It is no secret that the Russian economy is currently experiencing certain difficulties, so the issue of monetary allowance is becoming relevant for different segments of society. This is especially true for the military. Let's look at this issue in more detail.

What does a military salary consist of?

First of all, this is the salary. It consists of a position, as well as a title. If a person did his job well, he can receive a bonus, the amount of which reaches 25% of the salary. Of course, there are also military personnel who receive more. There is also a hazard surcharge. Its size ranges from 10-40%.

Summarizing all this, it can be noted that the average salary of an employee in this category is approximately 50 thousand rubles per month. This is significantly higher than similar indicators in most areas. Despite this, the profession itself is associated with numerous stresses and all kinds of hardships. Therefore, a clear question arises: should we expect indexation in 2017?

What will happen this year?

First of all, it should be clarified that in 2017 the budget will be in deficit. Because of this, many categories of citizens will remain without wage increases. But this does not apply to military personnel. According to the Central Bank, inflation in 2017 will be 5%. Accordingly, indexation for military personnel will be 5.5%. In other words, the increase will cover the rise in prices, and the current standard of living will be maintained.

Should we expect additional premiums?

In 2012, Vladimir Putin signed a decree according to which the salary of all categories of public sector employees should increase annually. Until 2014, everything went according to plan, but the crisis made its own adjustments. Today the budget amounts to several percent of GDP. Because of this, military personnel will have to be content solely with indexing. The situation is complicated by the fact that the decree on increasing wages expires in 2018. There was only one goal - to increase salaries by 1.5 times compared to 2018. It is still difficult to say whether the plan will be implemented.

Will there be layoffs?

This issue is especially troubling for military personnel. The budget needs to be adjusted by reducing the number of employees. But military personnel should not worry about this. The fact is that the army speaks about the prestige of a particular state. Representatives from the Ministry of Defense stated that layoffs could only affect management personnel, whose responsibilities would be transferred to subordinates. Optimization will definitely not exceed 5% of all personnel.

At the same time, it is planned to recruit more personnel by reducing the management team. Their working conditions will improve. Therefore, ordinary military personnel who do not consider themselves to be in the highest category should definitely not worry.

What conclusions can be drawn from all this?

Today, many people watch the latest news, hoping for a gradual increase in their monetary allowance. The military personnel are waiting for improvements in their living conditions, food, and social situation. And the Government will try to meet their expectations, since Russia is a military power. They also take care of those who have retired. Additional indexation is expected for those who have already completed their service due to reaching retirement age. So the military will remain a financially secure category of citizens.

This and the past years have tested Russia and its citizens for strength. The deterioration in living standards and economic indicators primarily affected those who receive income (salaries, pensions, allowances, etc.) from the state and local budgets. Such representatives include doctors, teachers, military personnel, civil servants and other categories. Citizens of these professions are wondering whether their salaries will increase in the new year.

The pay for military personnel in 2017 will change upward; this can already be said with one hundred percent certainty.

The profession of a military man is one of the most prestigious in Russia, respected by both the state and citizens of the Russian Federation. A very large number of people serve and work in this area and their number continues to increase. But, in order for “quantity to develop into quality,” all employed people in the military sphere must have decent conditions of service and material support.

How is military pay calculated?

Contract servicemen do not receive wages; for them there is such a thing as monetary allowance. The federal law that regulates this process is numbered 306-F3 and is called “ On monetary allowances for military personnel and provision of individual payments to them " It consists of three main components:

1. Military salary, the amount of which directly depends on the position and rank of the serviceman:

• sergeant;
• lieutenant;
• major;
• general

2. A monthly bonus for a military man is considered as an incentive for well-performed service, when there are no complaints against the military man during his performance (by average standards, it fluctuates around 25 percent of the total salary);

3. An additional allowance to a serviceman’s pay is nothing more than a reward for services to the Motherland and an incentive for dangerous conditions of service (its amount ranges from 10% to 40% of the full amount of a military salary). The table of such allowances includes:

• cash bonus for length of service;
• financial assistance provided to the military every year;
• additional allowance for serving in hot spots;
• an allowance for severe and difficult climatic conditions (Sevastopol, Yakutsk and Vladivostok are very different in the severity of the climate) and so on.

