Housing and communal services benefits for pre-retirees where to apply

How can pensioners receive subsidies for housing and communal services, and to whom are they entitled under current legislation? The state offers the population assistance in paying for housing and communal services by issuing subsidies. The amount of assistance in this area is individual and depends on the specific situation.

Low-income families and citizens whose income does not exceed the subsistence level in a certain region have the right to a subsidy.

Conditions for a pensioner to receive a subsidy

How pensioners can receive subsidies for housing and communal services, and who is entitled to them, is defined in legislative acts. A subsidy is a cash payment that is provided to needy segments of the population. The purpose of the rent subsidy is to partially or fully pay off utility bills.

Those in need include pensioners, since by law the amount of rent should not exceed more than 22% of family income. Since pensions across the country are small, the elderly cannot pay for utilities on their own. In some regions this figure is not 22%, but 10%. Regional authorities can change it if it is appropriate and does not violate the rights of citizens.

To apply for a subsidy for housing and communal services, a pensioner must meet the following conditions:

• he is a citizen of the Russian Federation, of which there is documentary evidence (passport);
• there is no rent arrears at his residence and registration address;
• he has a stamp in his passport indicating that he is registered in the apartment for which he wants to apply for a subsidy;
• the utility bill exceeds the norm established in the region (22% of income).

Pensioners who need help and cannot pay their bills on their own can apply for utility bills.

Is a benefit for a pensioner different from a subsidy? The benefit is provided to a person based on the acquired status of a pensioner. Disabled people and others can also count on it. Subsidization takes into account benefits for a pensioner if he still does not have enough to pay utility bills. When calculating the amount of support, the benefit is always taken into account.

How to apply for a subsidy for utilities for a pensioner?

To receive assistance from the state, you must first apply for a subsidy - fortunately, this is not at all difficult. You need to contact a bank to open an account there that government agencies can work with - most regions work with Sberbank. Next, you need to contact social security, providing a complete list of necessary documents.

What documents are needed to apply for a subsidy for pensioners to pay for housing and communal services?

Among these, they may require documents for housing - a rental agreement or documents on ownership, copies of passports of each tenant, SNILS, documents on family composition, documents confirming the absence of utility debts. Also in the package you must provide a certificate of the size of the area, which is taken from the BTI, documents confirming the right to benefits, a pension, a certificate of income for all residents, a bank account number, and proof of the relationship of all residents.

In addition, you should write a statement, which is also attached to the list of documents provided.

What documents are important to submit for a subsidy for pensioners?

One of the most important documents required to be provided is a certificate of income. Each family member living with an applicant for benefits must provide such paper.

A pensioner can take it from the Pension Fund, a working person can take it at his place of employment, or it can be obtained at an employment center if the person does not have a workplace.

In a situation where a person does not have a source of income, and he is not looking for it, and is not a member of the employment service, his income is equated to the regional average. This approach is not advisable for those who want to receive a subsidy, as it will reduce its size.

Important! If a person was registered with the employment service, but was caught violating the job search rules, the same sanctions may be applied.

Registration of rent subsidies for pensioners

The documents in the specified composition are transferred to the social protection center, after which you must wait up to 10 days until a decision is made. If a positive decision is made, funds can be transferred even in the current month, if the person managed to submit documents before the 15th. If they were provided later, then payments will be made from the next month.

The subsidy can be provided for a year, if we are talking about a subsidy for pensioners in Moscow, or six months - in most other regions of the Russian Federation.
When this period expires, it becomes necessary to collect and submit papers again. This can be done both through social protection and through the MFC.

Important! If changes occur in the family that affect its financial situation, or if false information is provided to the authorities, payments may be terminated ahead of schedule.

Required documents

What documents are needed to receive a subsidy? To receive payments, a pensioner must collect:

• identification documents of each family member;
• a certificate containing information about the amount of the pension;
• pensioner's ID;
• a certificate of family composition of the applicant;
• paper that confirms the right of ownership of residential premises;
• receipt of payment of the duty from the state;
• document on the benefit (when available).

