Russian citizens can increase their state insurance pension payments through higher official salaries and longer work records, State Duma Deputy Alexey Govyrin said in comments reported by news outlet RT.
Govyrin explained that final retirement payouts in Russia are calculated using individual pension coefficients, commonly referred to as pension points. These points accumulate based on the mandatory social insurance contributions that employers are legally required to transfer on behalf of their employees.
Under current Russian pension regulations, workers with higher salaries receive more points each year, up to a statutory maximum cap of 10 points annually. However, Govyrin emphasized that pension coefficients are calculated exclusively from officially declared income. Workers paid under informal or grey wage schemes cannot expect to boost their pension through this system, as undeclared cash earnings yield no social insurance contributions.
Role of work history and deferred retirement
The total duration of a worker's insurance history serves as another primary factor determining final pension amounts. Govyrin noted that maintaining a longer period of formal employment increases total retirement payouts, because additional years of official work continuously generate new employer contributions and additional pension points.
His explanation follows earlier advice from Elena Altukhova, an associate professor in the Department of Financial Markets and Financial Engineering at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation. Altukhova previously advised Russian citizens to consider postponing their retirement, explaining that combining deferred retirement with consistently high earnings throughout most of a career enables individuals to secure a noticeable increase in pension payments in old age.
Structure of Russian state pensions
Insurance pensions represent the primary component of Russia's public retirement framework, administered through mandatory payroll contributions. The State Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament where Govyrin serves, regularly reviews legislative measures governing social security and labor regulations.
