After what time can maternity capital be used?

Maternity capital is tangible help from the state. With the help of funds, you can improve living conditions, pay for a child’s education, increase a mother’s pension, or purchase the required funds for children with disabilities. However, not everyone knows how long it takes to use maternity capital .

Typically, spending can only begin after the child reaches 3 years of age. However, the law establishes situations in the event of which the deadlines are significantly shifted. We’ll talk further about who is eligible to receive this type of government assistance, how long it will take to wait, as well as what you need to be prepared for in the process of applying for and using the money.

Who can receive maternity capital

Maternity capital is also called family capital, therefore, contrary to the opinion of many, mothers, fathers, and even children in exceptional cases can receive it. For maternity capital, you need to obtain a special state certificate from the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation - if you have it, you can request money from the budget for certain purposes .

You can receive this state support in the following cases:

• The woman gave birth or the family adopted the first child after January 1, 2021, or the woman gave birth (the family adopted) the second, third and subsequent children after 2007.
• The man became the sole adoptive parent of a child after January 1, 2020, or adopted a second, third, etc. child in 2007 and later.
• If a woman loses the right to maternity capital, the right to dispose of the certificate passes to the father. For example, if the mother is deprived of parental rights, loses legal capacity, goes missing or dies.

• Even children can receive and spend maternal capital, but this is only possible if both the mother and father lose the right to dispose of it or are unable to do so. For example, in the event of the death of parents or deprivation of their parental rights. In this case, children must be under 18 years old or 23 years old if they are studying full-time. If there are several children, the money is divided between them in equal shares.
• In case of divorce, maternity capital is not divided between spouses . Even if the child remains with the father, the mother retains the right to dispose of the entire amount of capital.
• You can receive a certificate from the day of birth or adoption of a child. It does not matter what the age difference is between the children of the family. For example, if the eldest child has already reached adulthood, maternity capital for the newborn is still relied on in the same amount as for the second child.
• To receive state support, it is important that the woman (man) and child have Russian citizenship at the date of birth (adoption). It is also important that the parent is not deprived of parental rights.

What amount is paid for maternity capital?

The social government subsidy program has been operating in Russia for more than 12 years. Its operational period has currently been extended until 2026. Thanks to this program, the state is trying to increase the birth rate in our country , which has fallen to a critical minimum.

After analyzing the data presented in the table, we can come to the conclusion that the state actively supports young families, and the amount of government subsidies is constantly increasing.

The amount of maternity capital in 2021

Maternity capital is indexed every year by a percentage equal to officially registered inflation. For example, from 2021 the amount of state support will increase by 3.7%. The amount of maternity capital depends on the date of birth of the child and the total number of children in the family.

Some constituent entities of the Russian Federation provide for regional maternity capital, which is paid from local or regional budget funds. Sometimes you can get it even if you do not have the right to federal maternity capital. To find out whether such support is available in your region and how to use it, study regional legislation.

Illegal schemes

On the Internet you can find dozens of advertisements where they promise to legally cash out maternity capital. For this, different schemes are used. For example, a fictitious purchase of housing from close relatives. Or they enter into an agreement to buy an apartment, take capital funds, and then break this agreement.

“If parents or other persons who have registered maternity capital cash out money in any way, they become accomplices in the crime and bear criminal liability for this,” clarifies Yuri Kapshtyk. — In practice, there are schemes where maternity capital funds are raised under the conclusion of a fictitious share participation agreement. But everything depends on the participants in such a scheme. Any equity participation agreement is subject to state registration, and the legality of the actions of each party will be checked. In addition, buyers are required to provide a certificate from the Pension Fund confirming their consent to such actions. If the transaction is illegal, the Pension Fund will not provide supporting documents.”

pixabay.com/skorchanov

There are cases when a family is forced to withdraw money to purchase housing. For example, when maternity capital funds were used to purchase an apartment in a building under construction, and the developer froze the property. In order to prevent the money from burning out, parents can terminate the contract with the developer and demand a refund of the amount. In such situations, the pension fund takes the side of the families, but they will still have to prove why the contract needs to be terminated and where the money will be sent.

How to get maternity capital

In 2021, it will be easier to receive and spend capital. Thus, the decision to issue a state certificate will be made in 5 working days, and not in 15, as now. An application for the use of maternal capital will be reviewed in 10 working days instead of a month, and the money will be transferred within another 5 days.

You can receive a certificate upon application or without an application. Without applications, certificates are issued for children born after April 15, 2021. In this case, the registry office itself transmits the data to the Pension Fund; parental participation is not required. But we still recommend calling and checking the process, as the system may malfunction. Previously, parents had to submit an application, collect documents and personally visit the Pension Fund or MFC to obtain a certificate.

Where can you spend maternity capital?

• improving your family’s living conditions, for example, financial resources have every chance of being used to repay the debt or part of it under a loan agreement for the purchase or construction of housing;
• children's education . When enrolled in an educational institution, the child must not be older than twenty-five years. An educational organization must be geographically located within Russia and have a license to provide educational services;
• indexation and increase in the funded part of the pension;
• funds can also be used as a monthly benefit if all necessary conditions are met: the second baby was born after 2021, and the average family income does not exceed one and a half times the subsistence level for each family member.
• rehabilitation of disabled children.

Attention! You can withdraw funds several times if the entire amount was not used during the initial application.

Matkapital must be used according to its intended purpose, abuse of funds is prohibited at the federal level, an attempt to deceive the state can lead to severe punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to 10 years and a fine of up to 1 million rubles.

