Mortgage rules tighten, savings possible in February laws

In Russia, new laws, decrees, resolutions, and other regulatory acts come into force almost every week. Keeping track of all changes in the news flow is difficult, so each month we prepare a review of the most important and relevant changes for you. Today we will discuss what new things await Russians in February 2026.

Social Payments and Benefits

Starting today, the state has indexed over 40 types of social payments by 5.6%. Here«s how key benefits have changed.

Maternity capital now amounts to:

for the first child — 728,921.9 rubles (approximately $7,300 at current rates);

for the second child, if the capital was not received earlier — 963,243.17 rubles (approximately $9,600 at current rates);

additional payment for the second child, if the capital for the first child has already been issued — 234,321.27 rubles (approximately $2,300 at current rates).

Lump-sum payment at the birth of a child has increased to nearly 28,500 rubles (approximately $285 at current rates).

Monthly cash payment (EDV) to federal beneficiaries (disabled persons, veterans, holders of state awards) has also increased by 5.6%. For example:

Heroes of Russia, the USSR, and full holders of the Order of Glory now receive 103,693 rubles (approximately $1,000 at current rates);

Heroes of Labor and holders of the Order of Labor Glory — 76,458 rubles (approximately $765 at current rates);

women with the title «Mother Heroine» — about 76,500 rubles (approximately $765 at current rates).

Monthly childcare allowance for children up to 1.5 years old:

minimum amount — 10,837.20 rubles (approximately $108 at current rates);

maximum amount — 83,021.18 rubles (approximately $830 at current rates).

Unemployment benefit: its maximum amount (in the first three months) is now 15,886 rubles (approximately $159 at current rates).

Pensions and Supplements

Changes will also affect pensioners. In February, several categories received an increase.

Supplement for jubilarians and disabled persons

Automatic supplement for two categories. The fixed payment to the insurance pension was doubled for those who in January:

turned 80 years old;

were assigned disability group I.

The payment amount for them increased immediately from 9,584.69 to 19,169.38 rubles (approximately $96 to $192 at current rates).

Important condition: the increase is assigned only on one of two grounds (either for age 80 years, or for disability group I).

Supplements to pensions for work in special working conditions

From 1 February, monthly supplements for former workers of hazardous and heavy industries have been recalculated. They are assigned automatically based on data from industry funds, without applications.

For former civil aviation pilots (pilots, navigators, flight engineers), the right to a supplement is granted by special service of 25 years (for men) or 20 years (for women).

For former coal industry workers, service of 25 years is required (for some professions, such as miners — from 20 years).

The specific amount of the supplement is calculated individually for each pensioner. It depends on the duration of special service, specific working conditions, and the amount of insurance contributions received by the industry fund for the previous quarter.

Mortgages and Finance

For the «Family Mortgage» program at 6%, stricter rules have begun to apply. The main conditions have been tightened:

Now the principle applies: «One family — one preferential loan.» Both spouses must necessarily act as co-borrowers if they take housing under the preferential program. Previously, each of them could take a separate preferential mortgage on special terms.

The «donor» scheme has been completely abolished. It is not allowed to involve families with children as co-borrowers if they themselves are not purchasing housing.

But along with the tightening, a relaxation has been introduced. Borrowers can now refinance only the market part of a combined (combo-) mortgage in another bank. The preferential rate of 6% will be retained. Previously, when using this mechanism for a loan where part of the amount is at a preferential rate of 6% and the excess part is at the market rate, the borrower lost the preferential rate on the entire amount.

Consumer Rights Protection

From 1 February, amendments have come into force that clarify the collection from sellers of additional compensation in the amount of 50% of the sum awarded by the court to the consumer. Now the law clearly defines three cases when this measure of liability does not apply:

If the requirement was not satisfied due to the fault of the consumer themselves, for example, they did not transfer the goods for examination.