Application procedure: how to get benefits on utility bills

We’ll clarify how and where to apply for utility benefits, what documents are needed and what time frame the application review process takes. It is important to understand that the process of reviewing the application takes place in the same authorities, and the Management Company or Housing Office recalculates the payment for services upon the provision of certificates and necessary documents.

Where to go

To receive a discount on utility bills for pensioners, large families, disabled people, war veterans or other categories of beneficiaries, there is a special body - the department of social protection of the population. You can contact the city housing subsidy center if the social security department is located far from your home or for some other reason you cannot visit it.

That is, you receive documents confirming the preferential category either at the social protection department or at the city center for housing subsidies. And only then do you take all the necessary documents to the Criminal Code or Housing Office.

Package of documents

To apply for benefits, you need certain documents and applications, which vary depending on the category. Let us describe the largest categories of beneficiaries, which include pensioners, disabled people, labor veterans and large families.

• Let's start with the registration of benefits for housing and communal services for pensioners. First, prepare your passport and pension certificate. With these documents, contact the tax office with an application for property tax benefits.

Benefits can be applied for within 3 years after retirement.

If you have a vehicle at your disposal, then additionally contact the tax office to receive transport tax benefits. Benefits apply to only one vehicle.

• We are moving on to the registration of benefits for labor veterans. To receive benefits, you need to prepare the following documents (with photocopies): pension certificate, passport and a certificate from the Pension Fund office, which records the type of pension and length of service. In addition to documents, you need to prepare a 3x4 matte photo.

After preparing the documents, you need to contact the social security authorities, where you need to fill out 2 copies of applications for conferring the title and receiving a monthly payment.

The certificate will be ready no earlier than 45 days after submitting the application.

To receive benefits for utility bills, you need to write a corresponding application, to which documents with photocopies are attached: identity card, pension and veteran’s card, pension insurance card, certificate of family composition. Also, do not forget to indicate the account number to which you will receive compensation for utility bills.

• Large families can receive benefits on utility bills after receiving a subsidy.

It’s worth starting by determining the average income per person in a family. To calculate correctly, you need to add up the official salaries of all family members and divide by the number of people. Next, you need to compare this figure with the regional cost of living. If the figure is equal to the cost of living or less, then you are entitled to benefits.

To apply for benefits, you need to prepare the following documents:

1. passports of all family members who have reached the age of 16, or birth certificates of children;
2. certificates of income and family composition;
3. 2 photographs 3x4 of each family member (from 6 years old);
4. identification codes for children.

After collecting all the necessary documents, you need to contact the social security authority to obtain the appropriate certificate. Next, you need to contact the Housing Office to provide certificates and identification for a large family.

• Registration of benefits for disabled people on utility bills.

If you do not have an appropriate certificate of disability, then you need to contact the medical examination office with a referral from a doctor.

We collect the necessary package of documents, which includes: an identity card, a disability certificate, a pension book and a social card. It is important to remember that in order to receive a subsidy for housing and communal services, you need to have a photocopy of the certificate of ownership of housing and receipts for utility bills for the last year. An account is opened in Sberbank into which 10 rubles are deposited. You need to open it in person, having your passport with you.

After opening an account, its details and a package of documents are submitted to the Housing Office to receive benefits.

If you are a disabled person of group 1, then the social security authorities will assign you a social worker who will help you complete all the necessary actions.

Many people are interested in the question of whether utility benefits will continue in the event of the death of the beneficiary. If the benefits were issued to a person who died or died, then you can keep the benefits by transferring them to yourself. However, you must belong to a certain preferential category (parents of deceased combat veterans, parents or spouses of heroes of the Russian Federation, USSR, Order of Glory, etc.) in order to receive benefits under the law.

As for other groups of beneficiaries, the following rules and recommendations apply to them: you need to have the most complete package of documents, write an application for benefits and submit all the papers to the relevant authorities.

