Two pensions in December 2025: who is entitled to a double payment
In December 2025, some Russian pensioners will receive increased payments twice: first, the regular pension for December, and then the indexed January pension. This is due to the long New Year holidays and the fact that the indexation of insurance pensions in 2026 is scheduled from January 1, not February 1. For more information about who will receive two pensions in December and on which days to wait for payment, see the Izvestia article.
Why will there be two pensions in December 2025?
Yaroslav Nilov, head of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans' Affairs, explained that some pensioners who receive money according to the schedule at the beginning of the month will receive a January pension at the end of December 2025. The reason is the long New Year holidays: in the first days of January, banks and the Russian Post do not work, so payments are shifted to the end of December so that people do not run out of money for the holidays.
According to Svetlana Bessarab, a member of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans' Affairs, these adjustments are regulated by the established law.
— According to the legislation, all payments due to employees or pensioners that fall on weekends or holidays are postponed to the last working day. Thus, for those pensioners or workers who are used to receiving pensions, wages, or any payments between January 1 and January 11, payments for these citizens will be made no later than December 30, that is, the last working day on the eve of weekends and holidays," Bessarab told Izvestia.
This rule applies to both working and non-working pensioners receiving an insurance pension.
Who will receive two pensions in December
Not all pensioners will receive two payments in December, but only those who have a scheduled enrollment date on the first of the month. We are talking about citizens for whom the Social Fund of Russia (SFR) sets the start of the payment period on the 1st-5th of the month.
Accordingly, in December, these categories of pensioners will receive two payments.:
— pension for December, which will arrive according to the usual schedule (for Russian Post, usually from the 3rd to the 25th);
— a pension for January, which will be credited to the retirement account ahead of schedule at the end of December, but already taking into account the indexation.
The old-age insurance pension in January 2026 will be calculated taking into account an increase of 7.6% to the current amount. That is, 7.6% will be added to the amount that was paid in December 2025 — this is the amount that the pensioner will receive ahead of schedule at the end of December.
— This rule does not imply a declarative procedure, and payments are made proactively, — Svetlana Bessarab clarified.
January payments through post offices are planned to be issued in the interval from about December 25 to December 30. Pensioners who receive money on bank cards will also see the transfer of their January pension before the start of the New Year holidays — approximately from December 22 to December 29, depending on the bank and regional schedule.
According to the Ministry of Finance, after the planned indexations, the average size of the old-age insurance pension by the end of 2026 will amount to 27,117 rubles per month. The actual increase for a particular person will depend on his individual pension size and the required increasing coefficients (length of service, district allowances, availability of dependents, etc.).
When will pensions be indexed in 2026
Yaroslav Nilov stressed that in 2026, pension indexation is planned from January 1, and not from February 1, as it was carried out earlier. This means that the increased amount of the insurance pension will start accruing from the first days of the new year, and not with a delay of a month.
At the same time, the January pension, paid ahead of schedule in December 2025, will already be calculated taking into account this increase, even if the money physically arrives before the calendar year 2026. Thus, the indexation is formally scheduled for January 1, but it will be reflected in the wallets of some pensioners on New Year's Eve.
Where can I find out the payment schedule and pension amount?
The exact day of pension transfer in each region is set by the Social Fund of Russia together with banks and the Russian Post. The current schedule can always be clarified:
— in your personal account on the website or at the nearest branch of the SFR;
— on the Gosuslugi portal;
— at a service bank or a branch of the Russian Post.
The amount to be paid, taking into account indexing, is displayed in the recipient's personal account and in the notices issued by the bank or post office when the pension is issued.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
