How much do they pay in the army?

Today’s topic of the article is about salaries in the army in general and conscript soldiers in particular. First, let's figure out who a conscript is and what is required of him in the service.

A conscript soldier is a young man who is conscripted into the army, but at the same time, the period he will spend there has a certain time frame. So there is no need to be wary of the word “conscript,” since it means “limited in time,” and not that the soldier is needed in service here and now.

In 2021, the salary of conscript soldiers in Russia, according to the order of the Minister of Defense, is 2,000 rubles per month. Military personnel also have additional bonuses for special merits and for participation in situations that pose a threat to life or health. Taking into account all additional payments, the level of earnings of a conscript soldier can reach 10,000 rubles or more.

It is also worth noting that the indexation of military salaries is carried out annually, focusing on the level of inflation.

In 2012, conscripts began to be paid 2 thousand rubles a month as part of an experiment. This money was used for pocket expenses, as well as for encouragement and incentive to do better work, which was very useful for those employees whose parents could not help financially.

How many rubles do they pay a soldier?

Army payments to soldiers are not called wages, but allowances. How much employees in the army are paid is determined by Order No. 27100, adopted on December 30, 2011 by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. The salary of a conscript soldier is determined individually for each region. For example, today the minimum wage for military personnel is 1,040 rubles.

This figure may be increased depending on the region of service and the rank received by the man. For example, the minimum payments to military personnel in North Ossetia are about 11,000 rubles.

The salaries of conscript soldiers differ from what men who serve under contract in the army receive. The higher a man's rank, the more money he is entitled to.

Instead of results

At the end of the presented material I will make several conclusions:

Every conscript in the army receives a salary. The amount of payment is determined by the Russian Ministry of Defense in the relevant order.
In 2021, the amount of earnings for persons serving on a fixed-term basis is 2 thousand rubles, but taking into account the region of service and the military position of the young man, the amount may be higher.
The conscript receives the money on a bank card, and the plastic card is issued in advance and given to young people at the recruiting station.
When leaving for demobilization, a conscript receives double payment for the last month and mandatory earnings in the established amount.

Where can you spend your salary?

A monetary allowance is the same as a salary, so there are no restrictions on what this money can be spent on.

On their days off, soldiers can visit the teahouse and nearby shops where they can buy necessary household chemicals, personal hygiene items or groceries. During leave, soldiers are allowed to visit a nearby city and make purchases there.

In any case, there is no need to worry about unspent money - every single penny of the money will be saved on the soldier’s card even after his military service ends.

Do not forget! In the army, drinking alcoholic beverages is not allowed, even during festive events. For attempting to bring alcohol into the unit's territory, soldiers may be punished.

What can you spend your allowance on?

The procedure and rules for disposing of monetary allowances are not established by law. In fact, this is the soldier’s salary, so he can manage the money at his own discretion.

During leave, a young man has the right to leave the military unit and spend his free time in a nearby city, where the funds received may be needed. Money not spent during military service is retained in the serviceman’s account even after the end of his military service.

How are salaries calculated in the army?

The salary of a conscript soldier will be credited, as usual, to a bank card. There is no need to prepare and receive the card yourself - the serviceman will receive the finished card at the collection point. The only thing that is required of him is to remember the PIN code of the card.

The soldier begins receiving his salary from the second month of his service, but he will receive his first money after a medical examination at the military registration and enlistment office.

The first time after joining the army, the expenses of a young soldier can be quite impressive. Therefore, all young soldiers are advised to take a small amount of money from home for service. You can spend money on weekends, when soldiers are allowed to visit the teahouse or nearby shops.

Note! Military pay is subject to a 13% income tax, just like regular wages or any other income.

Deductions from a soldier's salary

Can deductions be made from the pay of a conscript soldier? Yes they can. However, these deductions should not violate the rights of the soldier himself, and must be accompanied by an appropriate order. So, if damage is caused to the property of a unit, up to 20% of the soldier’s salary can be withheld, and in special cases - half of the allowance!

All other deductions are unacceptable. If a unit is collecting money for repairs, purchasing furniture, equipment or food, you should know that this is illegal! You can safely file a complaint with higher management regarding any such actions.

Problems with the card - what to do

If problems arise with the old bank card (the soldier lost it, forgot the password, it stopped working, etc.), the soldier can request a new one. To issue a card, you need to contact the bank and leave a corresponding application.

You can receive the issued card yourself from the bank (accompanied by the unit commander), or wait for delivery by a bank employee (if such a service is provided).