The package of documents that is provided to the social security authorities must include all documents that identify you or your family members, if required by the law (passport, Taxpayer Identification Number, birth certificate of young children). In addition, you need extracts from the housing and communal services accounting department about payment of utility services. The following are the documents with which you confirm your right to receive one or another benefit. For example, benefits for utility bills can be received by combat veterans only if a veteran's ID is provided.

In addition to the above, you need documents that confirm your right to housing, and a certificate of the size of the occupied living space. Don’t forget about the most important thing – the application for social benefits.

The question arises: “Are benefits provided to those people who do not have the necessary documents?” Unfortunately, if you do not have documents that confirm your right to receive benefits, then you will not be able to receive a discount on utility bills.

Receiving a subsidy

Documents must be brought to the social protection authority or to the MFC.
You can use the government services website. The opportunity to apply for a subsidy using an electronic resource is popular among those who are unable to bring documents in person to the authority or use the services of a representative. The decision to assign subsidies is made by the authority within 10 days from the date of receipt of documents from the applicant. If a package of documents is submitted from the 1st to the 15th of the month, then the payment is assigned from the 1st of the month in which the papers were transferred to the specialists. If the documentation package was submitted from the 16th to the 31st, then the subsidy is assigned from the beginning of the next month.

Payments are transferred to the applicant's bank account, which is indicated by him in the application. Funds can also be transferred by transfer at the post office.

Important! For pensioners, the subsidy in 2020 is provided for up to 6 months. After this time has expired, the citizen is obliged to submit the list of documents again. If circumstances have changed, then the papers must also be replaced.

The subsidy is not provided for an indefinite period, since the circumstances of a citizen’s life may change. Despite the fact that the pensioner’s income is unlikely to increase so much that he will be able to pay utility bills on his own, the period will still be six months. If a pensioner moves in with children who have a good income, the subsidy will be cancelled.

Subsidy for housing and communal services

The provision of subsidies for housing and communal services is regulated by two regulatory documents. The first one is Art. 159 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation, which determines the main purposes of payments and the authorities involved in them. It also defines the requirements for persons who want to receive a subsidy. We will talk about them in the next paragraph of the article.

Who is eligible for housing and communal services subsidies?

We advise you to submit your application at the very beginning of the month. In this case, if you receive approval, subsidies will be awarded in the same month. If, for example, you submit a request at the end of September, the funds will be transferred only in October.

To apply for a subsidy for housing and communal services, you need to study regional regulations, open a bank account, collect a package of necessary documents, write an application (this can be done at the MFC in person or through the Gosuslug, MFC or social security portals), then submit the documents and wait for a response within ten days.

Not all pensioners receive discounts on housing and communal services. They can be applied for by pensioners with low incomes, pensioners with disabilities or those who have special services to the state. In addition, regions can independently expand the lists of pensioners eligible for discounts on housing and communal services.

How to apply for a subsidy

The government's decision on a two-stage indexation of utility tariffs is associated with an increase in VAT from January 1, 2020 from 18 to 20%. Indexation will allow synchronizing tax and tariff legislation, and will also prevent tariffs from rising above the target inflation level.

• full name;
• details to which social security authorities will transfer compensation for utility bills;
• address, telephone number for contact;
• type of housing;
• name of the state housing stock;
• apartment area;
• title documents for living space, certificate number;
• family composition: date of birth, full name, degree of relationship;
• family income: full name, source of income, amount and frequency of receipt of funds;
• total family income: indication of the monthly total income of persons living in the apartment;
• date and signature of the applicant with transcript.

For example, if three people are registered in an apartment, and one of them is disabled, then when calculating compensation, the amount of payments is divided by 3 and benefits are calculated for 1/3 of the accrued services.

What documents will be required for registration?

After reviewing the application and documents, the housing office will assign benefits provided for by current legislation. Benefits for utility bills will be provided precisely on the basis provided by law.

