The maternity allowance will increase to 955.8 thousand rubles, and for working citizens, the child care allowance for up to 1.5 years will amount to 83 thousand rubles per month.

The payment is difficult: the average pension in three years will exceed 30 thousand rubles.

Why, with such growth, will it still be four times lower than earnings?

"Also, starting from February 1, monthly cash payments to citizens with disabilities, veterans, Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes of Russia, Heroes of Socialist Labor, Heroes of Labor of Russia, Heroic Mothers, allowances for victims of radiation and other support measures will be indexed according to the level of actual inflation," the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs told Izvestia. protection.

From April 1, social pensions will also be indexed by 6.8%, in line with the projected increase in prices and incomes of the Social Fund of Russia.

— The annual indexation of pensions takes place on February 1, adjusted for inflation. As of February 1, 2026, an estimated 9% increase in disability pensions is projected. In January 2025, disability pensions were indexed by 7.3%, and in February by another 2.22%. Accordingly, the overall indexation was slightly more than 9%, which indicates the same level that is expected in 2026. It is worth noting that the positive changes are not one—time, but systemic in nature, enshrined in long-term social development programs," Nadezhda Kapustina emphasized.

Categories of citizens receiving promotions

Various categories of citizens will receive increased social pensions and additional allowances. These include the disabled of group I, who have severe impairments of bodily functions, the disabled of group II with severe impairments, as well as the disabled of group III with moderate impairments. This category also includes people with disabilities since childhood, that is, people who have become disabled before the age of 18, and disabled children who are recognized as disabled under the age of 18. The Social Fund of Russia announced on its official page that from 2026 it will begin providing a social supplement to pensions throughout the country. All regions of Russia have decided to transfer the payment to the fund, with the exception of Moscow, which will continue to independently assign additional payments.

— A unified approach as a single indexation coefficient for the entire territory of the country will inevitably reduce the enormous differentiation of the cost of living between different regions. A disabled person living in a large city, where the cost of housing, transport and medical services is many times higher than in rural areas, receives the same absolute increase as a resident of a depressed area, — said Nadezhda Kapustina.

Nevertheless, the expert added, the real purchasing power of this increase turns out to be incomparable, which actually deepens social inequality and calls into question the very idea of a fair distribution of government support. Currently, the fund pays a federal supplement to pensioners in 59 regions, and in 30 other regions it is assigned by social protection authorities.

After the payment is transferred to the Social Fund, both surcharges will be synchronized and provided according to a single standard through one window. A social supplement is awarded if the pensioner's income is below the subsistence level. If the cost of living in the region is lower than the federal minimum, the Social Fund sets the additional payment, if higher, the social protection authorities. For example, in Moscow, the living wage for pensioners in 2026 will be 17,897 rubles, which is higher than the federal level of 15,250 rubles, so the regional supplement will be set in the capital. In the Orel region, where the cost of living is 14,183 rubles, the Social Fund of Russia will appoint a social supplement.

Pension provision

The Social Fund of Russia announced in its Telegram channel that starting from April 1, 2026, state pension pensions will be indexed by 14.75%. The increase will affect 4.2 million pensioners, of which 3.5 million are recipients of social pensions, mainly due to disability and loss of breadwinner. Indexing will take place automatically, without the need to submit applications.

In addition, pensions will be indexed for participants of the Great Patriotic War who were awarded the badge "To a resident of besieged Leningrad", "To a resident of besieged Sevastopol" or "To a resident of besieged Stalingrad", military personnel who served on conscription, as well as for disabled members of their families and citizens exposed to radiation, including test pilots and other citizens.

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As Sergey Chirkov, Chairman of the Social Fund of Russia, noted, "The April indexation will be the third increase in payments to pensioners since the beginning of the year. Insurance pensions were increased in January, a number of social benefits were increased in February, and now we are indexing state pensions by 14.75%. Earlier indexations affected over 38 million recipients of insurance pensions, and now another 4.2 million pensioners will be able to receive higher payments, which is especially important for people with disabilities and those who have lost a breadwinner."

The average size of the social pension after indexation will increase to 15.5 thousand rubles, and the social pension for disabled children will average about 22 thousand rubles. Indexed payments will be received by pensioners in April according to the usual schedule.

The procedure for receiving increased payments

The official channel of the Ministry of Labor of Russia in its Telegram channel shared how to order an extract of the assigned benefits and payments.

To do this, use the public services portal, where in the "Services" section select "Information Statements", and then go to the "Information about assigned social benefits and benefits" section. The statement will contain information about pensions, benefits and other payments, the frequency and timing of payments, the amount of each payment, as well as information about the recipient. For convenience, you can choose a period: 6 months, 1 year, 2 years or another. The completed statement will be available in your personal account at Gosuslugi.

And in order to receive increased pensions, citizens should contact the territorial office of the Social Fund of Russia or submit an application through the Gosuslugi portal. Recalculation of pensions usually takes up to a month, and new payments are received from the first of the following month.

Financing and forecasts

In 2026, almost 13 trillion rubles will be allocated for social payments in Russia. Insurance pensions will be indexed from January 1 by 7.6%, which exceeds the inflation rate, and the average amount of old-age pensions will increase to 27.1 thousand rubles. Social pensions will increase by 6.8% starting from April 1, 2026.

Meanwhile, as Nadezhda Kapustina emphasized, the mechanism for indexing pensions for the disabled needs a conceptual revision, taking into account regional specifics and the real needs of various categories of recipients. Formal compliance with the procedure for annual increases in payments does not guarantee the achievement of the main goal of social policy, which is to ensure a decent standard of living for people with disabilities.

Next year, the maximum amount of maternity benefits will be 955.8 thousand rubles. 119 billion rubles will be allocated for family tax payments to support families with children, and about 1.76 trillion rubles are planned to be allocated for a single benefit for families with children. In addition, the maternity capital will be indexed by 6.8% and the amount for two children will increase to 974.1 thousand rubles.