Housing subsidies: who is eligible, how to calculate and apply

What is meant by the term “subsidy”? What are housing subsidies and how can you get them? How to apply for benefits for paying for utility services? If you are interested in answers to these questions, this article is for you. In it we will provide the necessary information about targeted assistance programs for various segments of the population and tell you how to apply for subsidies. In addition, we will describe what documents are required for this and where to apply.

Why and when can payments be suspended?

There are only three such situations:

failure to pay utility bills for two or more months;
providing false information about family composition, actual place of residence, amount of income;
if there is arrears in payment for housing and communal services.

Payments may be suspended for up to thirty days. During this period, they will find out the circumstances that led to the appearance of debt or the submission of false information. If there are valid reasons, then payments are resumed. These include:

death of a close relative;
hospital treatment;
wage arrears.

In the absence of objective reasons, the applicant will be advised to repay the debt in full. If he does not do this, the subsidy will no longer be accrued.

Also, the subsidy will not be accrued if the person has changed his place of residence. Therefore, remember that when moving, you should contact the authorized government agencies to reissue the subsidy.

Video. In simple words about subsidies

Certificate for receiving a subsidy

Despite the differences depending on the region of the country, the common thing is the issuance of a certificate for receiving a housing subsidy. The document has a deadline. That is, its action is limited in time. It is also important to know that a document confirming the right to receive a subsidy cannot fully compensate for the required amount for purchasing a home. Thus, the necessary condition becomes:

Availability of your own residential premises, which can be sold in the future in order to add the amount received from the transaction to the funds under the certificate.
Availability of own accumulated funds.

The certificate can be used as:

down payment when applying for a mortgage;
payment of the balance of the principal debt on an existing housing loan;
contribution to a share upon joining a housing construction cooperative;
in some cases, use it to expand an existing apartment or renovate it to improve living conditions.

After receiving the certificate, its validity period is only six months. During this time it must be implemented. Otherwise, you will have to stand in line on a general basis. It is also important to know that the document can only be used once.

What is housing subsidy?

What does housing subsidy provide?

We are talking about targeted assistance from the state for the purchase of housing for people in need. It has several distinctive features:

Stands out for its intended purpose.
Involves special requirements for applicants.
Most often it involves partial reimbursement of costs.
Depending on the purpose, it is allocated as a lump sum or paid periodically.
It is not issued in cash terms: it is transferred to an account opened for these needs. Special certificates or certificates confirm the legal basis of the applicant for assistance.
Control over the legality of provision and use is expected.

The opportunity to use the help of government agencies when purchasing a home is included in the Housing Code of the Russian Federation.

There is also a federal program “Housing” with a current period of validity of 2016-2020. Within its framework, specialized subprograms have been developed for various segments of the population.

The regions also operate their own programs. They are implemented entirely at the expense of the budgets of a particular entity, or provide for federal co-financing.

Who is eligible?

Registration of a housing subsidy, be it the purchase of housing or payment of utilities, is available only to those categories of citizens defined by legislative acts. Persons who are entitled to a subsidy to pay for housing and communal services include:

large families;
persons living in apartment buildings;
members of housing cooperatives;
renters;
persons occupying residential space under a social tenancy agreement;
retired people;
citizens living in one place for more than five years.

Subsidy for the purchase of housing. Who is eligible?

The category of those who can count on state assistance when purchasing housing is determined by the following list:

families in which the spouses are under 35 years old, the absence of children is not an obstacle;
military personnel and employees of various departments, including those who have already retired from service;
citizens who have lived in the Far North of Russia for at least 15 years;
WWII veterans;
people with an established disability group;
families with three or more children;
low-income families;
Chernobyl survivors and combatants.

How is it calculated?

Who is entitled to a housing subsidy and how to calculate its amount? It is determined by government agencies. When calculating the amount of a housing subsidy, the two most important criteria are taken as the basis:

the average cost of one square meter in a particular region of the country;
the legally established standard of living space per person.

When determining the final amount of subsidy allocated for the purchase of housing, all real estate owned by the family is taken into account. That is, each family member is required to provide information about the housing they own or rent.