We recommend reading: Benefits for Pensioners in the Tosnensky District

Important point: According to paragraph 33 of the RF Resolution 761 “When calculating the total income of the family of the subsidy recipient, regardless of separate or joint residence, the income of citizens who are in relation to the subsidy recipient or members of his family is taken into account:

Refusal to pay and suspension

When reviewing the application and documentation, the specialist may decide to refuse financial support. The grounds for refusal must be motivated by law. Notification of the decision is sent to the applicant.

Refusal to assign financial assistance may be made:

1. if the applicant has a large debt on utility bills (when the debt is small, an agreement can be concluded with the citizen to repay it immediately after the assignment of financial assistance);
2. the documents contain false information or are not submitted in full (the applicant will be given time to correct errors);
3. Information has been identified due to which a pensioner cannot be recognized as needing assistance to pay utility bills.

The provision of assistance is suspended for one month by decision of the authorities that decided to award subsidies, which may happen in the following cases.

1. The pensioner has utility debt for the last two months (he receives financial assistance from the state, but spends the money on other needs). To renew the payment subsidy, you must pay the debt and provide a document confirming its repayment to the social authority.
2. The citizen receiving assistance changed his place of residence and did not report this to the service. To resume payments, you need to bring a document confirming your move to your new address.
3. The submitted documents contained information that was not true.

The initiative to receive and apply for a subsidy for housing and communal services must come from the citizen. You can get advice on registration from the regional social protection authority.

Who can apply for benefits and how to do it

Not everyone can pay utility bills.

Several groups of society can take advantage of the right to benefits from the state. The division is based on age, increased workload and the presence of dependents in the family.

The information below is valid, but may always be amended by legislative authorities.

Whether benefits or subsidies represent government assistance to segments of the population in need, only benefits are registered in the housing department, and subsidies are issued in institutions for the social protection of citizens.

About subsidies for housing and communal services - in a thematic video:

Subsidy for housing and communal services in 2020

The growth of household wages in many regions does not keep pace with the growth of tariffs for housing and communal services. In order to materially support low-income citizens, a subsidy is allocated from the regional budget for housing and communal services, which allows them to reduce expenses on rent. People with high income or debt to housing and communal services may be denied. Those who do not comply with the deadlines for submitting documentation will also face problems.

We recommend reading: Putin's Birth of Third Child in 2020

Who is eligible for housing and communal services subsidies?

To do this, you need to know the standards established in the region for residential premises, the acceptable rate of expenses for housing and communal services, and find out your family’s PM. To calculate, you can use a special online calculator, which will instantly perform the calculation on an individual basis.

• Certificate of family composition.
• Certificates of income for each representative.
• Copies of passports.
• Certificate from BTI.
• Certificate of absence of debt for housing and utility services.
• Documentary proof of ownership of the occupied object.
• Documents confirming the relationship (original and copy).

The subsidy in its nature resembles a state-determined amount of cash that is allocated by the state free of charge. The payment is assigned to residents of our country who do not have enough funds to cover monthly utility bills. Receiving benefits is regulated by Article 159 of the RF Housing Code.

How to confirm lack of income

• In the department .
• At the office of the City Center for Housing Subsidies (region residents). The location of branches and contacts can be viewed on the portal of the capital's mayor's office.
• On the website of the Moscow Mayor. To use this method, you must have a personal verified account. You must first enter information about all required documents. The last stage of confirmation occurs through a personal visit with a passport to the “My Documents” department.

As a rule, subsidies for housing and communal services are provided to low-income, socially vulnerable citizens and members of their families after providing a number of documents. This category of citizens includes the poor, pensioners, large families, single mothers, the disabled and the unemployed.

When submitting documentation in person, you must pay a visit to the Pension Fund or the Social Security Administration. After submitting the application and other papers, PF employees review them within 15 days, and then the employees notify the citizen about the decision made.

