Every year, prices are rising for everything: food, things, gasoline, communications. A particular blow to citizens' wallets is the annual increase in utility prices. Salaries are not kept up with such an active growth, and people are increasingly forced to “tighten their belts” and sigh at the cash register. The state takes various measures to support the population. One of them is the opportunity for citizens to receive real money for utility bills.
Housing subsidies are a good help for many families. But often people are not aware of this possibility. It’s worth explaining again who is subsidized to pay for utility bills, which documents are required to receive it, and where to submit them. Getting paid is not so difficult. If bills for utilities “eat up” a significant part of the family budget, it’s worth a try!
What is a subsidy?
This is government support for the local population. Funds for the payment of subsidies are allocated from the federal and regional budgets. Our state offers several types of assistance for individuals. The most common payments are housing subsidies. They are inherent in three principles:
- are targeted (allocated to specific needs);
- are irrevocable;
- based on the principle of co-financing.
Government payments - targeted assistance certain categories of citizens. The legislation clearly spells out who is entitled to a subsidy for utility bills.
Who can use it?
The Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation regulates the procedure for subsidizing the population in the housing and communal services sector. A citizen may apply for financial assistance for utility bills if he:
- rents housing;
- lives in a building registered with the housing stock (state or municipal);
- is a member of the HBC;
- has a disability or belongs to the category of poor citizens;
- has permanent registration in the premises for the maintenance of which a subsidy is required;
- pays bills for utilities, the amount of which exceeds 12-15% (depending on the region) of the total family budget.
It is important to remember that when applying for a subsidy a citizen should not have debt. If the payment for utilities is not made on time or in part, payments will be discontinued. Obtaining housing subsidies after inappropriate spending of funds in the future is almost impossible.
What is required to apply for a subsidy?
Making a utility subsidy requires the submission of the following documents:
- statement;
- certificate of family composition;
- photocopies of passports of each family member (photo and registration) or birth certificates;
- copies of insurance certificates of each family member;
- certificate of ownership or contract of employment;
- a certificate confirming the absence of debts for housing and communal services;
- income statement for each working family member for 6 months;
- personal account number in Sberbank.
Unemployed adult family members provide:
- photocopy of work book;
- certificate from the employment center.
This is the standard list of documents that a utility subsidy requires. It is necessary to submit them at the place of permanent registration with the EHS. Please note that in different regions the list of documents may vary slightly, therefore it is better to clarify this issue in advance.
Subsidy for socially vulnerable categories of citizens
It is said above who is entitled to a subsidy for the payment of utilities, but often questions arise regarding certain categories of citizens.
- Are such payments due to single mothers? Single mothers have the right to rely on state assistance by providing the necessary package of documents. They will need a certificate of alimony or their absence.
- Can the unemployed receive a subsidy? If the unemployed status is officially confirmed at the Employment Center, then they can. It will be necessary to provide a certificate of the amount of unemployment benefits.
- Are there special community subsidies for large families? Often in the regions there are special programs to support such families, including larger housing subsidies. It is necessary to present a certificate of a large family.
- How do disabled people pay for utilities? If a disabled person lives alone, he has the right to take advantage of the privilege and pay only 50% of the cost of services. If he does not live alone, he can try to take advantage of the usual subsidy.
How are the calculations
The calculation of utility subsidies is based on the following indicators:
- area of the room;
- the cost of maintaining and repairing residential premises;
- the cost of heating, cold and hot water;
- cost of water disposal;
- the cost of gas and electricity.
The price of services may vary depending on the region, these indicators are reviewed annually by the government.
In any case, the amount of the subsidy for utilities is calculated individually and will not exceed the amount of bills. We remind you that citizens who allocate more than 12-15% of the total family budget for utility bills can receive financial assistance. This indicator may vary depending on the region and the availability of special benefits for citizens.
When to file
Those who are entitled to a subsidy for utility bills and who are willing to use it should remember the deadlines for submitting an application. When submitting documents from the 1st to the 15th day of any month, payment will be made in the current month. If you apply for the subsidy later, you can only wait for help next month.
Payments will be made within six months, for further subsidies it will be necessary to confirm your right again by submitting documents to the same department. Note that the submission of false information entails negative consequences.
Where will the subsidy go
To transfer funds, it is necessary to provide a personal account or savings book number of Sberbank. If an account has not been opened previously, this will have to be done, since transfers will be received there monthly. The citizen withdraws these funds on their own and pays for their housing and communal services.
The second option for transferring financial assistance is through the Russian Post. Money transfers can go to the post office, where the payer receives them with a passport.
Recall that a two-month debt for payment of utility bills in the presence of a subsidy entails an automatic termination of its payments.
Subsidy issuance procedure in the EHS
The OSZN employee accepts, verifies documents and makes a mark on the application with the date of receipt. On the copy of the application that came with the citizen’s documents, the employee puts his list with the transcript and seal.
After this, a personal file is formed for the recipient of the subsidy. It with all documents is stored in the archive for 3 years. The application is considered within 10 days. If it turns out that the package of documents is incomplete, the citizen will be given 30 days to collect the necessary papers. If he does not provide all the required documents during this time, he will be refused payment. A citizen will receive a notice within three days.
If within ten days of the inspection there were no defects in the documents and their authenticity did not raise doubts, a decision is made to provide a subsidy or to refuse to provide it.
Funds are transferred until the 10th day of each month. Payments on subsidies are not subject to personal income tax.
Tips for payers of "communal"
The cost of housing and communal services is significantly reflected in the family budget, but people are not ready to refuse from light, gas and water. Even if you fail to receive a subsidy, following some principles will help optimize your expenses:
- install meters on gas, light and water and monitor their serviceability;
- try to pay for services on time and not accumulate debts on utility bills;
- keep all receipts for payment;
- Before applying to the HSS for a subsidy, carefully prepare the documents so as not to queue twice.
At first glance, it might seem that getting a subsidy is difficult. Of course, you have to run around the offices of officials to collect documents. These are state structures and accountable money. But if you see that you cannot afford to pay for utility bills on your own, and you meet the requirements for granting subsidies, you should not refuse to help in advance!