Receiving assistance from the state is of an application nature. That is, it is necessary to submit a petition in the prescribed form. A package of documents is attached to it. The list included in it can be clarified by the authority that is responsible for allocating subsidies. In the future, all documentation will be transferred for consideration by a special commission. It will determine the amount of financial gratuitous assistance.

Separately, it can be noted that the amount of assistance depends on a large number of factors. That is, in addition to the previously noted conditions, the following is also taken into account:

the category to which the applicant belongs;
number of people in the family.
coefficient for adjusting the amount of the subsidy, depending on the category of the applicant.

It is important to understand that the correction factor is affected by:

duration of civil service;
work experience in the agro-industrial center;
duration of military service;
number of years on the waiting list for housing.

Types of subsidies

Types of housing subsidies

The issue of housing subsidies can be divided into two global areas: purchasing/improving housing and paying for housing and communal services.

If with the second type everything is more or less clear: the state helps only those who are unable to pay rent themselves, then with housing certificates everything is more complicated:

assistance is provided not only to the poor, but also to representatives of professions whose activities are socially significant;
there are programs of limited scope: for example, for resettlement from the Far North, from dilapidated and dilapidated housing, etc.

Subsidy conditions are as varied as the types of government assistance.

Conditions for receiving a housing subsidy

Check out the main types of housing subsidies in the table below:

Special purpose	Recipient requirements	Main characteristics of the program	Features of assistance allocation
Large families	Spouses are raising 3 or more children (biological or adopted); children have not reached 18 years of age or are studying full-time and are not older than 23 years of age; the insurance (work) experience of the applicant-parent is at least 10 years; permanent residence in the Russian Federation from 12 years.	The program includes families whose living conditions do not meet the following requirements: dilapidated/unsafe building or apartment; the norms per family member are lower than those required by law.	The benefit is calculated at the rate of 42 sq. m for one family member of three applicants or 18 sq. m per person with a larger staff.
Low-income families	The family's per capita income is below the regional subsistence level; the family is on a waiting list for improved housing conditions. The advantage is on the side of large or single-parent families.	The main criteria are established by the Housing program: the spouses have no registered real estate owned or rented; the existing premises are unsafe or do not meet social standards; In one square there lives a person suffering from a particularly dangerous disease.	The amount depends on family composition, actual income and compliance with regional requirements. 100% subsidization is also possible.
WWII veterans	Participants in the hostilities of the Great Patriotic War; persons born during the war. These are the so-called “children of war”; residents of besieged Leningrad; disabled war veterans, as well as spouses of deceased WWII veterans.	A veteran has the right to take advantage of government support if he does not own residential real estate or if the one he has does not meet the standards.	This is the option when the assistance covers 100 percent of the cost of the purchased housing. Important! The area exceeding the standards is not paid for. Read also: What subsidies for improving housing conditions can be obtained in St. Petersburg
Young family	The marriage must be officially registered, and the age of each spouse cannot exceed 30 years. A prerequisite is the solvency of the recipients in the case of a mortgage.	It is allocated at the regional level, so there are not many general conditions: if the apartment is purchased with the spouses’ own money, the subsidy is no more than 35% of the market value of housing for a couple with children; 30% - for childless spouses; When real estate is purchased through a mortgage, it is enough to have your own funds for the down payment.	The price of the certificate is calculated based on the average family income for a certain period of time and the market value of a residential “square” in the region. The area of the apartment should not exceed the established “human” standards.
Resettlement from the Far North and equivalent regions	Northerners who have lived in unfavorable regions for at least 15 years and do not have housing on the “mainland”.	If a person is provided with an apartment in a northern region, it will have to be handed over to the municipality. Otherwise, the payment is reduced by the market value of the undelivered housing. When there is no real estate in the north, a certificate is issued without transfer of housing.	The size of the certificate is calculated based on the market value of sq. m. meters of housing in the resettlement region per family member.
Military personnel and categories assigned to them	Current employees with at least 10 years of service; laid off/retired; resettled from closed military cities. The conditions largely depend on the length of service of the applicant and his status at the time of applying for a subsidy.	The applicant must belong to the category of persons in need of housing or its improvement.	An employee can receive up to 80% of the market valuation of housing, taking into account social benefits. living space standards. The remainder is paid from personal savings or through a mortgage/loan. With over 25 years of service, 100% support is possible.
Socially significant rural specialists	The “gold standard” of help is teachers and doctors. There is separate assistance for other agricultural production specialists and beginning farmers. Requirements: the age of the program participant is no more than 35 years; availability cf. special or higher professional qualifications; permanent residence in rural areas; employment in rural areas no later than 3 months after receiving the diploma.	Regulated by the program “Young Specialist in Rural Affairs”, “Zemsky Doctor” and federal and regional measures to support farming. The applicant must officially need housing and have an amount of 30% of its cost in a particular area. The remaining portion is transferred to the account of the apartment seller. Another option is a preferential loan that subsidizes part of the standard rate.	Specific conditions and amounts of subsidies differ by region. The subsidy imposes on the recipient an obligation to work for at least 5 years in their specialty after receiving housing.
Civil servants and employees of government agencies (permanent pr-va No. 63)	Office of the President of the Russian Federation; structures of legislative power; judicial officers; election commission, chamber of accounts, prosecutor's office; other representatives of federal/regional authorities.	The determining requirement is the service life of the state. positions - at least one year. Of course, the employee and his family must “eke out an existence” in a dilapidated apartment or “huddle” in a cramped room.	Area standards per household apply. The payment increases by an adjustment factor starting from 3 years of service.