If the seller did not fulfill obligations due to a disruption in supplies by their counterparty, whom they chose in good faith.

If the parties resolved the dispute before court by signing a mediation agreement.

These amendments make the rules fairer and encourage pre-trial settlement.

Taxes

In February, minor changes were made to taxes. Mainly these are amendments to document forms.

Profit tax

Organizations that pay advance payments each month based on actual profit are required to submit a tax return for January no later than 25 February.

This must be done using the updated form approved by order of the Federal Tax Service of Russia (FTS Russia) from 3 October 2025. The changes to the form are minor:

lines 135, 136, 151, and 161 were excluded from Appendix 4 to Sheet 02;

in Sheet 02, lines 130, 170, and 171 were removed, and pages with barcodes were adjusted.

The procedure for filling out the declaration and the format for its submission have been clarified.

Property tax declaration

The property tax declaration must be filed no later than 25 February. The procedure for its submission has been clarified for the largest taxpayers.

In particular, in the field «Tax authority at the location of the taxable object (code)» it is now possible to specify the code of any territorial tax office at the location of the real estate (within a subject of the Russian Federation), for which the base is calculated based on the average annual value. The rule works if standards for deductions from the tax to local budgets have not been established.

Mineral extraction tax

The mineral extraction tax (MET) for concentrates and other semi-finished products including one or more precious metals is 6%. In Magadan Oblast, tax benefits for organizations operating in a special economic zone have been abolished, but they are allowed to use investment tax deductions. Also, the list of objects subject to the mineral extraction tax (MET) at a zero rate has been expanded.

The MET declaration for January must be submitted by 25 February inclusive. The declaration form, format, and procedure for filling it out will change from 16 February. A number of minor adjustments have been made to the declaration (some lines have been excluded and added).

Acceptance of Applications for the 2026 Unified State Exam Ends

There are only a few days left to submit an application to take the Unified State Exam (USE) in 2026. The acceptance of applications will end on 2 February.

According to Rosobrnadzor (the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science), according to the procedure for conducting state final certification, the application must be submitted by 1 February inclusive. However, this year this date falls on a Sunday, so the deadline has been moved to the next working day.

How to submit an application

For different categories of participants, the procedure differs:

current year graduates submit the application at their school;

graduates of past years and students in colleges apply to special registration points, information about which is published by regional education management bodies.

New Standard of Medical Care for Adults with Influenza to Appear

In February, a new standard for providing medical care to adults with influenza will begin to apply. From this moment, the average duration of treatment will be 9 days.

The list of examinations at the diagnostic stage includes:

blood tests (complete, biochemical, for C-reactive protein level, etc.);

complete urinalysis;

express test of nasopharyngeal swab for influenza A and B;

molecular biological analyses of swabs from the nasal and oropharyngeal mucosa for influenza, adenovirus, rhinoviruses, etc.;

pulse oximetry;

chest X-ray and X-ray of the paranasal sinuses.

According to the standard, the doctor must prescribe the following medications: zanamivir, oseltamivir, baloxavir, marboxil, ibuprofen, paracetamol, and others.

Other Legislative Changes

Legal Status of the Russian Red Cross

A law has come into force that secures the legal status of the Russian Red Cross (RKK) as the legal successor of the society founded in 1867. This creates a stable legal basis for the work of volunteers, interaction with the state, and assistance in emergencies.

Accreditation of Foreign Diplomats

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia (MID Russia) is now vested with exclusive authority to establish a unified procedure for accreditation on the territory of the Russian Federation for employees of foreign diplomatic missions, consulates, and international organizations. The agency will approve all necessary documents and the procedure regulations.

Powers of Financial SROs

Self-regulatory organizations (SROs) in the financial sector have been granted the right to independently place the funds of their compensation funds. They can do this only through deposits and accounts in systemically important banks from the list of the Central Bank of Russia. This allows for preserving and multiplying funds with maximum safety for cooperative shareholders.