What to do if the card is broken or lost?

If such a problem arises, the first thing soldiers should do is call the bank’s toll-free number and order a new plastic card. It is important to clarify the address of the nearest bank branch where the card will be sent and where it can be obtained.

Immediately after completing these steps, you need to contact your commander, and he will take the young man to the bank office to receive a card. Information that the card is ready to receive will be sent to the soldier via SMS.

Cash payments to families

Few people know, but the wives of soldiers expecting the birth of a child also have the right to receive money from the state. It is paid once, and to receive it it is necessary that the wife has been expecting a child for at least 180 days. The amount of such payment is 14,000 rubles.

Wives of conscripts raising children under three years of age have the right to receive financial benefits every month until the end of their husband’s service or until the child reaches three years of age. The amount of such benefits is established by the legislation of the region of residence of the soldier’s wife and child.

Benefits, accrual form

A certain monthly cash benefit may be paid to a military personnel if he has a pregnant spouse. At the same time, their family relationships must be properly formalized and documented. The gestation period of the soldier's wife is more than 6 months.

In this case, women can receive an amount of more than 20,000 rubles. Moreover, the amount of these payments does not matter whether there are other additional payments. However, we must remember that conscripts who serve within the walls of a military educational institution are cadets and cannot receive this benefit.

Conscripted military personnel who are orphans and do not have parental care receive a monthly allowance, the amount of which is regulated by order and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation No. 200 of 2006. It is set at the salary amount in accordance with the 1st tariff category of the corresponding tariff schedule for a specific subdivision.

The family of a serviceman drafted into the army, among other payments provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation, can also apply for child benefits. It is provided for those families in which the child was under 3 years old before the demobilization of the soldier father.

In this case, the family is entitled to 10,528 rubles per month for the baby. (the amount is set annually) and does not depend on other forms of benefits. All money in the army is transferred to a personal bank card, which is issued at the time of conscription, usually before the arrival of the oath. The issuer of these cards is usually VTB 24 Bank.

What to do if the allowance has not arrived

If the money has not arrived, it is recommended to do the following:

check the functionality of the card;
contact the bank and ask about the reasons for the delay;
if the reason is the failure to receive money from the Ministry of Defense, leave a statement addressed to the commander of the military unit.

It is worth considering that after the Ministry of Defense has transferred the money, it may take up to FIVE days for it to arrive in the serviceman’s account.

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What does the salary of conscripts consist of?

Soldiers are paid money for serving in the army, and the total amount includes:

Salary taking into account indexation;
Allowances for the duties of a commander, for storing secret information and for special conditions of service (the amount of allowances can range from 300 to 1000 rubles);
One-time payments.

The basic amount of payments for a soldier is 2,000 rubles and is valid from 2021. Since 2021, 86 rubles have been added to this amount for military personnel as compensation for inflation. Therefore, at the moment the amount of allowance is 2086 rubles.

How military salaries have changed in recent years

The crisis of the 1990s hit the army hard. It got to the point where there was nothing to feed the soldiers. Officers' salaries remained minimal. But their payment was also delayed for months. This situation has given rise to an outflow of professional personnel from the armed forces, an increase in corruption, and a decline in discipline and combat effectiveness.

In the early 2000s, the situation began to improve. Every year, salaries were indexed by 10-15%. The largest increase occurred in 2012. It was already 100-200%. Since then, indexation has continued, but at a slower pace. However, today how much military personnel earn in Russia exceeds the average wages in the country.

Contract service

Today, military service under a contract is carried out only if the Russian serviceman voluntarily agrees to continue serving in the ranks of the army of the Russian Federation and only on a contractual basis. The main condition specified in the contract is the requirement to conscientiously perform official duties. For this, the state provides the citizen with the opportunity to receive certain benefits, cash benefits and compensation payments, the amount of which depends on certain conditions.

Allowances and surcharges for contract workers

A monthly bonus for military experience is a payment received by a contract soldier who has served in the Russian army for at least 2 years. If he serves from 2 to 5 years, he can count on an additional payment of 10%. Then every 5 years the premium amount will increase by 5% until it reaches 40%

Bonus for the obtained qualification class:

3rd grade – 5%;
2nd grade – 10%;
1st grade – 20%;
master class – 30%.

The bonus provided for access to state secrets is calculated in accordance with the level of access - it can reach 65% of the military personnel’s salary.

Allowance for special conditions - payment for performing military duties in particularly difficult conditions, calculated based on the complexity of these conditions.