Benefits for paying for housing and utility services

A certificate of family composition is necessary to correctly calculate the cost of water supply and sanitation services according to water supply standards in the absence of a water meter. In addition, this certificate is needed to determine the circle of persons enjoying the benefit (that is, the benefit recipient himself and his family members who are entitled to a discount) and to calculate the cost of water taking into account the benefits. Such a certificate must be provided at the conclusion of the contract, and subsequently, if there are beneficiaries among the residents, it is provided annually in the first quarter to confirm the fact of residence of the benefit recipient. If there are no beneficiaries, the certificate is re-submitted only if the number of residents changes.

• Veterans and disabled people of the Great Patriotic War, as well as their widows and widowers. This category also includes people who were in concentration camps and home front workers. The discount is provided on the basis of Federal Law No. 5 “On Veterans”.
• For combat veterans, benefits are provided only at the regional level. Spouses and minor children of deceased veterans can also count on social assistance.
• Heroes of the USSR and Russia, as well as persons awarded the Order of Glory, and heroes of socialist labor. According to Federal Law No. 4301 “On the Status of Heroes”, this category of citizens is completely exempt from paying utility bills. Moreover, their relatives living in the apartment also enjoy such benefits.
• Disabled people of all groups have a discount on utility bills in the amount of half the amount of the established tariffs. The norm is determined by Federal Law No. 181 “On Social Protection of Disabled Persons” .
• Persons participating in the liquidation of the consequences of the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant are also entitled to a discount of half the housing and communal services tariffs. The amount of benefits is prescribed in Federal Law No. 1244 and provides benefits not only for Chernobyl NPP veterans, but also for their widows.
• Veterans of labor can count on a discount of half the amount on utility tariffs. This right is enshrined in Art. 22 Federal Law No. 5 “On Veterans”.

Who is entitled to utility benefits and how much will they pay?

Each region and each settlement has its own list of beneficiaries who are paid compensation for housing and communal services. However, it happens that benefits are provided throughout Russia. It also happens that all regions provide the same benefit to one category of citizens.

ConsultantPlus has answers to the most pressing questions about obtaining benefits for utility bills and the legality of refusing to provide them. For example:

Subscribe to our newsletter

Yandex.Zen VKontakte Telegram

To read the answer, click on the screenshot of the question.

Federal beneficiaries

Let's see who exactly receives compensation nationwide:

• Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes of the Russian Federation (if they do not receive a monthly cash payment of 36 thousand rubles);
• Heroes of Socialist Labor, heroes of labor of the Russian Federation;
• full holders of the Order of Glory;
• full holders of the Order of Labor Glory;
• veterans of the Great Patriotic War, their widows;
• labor veterans;
• disabled people and families with disabled children;
• single pensioners aged 80 or more.

Heroes receive compensation for all housing and communal services in the amount of 100%. Disabled people - depending on the degree of disability. Widows of WWII veterans receive compensation for all utilities in the amount of 50%.

Beneficiaries at the local level

In some cities and regions, part of utility bills is compensated:

• all single pensioners (women over 55 and men over 60);
• pensioners who have worked a certain number of years in the region;
• low-income citizens,
• large families,
• citizens who have awards at the regional and local level, diplomas and titles of honorary citizens.

How do you know if you are eligible for housing and communal services benefits? Consult your local social security office or MFC. Be sure to find out how compensation is calculated and calculated.

Some city authorities simply prescribe a fixed amount in rubles: for example, they pay 1000 rubles. to all single pensioners, without knowing whether this is enough for them to pay for utilities. What are they rich in, as they say? For example, in the Chelyabinsk region compensation for rural specialists, including retired ones, was established in a similar way - 1,413 rubles. for everything (see Article 3 of the Law of the Chelyabinsk Region dated December 18, 2014 No. 88-ZO).

In Moscow, home front workers receive compensation as a 50 percent discount on the cost of all utilities. Moreover, all benefits here are calculated based on housing of 33 square meters. m.

As you can see, there are many confusing rules in this matter - their own for each beneficiary. And social security does not always cope with these rules. I’ll tell you how a lonely widow of a WWII veteran defended her interests in the Kirov region.