Standard housing area per person

It is worth mentioning separately that the standard housing area established by law is determined by:

one person – 36 m2;
two people – 50 m2;
for three – 70 m2;
a family of 4 people can count on 85 m2;
if there are more than five in the family, then each person should have eighteen square meters.

These standards can be changed downward if:

the commission will find that the established requirements for living space are exceeded;
The applicant aims to expand the occupied area.

It is known that the city housing subsidy, as a rule, amounts to 30% of the total cost of the property, for areas outside the city - approximately 60%. An increase in the amount is also allowed in certain situations and subject to availability. However, you should not count on an amount of more than 70%.

Package of documents for receiving subsidies

You can start applying for a subsidy by visiting the city housing subsidy center or another body responsible for government assistance. It is here that you can clarify the entire list of documents required for consideration of the application, which includes:

Identification.
Document confirming work activity, with a certified copy.
Title and title documents for the occupied area.
A document confirming the right to expand living space.
An extract from the house register and personal account.
Documents confirming the applicant's marital status and certifying the birth of children, if available.
Identification of everyone who lives with the applicant.

Refusal to receive

In this case, the applicant may be refused by the city center for housing subsidies if a deliberate deterioration of living conditions is detected. Such actions include:

Reducing living space by exchanging.
Registration of additional persons for living space.
Sale of a part or share in an occupied residential property.

The following may also be grounds for refusal to issue a subsidy:

independent solution of the housing issue;
deprivation of beneficiary status due to deregistration;
hiding information about changes in work or family composition.

When purchasing housing with a subsidy, an important aspect is its legal purity. That is, it should not be on bail, under arrest, etc.

Features of receiving housing subsidies in federal cities

Some regions supplement federal legislation with their own rules regarding how state financial assistance invested in housing under construction is used.

For example, Moscow is characterized by prohibitions on contributing subsidized money to housing construction if the house is less than seventy percent completed. In St. Petersburg, not only citizens indicated in the main list, but also representatives of young people, employees of the healthcare, social services or education sector who do not live or work in rural areas can apply for a subsidy.

Receiving a housing subsidy is one of many government support measures for citizens who need to improve their living conditions. An important condition for obtaining it is compliance with the requirements for the applicant and the provision of documents that correspond to reality.

Any attempt to falsify documents in an attempt to speed up the process of receiving a housing subsidy will result in a refusal to receive payment and the inability to subsequently apply for this measure of government support.

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Subsidies for military personnel

Housing subsidies for military personnel make it possible to provide those who gave their lives in serving their homeland with living space. Its advantage is that military personnel cannot be dismissed until they are provided with their own housing. In this case, dismissal from a position is possible only at one’s own request.

Housing subsidies for military personnel are available subject to certain conditions:

Availability of a valid contract concluded before 1998.
Recognition of those in dire need of housing.
If you have ten years of service, if the military man was dismissed for health reasons or organizational reasons.
Reaching the age limit.
Having twenty years of experience living in a service apartment.