To summarize, the following should be noted: maternal capital is an excellent assistant in the relationship between society and the state; thanks to this program, the birth rate, welfare and development of the state increase.

It is in this way that young parents currently have excellent financial opportunities to give birth and raise several children at once. These financial resources, of course, can only be used for certain purposes. The advantage is that in the process of using the certificate, you can not only take out a new loan, but also repay a previously issued one.

When and how can you spend your certificate?

According to standard rules, maternity capital can be used three years after the birth of the child for which the certificate was received. But the law provides for a number of exceptional cases in which money can be spent even immediately after birth: a down payment or paying off a mortgage debt, paying for kindergarten, Putin payments, buying things for the social adaptation of a disabled child.

After the child turns three years old, it will be possible to buy a home without a mortgage, build a house, pay for a private school, clubs, university, or use the money for the mother’s pension.

You cannot spend maternity capital for other purposes; cashing out is also prohibited. For spending funds on buying a car, renovating a house or updating furniture, criminal liability may be imposed under Art. 76.2 and 159.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

The entire maternity capital can be divided, rather than spent on one goal. For example, give 50,000 rubles to pay for an art school, 300,000 to pay for a university, and save another 100,000 for your mother’s pension.

An application for the use of maternity capital must be sent to the Pension Fund in person, by mail, through the MFC, through government services or the Pension Fund website. You need to attach a passport and a number of other documents to it, the list of which depends on the purpose of spending the maternity capital.

Things to remember before getting your certificate

The term is not the only obstacle to using maternity capital when buying a home with a mortgage or to achieve other goals. For this reason, it is necessary to take into account the associated nuances. There are cases when parents wanted to use maternity capital to repay consumer loans. At the same time, citizens tried to prove that the money was spent on purchasing real estate. Moreover, sometimes the housing was completely unsuitable for living. Today there are no clear rules regulating the use of maternity capital.

It is important that contracts indicate the purpose for which the funds were received. If the mark is missing, you will have to prove that the loan was received to purchase housing. There is no need to enter into installment agreements. Repaying a loan with the help of maternity capital is only possible if the funds are taken to purchase housing.

It is worth taking into account changes made to current legislation. Thus, the latest adjustments have extended the terms for providing maternity capital. This requires citizens to plan their future actions. Information about the cancellation of the program that simplifies the purchase of housing has been appearing in the media for several years. Therefore, it is important to take advantage of the opportunity while it exists.

Using maternal capital to improve living conditions

The most common use of maternity capital is a down payment on a mortgage or repaying part of the debt on a home loan. From 2021, you will be able to apply for the use of maternity capital for these purposes directly at the bank. The credit institution itself will transfer all the information to government agencies, so you can do without unnecessary visits to the MFC or Pension Fund. However, not all banks accept such applications, so please consult by phone in advance.

Keep in mind that one of the main conditions for using maternity capital to improve housing conditions is the registration of the acquired real estate in the common shared ownership of the family . The shares must be received by the owner of the certificate, his spouse and all children. From 2021, the agreement on determining the size of shares does not require notarization.

Maternity capital does not insure against risks that may arise when purchasing real estate. To protect yourself, check the apartment for liens, liens and other encumbrances. A report based on an extract from the Unified State Register will help with this. It can be ordered around the clock in the EGRN.Reestr and received within 0.5-6 hours. a report based on the USRN extract in PDF format by email

Text: Elizaveta Kobrina

Maternity capital: what can you use it for?

Maternity capital funds can be used to improve living conditions

when the child turns three years old. This rule does not include early repayment of the mortgage and down payment: you can use the money for such purposes immediately after birth. You cannot use maternity capital to purchase emergency housing or make repairs to the apartment. According to the Ministry of Labor, more than 60% of Russians use the certificate to improve their living conditions.

on education in 2021

by paying for tuition in kindergarten, school or university. Also, with the help of a certificate, it is possible to cover the costs of a dormitory at an educational institution.

The mother herself can use the certificate by directing it to the funded part of her pension.

. At the same time, before retirement age, it is possible to return all funds and use them for other purposes.

The state program also provides assistance to disabled children

. In this case, maternal capital can compensate for the costs of goods and services necessary for the child’s social adaptation.

The certificate owner can receive payments monthly

. However, you can take advantage of this if the second child was born after January 1, 2021, and the average per capita family income is less than two subsistence minimums. In this case, for three years, an amount equal to the subsistence minimum per child will be paid from maternity capital funds.

It is worth noting that the law prohibits cashing out, selling or exchanging the certificate. The owner of the certificate is also responsible for this. The maximum penalty provided by law is up to 10 years in prison.

Expert opinion: where to spend maternity capital and features of purchasing real estate

“When planning your financial strategy, it is important not to forget that the entire amount of maternity capital spent on the purchase of real estate cannot be used for property deduction. Amounts in excess of the capital spent on this particular property can already be used for tax deduction. You also need to remember that when purchasing real estate using maternity capital, those young children (or one child) for whom maternity capital was allocated also acquire ownership rights. This can be any housing: even a second, even a third. The main thing is that the child receives an appropriate share in this housing. But there are certain rules and procedures for registering ownership of real estate that is taken out on credit, mortgage, or under the condition of encumbering such real estate. There is an unspoken rule that only parents without children are registered in the only housing. And after receiving ownership rights and paying off the loan, parents are required to register their children within six months,” says lawyer, founder and CEO of the vvCube consulting group Vadim Tkachenko.

Artem Kosenok, group “Direct Speech”