It can be equal to the full salary of a military personnel.

How to become a contract soldier in the Russian Army

To become a contract soldier of the Russian Army, a serviceman must meet certain criteria:

Age must be at least 18 and not more than 40 years old;
Have at least secondary education, higher education is not necessary;
Be in good physical condition and pass a test of strength, speed and endurance;
Complete conscription service;
Successfully pass a medical examination;
Receive the first, second or third category of the assignment conclusion during the professional aptitude test.

A citizen who has decided to serve in the Russian Army under a contract must first contact the local selection point, where they will answer all his questions and explain what needs to be done.

After this, you need to submit an application to the VK department. Anyone wishing to become a contract soldier will be checked to see if he or she meets the criteria described above. If he is approved and a contract is concluded with him, all that remains is to undergo intensive training, after which the contract soldier will be sent to his duty station.

How much will a conscript receive in addition to his regular salary?

The amount of additional payments is approved by the Government of the Russian Federation. According to clauses 3 and clause 4 of Appendix No. 2 to Government Decree No. 1072 of 2011 (as amended in 2021), a conscript soldier, in addition to the monthly 2 thousand, will receive:

For risk in peacetime - from 50% (for example, for mine clearance or firefighting) to 100% of the salary (for example, for diving or parachute jumping).
For work with classified information - from 10% (for admission classified as “secret”) to 25% of the salary (for work with documents classified as “special importance”). This increase will not affect most conscripts, however, there are parts where even privates have to have access. This is where these payments will apply.
For commanding a unit - up to 40% of the salary.

Payments are also provided upon transfer to the reserve. In this case, the conscript soldier receives an additional 2,000 rubles - his monthly salary.

The amounts of payments are generally small, but you need to remember that during service, a soldier or sergeant is completely supported by the state, and it is not spent on food, housing and clothing.

Officers' salaries

This position requires higher education. With bonuses, the salaries of officers look quite impressive. Without them, the salary of military personnel with an officer rank looks like this:

Platoon commander - 20.0 thousand rubles.
Deputy company commander - 21.0 thousand rubles.
Company commander - 22.0 thousand rubles.
Deputy battalion commander - 23.0 thousand rubles.
Battalion commander - 24.0 thousand rubles.
Deputy com. shelf - 25.0 thousand rubles.
Command regiment - 26.5 thousand rubles.
Deputy com. brigades - 27.5 thousand rubles.
Brigade commander - 29.0 thousand rubles.
Deputy com. divisions - 29.5 thousand rubles.
Command division - 30.5 thousand rubles.
Deputy com. housing - 31.0 thousand rubles.
Component buildings - 32.5 thousand rubles.
Deputy com. army - 33.5 thousand rubles.
Com.army - 37.0 thousand rubles.
Communal military district - 40.0 thousand rubles.
Deputy Minister - 44.0 thousand rubles.
First Deputy Minister - 45.0 thousand rubles.

Where is the money credited?

Whether the soldier is paid money in the army has been sorted out, but where do the accruals come from? Even while the conscript is at the assembly point, he is given not only a military uniform and equipment, but also a bank card, to which funds will be credited.

It may take some time to issue the card at the collection point, but while they are preparing it, the soldier will once again be examined by doctors and assigned to a specific military unit.

Military personnel receive cards from one of the Russian banks, and a four-digit password is given in an envelope, which must be immediately remembered and the piece of paper with it destroyed so that other military personnel cannot obtain the PIN code.

Ways a soldier can save his money

Unfortunately, there is a practice where not only money from military personnel’s cards ends up, but also the cards themselves. As you know, in some units military personnel are prohibited from keeping bank cards in the barracks, so they are deposited in the office, where unauthorized persons can gain access to them. Soldiers are not recommended to keep large sums of money on bank cards, because they can easily be lost in military conditions, and it will not be easy to find out whose hands it was.

Also, after receiving a bank card, soldiers are advised not only to destroy the envelope with the written password, but also to erase the three-digit code from the back of the card. And not just paint it over with a marker, but scrape it off using some metal object. Otherwise, one of your colleagues can rewrite the data on both sides of the card and easily pay with it in one of the online stores.

The best way to store money would be to have a second bank card of your own, where help from parents is transferred, and a separate “government card”, where cash allowances are paid. In addition, this method is more convenient because, regardless of whether the soldier is paid money in the army, he will always have some additional money on his card, transferred by relatives, because in addition to spending in the “cap”, the army often collects funds for some needs of the troops.