Receiving assistance in purchasing housing for military personnel is possible only if they are registered as a person requiring improved living conditions. For this purpose, a package of documents is submitted. It includes:

ID card for all family members;
documents confirming the birth and/or adoption of children;
confirmation of official marriage;
a document confirming the employment and length of service of a military man;
an extract from the house register and financial personal account for the last five years.

The list can be expanded as necessary. After submitting documents, they are reviewed within twenty days. After which a decision is made on inclusion in the general register or refusal.

Categories of citizens eligible for subsidies

There are several categories of the population that, according to the legislator, need government support.

Who can apply for housing subsidies?

These are the following categories of citizens.

Young families.

In this case, at least one of the spouses must be under 35 years of age. In addition, one of them must be a Russian citizen.

This group also includes single adults under 35 with children. Compliance with the age criterion is verified on the day citizens are included in the list of applicants for subsidies for the next calendar year.

Military personnel during their service.

In addition to them, this category includes citizens dismissed from their positions due to age, health reasons, or due to changes in the staffing table (their service period must be at least 10 years).

Civil servants.

They may qualify for a one-time payment based on a decision of the authority competent to provide assistance. According to Government Decree No. 53, an applicant who:

lives in premises that do not meet the legal requirements for housing;
did not enter into social rental agreements;
is a tenant or owner of real estate where the total area per person is less than 15 m2;
lives in a room with a person suffering from a chronic disease;
lives in a dormitory, communal or service apartment;
shares space with another family.

The subsidy is provided primarily to civil servants whose children are minors, disabled people or students.

Workers of the Far North.

Citizens who meet all of the following criteria are eligible for a subsidy:

arrived in the Far North before 1992;
have worked in the Far North for more than 15 years;
have not previously received government assistance for housing;
do not have real estate or need improved living conditions.

In addition, the right to receive support remains for those who purchased premises under the old law with ten years of experience and were registered as apartments. Also eligible for the subsidy are disabled people who were injured at work, and disabled people from childhood who were born in the Far North.

Disabled people and their families, combat veterans.

The state agrees to subsidize part of the cost of housing only for those who registered before the beginning of 2005.

Forced migrants.

These are citizens who left their permanent place of residence due to the risk of persecution.

All of the above subsidies are provided at the state level.

Advice If you do not fall into any of the listed categories and do not have housing and the ability to buy it yourself, contact your local administration. At the regional level, low-income citizens who are registered with apartments can often count on assistance in purchasing real estate. The requirements for being placed on the queue are that a person acquires low-income status and a long period of residence in the region.

Who can apply for a subsidy for utility bills?

Both employers and owners of apartments and houses can get help. The cost of paying utility bills should not exceed 22% of the total family income. Any money above this amount is paid by the state.

To receive a subsidy, you need:

be registered in the premises for which the subsidy is issued;
have no utility debt;
be a citizen of Russia;
have a low income.

Advice In some regions, for example in Moscow, the allowable share of payments is even lower. Therefore, it is advisable to inquire with the local administration - perhaps you could also receive a subsidy.

Subsidy for starting a business

The main requirements for applicants for state support are as follows:

majority;
presence of unemployed status;
business idea and ready-made business plan.

Applicants must be Russian citizens; in addition, their business plans cannot relate to prohibited activities.

Other subsidies for the poor

The following are entitled to receive assistance for medicines, travel and health care:

disabled people;
veterans;
WWII participants;
citizens who survived the siege of Leningrad and were awarded the corresponding badge;
persons who worked at defensive sites during the Second World War;
military.

Payments are provided after the applicant is entered into the special Federal Register of Citizens entitled to receive social assistance.

Calculation of subsidies for the military. How does it happen?

The calculation of subsidies for the military is based on:

the size of the area allocated to the military man and his family members;
average cost per square meter in the region of purchase;
coefficient depending on the serviceman's length of service.

Assistance is provided one-time and one-time. For information, it is worth knowing that the coefficient is determined according to the following rules:

ten to sixteen years of experience – 1.85;
sixteen years of experience – 2.25;
20-21 years of experience – 2.375;
experience more than 24 years – 2.45.

The final calculation of housing subsidies for military personnel is made when funds are transferred on a specific date. This program is distinguished by the fact that it covers 80% of the costs of purchasing real estate within the established norm, in contrast to subsidies for civilians.

The issuance of funds is possible only with an official application, by writing an application to the housing authority of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Military personnel must open a bank account to service the subsidy and submit its details to the housing authority with an application to transfer the monetary payment to the military man to his personal account to pay for the purchased real estate under the contract.

Deadlines for transferring funds

Regarding the deadlines for transferring funds, the regulations are as follows:

after receiving the application, the military’s availability of living space is checked, this takes 10 days;
after the verification activities have been completed, a decision is made to issue a subsidy within 10 days;
one copy of the decision is sent to the financial department, the second to interested parties, this takes another three days;
The period for receiving funds to the military should not be more than 30 calendar days.

Considering this stretch of time, at the time of purchasing a home, it makes sense to carry out the necessary preparatory measures and inform the seller about all the nuances associated with payment for the transaction.

Housing and communal services. Who can receive the subsidy?

Along with assistance in improving housing conditions, the state has provided significant support for its citizens in paying for utilities. This kind of assistance is called housing and communal assistance. Some categories of citizens can receive a subsidy for housing services in accordance with the law. These include:

owners of residential premises, regardless of whether it is an apartment or a room;
tenants who occupy the space legally (social tenancy or rental agreement);
member of a housing cooperative or housing cooperative.

What documents are needed? Required conditions for receiving

Housing and utility subsidies are available by contacting the Social Security Administration with the established list of documents attached to the application:

Applicant's identity card.
Passports of all members of his family.
Papers confirming the right to occupy the living space specified in the application.
A document confirming earnings for the last six months.
Documents confirming the absence of utility debts.
An extract from the house register, financial personal account and a certificate of family composition.
Bank details.

Submitted documents are reviewed within 10 working days. After which a decision is made. If it is positive, subsidies are assigned either from the first day of the month or from the 16th day of the month for a period of 6 months. Then you must submit all documents again. At the time of application, to receive a subsidy for housing and communal services, the following prerequisites are:

presence of Russian citizenship;
absence of debts for services;
lack of an agreement to repay existing utility debts.

Where and how can I get subsidies?

Depending on what type of assistance a citizen wishes to receive, a list of documents required to assign payments is determined.

The step-by-step algorithm of actions is as follows.

You need to contact the local government with a package of business papers, with which you can confirm compliance with the conditions of the law to receive government support. For example, citizens applying for assistance for the use of utility services must provide: an application, passport, registration information, copies of documents indicating the grounds for ownership or use of real estate, receipts for payment of mandatory payments, documents confirming the availability of benefits, and a certificate of income for each family member.
The authority accepts documents from the applicant and informs them of the time frame for their consideration. This is approximately 10 days.
A decision is made to assign a subsidy or to refuse payment.

The form and speed of receiving support depends on its type. For example, citizens who are put on the housing waiting list sometimes wait for help for more than one month, or even a year. Subsidies for utility bills are received monthly starting from the month of application, but your status as a person in need must be confirmed in a timely manner.

Subsidy amount. How to calculate?

The amount of the allocated subsidy is determined based on:

housing size;
the amount of repair work and maintenance of the house;
prices for heat and water supply;
cost of sewerage services;
the size of tariffs for electricity and gas supply.

As a nuance, it can be noted that the incomes of citizens throughout the country differ, therefore the legislation has established the maximum amount of allowable expenses for paying for housing and communal services from the total family income. Today this figure is 22%.

It was also taken into account that tariffs for services vary in different regions. To determine the amount of subsidies, prices for all services provided are summed up. However, the procedure for providing financial assistance also differs from region to region. In addition, the calculation of subsidies for certain categories of citizens (combatants, disabled people, WWII veterans and children, large families, orphans, low-income people and former government employees) may differ.

If the family income is below the subsistence level

In such a situation, a different formula will apply. Its only difference from the previous one is that the total family income will need to be multiplied by an adjustment factor. The latter represents the average cost of living. In 2020 it is 9,956 rubles.

If we take the same family as an example, but change its income by 35,000 rubles, we get the following: 2,870*4 – (10:100)* 35,000*(8,750:9,956) = 8,330.

If these calculations are too complicated for you, you can make things easier for yourself by using any online calculator designed to calculate the amount of the subsidy. There are many resources on the Internet that offer this option.