A special calculator is used to calculate a serviceman's allowance.

Indexation of pay for the military

Due to the crisis in the country's economy, the authorities in 2016 were unable to index wages for military personnel. Salaries for the military are financed only from the national budget, in contrast to other categories of public sector employees, whose salaries can increase due to regional budget revenues.

For the new year 2017, the authorities have set a goal to index the amount of pay and benefits for all military personnel. The latest news suggests that the increase in monetary support for the military will most likely take place at the level of inflation.

Other privileges entitled to military personnel

In addition to high pay, the military has additional benefits that are not available to other categories of the population. Military personnel are provided with food, clothing and housing. Also, the military has the opportunity to retire earlier than other categories of workers and employees, and at the same time continue to serve, receiving both a pension and salary.

Growth of military pensions for length of service in Russia from 2012 to 2023

Thus, the profession of a military man is very prestigious and financially profitable at the present time in Russia. And most importantly, stable, which cannot but attract young defenders of the fatherland.

Last year was not the best year in history for Russians, because the crisis reached its supposed peak, and the authorities had to look for the most optimal ways to solve this problem, and representatives of the public sector - military personnel, doctors - suffered the most from the crisis diseases. However, in modern times the situation has begun to gradually recover, so the data regarding in 2017 , are of interest to many. The profession of a military man today is considered incredibly prestigious, therefore, the number of people employed in this field is constantly increasing, and they are incredibly interested in the issue of improving the material condition of this category of citizens. What do the government say?

First of all, it is worth saying that the level of income of a military personnel today depends on several factors, which include:

• the size of the salary, which is directly dependent on the rank (sergeant, lieutenant, general), as well as the position of the person;
• bonuses - incentive payments that the heads of an organization issue to their employees for excellent work done (on average, the amount of bonus payments is 25%);
• relatively small bonuses of 10-40%, which are provided to military personnel for especially dangerous working conditions, as well as for merits in labor and awards received for them.

When discussing the question of what will happen to the military’s salary tomorrow, it must be said that today they earn approximately 50,000 rubles, therefore, this level of income, even in modern times of crisis, is considered quite high, especially considering doctors. Moreover, this level of wages is considered exactly average, because it is worth adding to it additional allowances and bonuses, which significantly increase this indicator and make the military profession even more attractive for modern young people.

All hope is for indexing...

Considering the rather difficult financial and economic situation in the country, the authorities had to cancel the annual indexation last year, because the budget deficit was so noticeable and inflation so high that government members could not afford to increase military salaries by the indexation factor. This fact has become a certain problem, because if representatives of other budgetary spheres of life in the state can count on increases in income from the local budget, then the salaries of military personnel are financed exclusively by the state budget.

What conclusions can be drawn?

Speaking about the increase in military salaries in Russia, the latest news about which worries many today, it is worth especially emphasizing the fact that the authorities are constantly concerned about. In addition to increasing their income each year, they also provide military personnel with discounted food and housing, and a number of additional benefits that make their lives much easier. And no one is surprised by this, because Russia is a military power, therefore, it must pay due attention to fulfilling its material obligations to military personnel.

Western sanctions, which were introduced several years ago, have greatly complicated the material support of the Russian army, because previously goods for the army were purchased from foreign companies, but today domestic manufacturers have to produce them themselves. At first, this fact caused panic among citizens of the Russian Federation, but then it became clear that domestically produced goods are of no less quality than imported goods, and they are cheaper, so this could be a good condition for the gradual restoration of the economy, and, by the way, the rate military for 2017 in the Russian Federation will be increased precisely due to the fact that the authorities will save on the purchase of imported goods.

In addition, the authorities plan to increase pension payments to military personnel, although the increase will be carried out through indexation. This fact only once again confirms how responsibly members of the government treat the monetary allowance of military personnel, which means that today they can be considered one of the most financially secure categories of citizens of the Russian Federation.

The indexation of military pay, which has not been carried out for five years, will cost the federal budget 300 billion rubles in the next three years. By 2020, the state will spend about 14% of the budget on paying salaries to the military.

Photo: Maxim Shemetov / Reuters

The first indexation in six years of pay for the military and security forces will cost the budget 67 billion rubles in 2018, and in the next two years, when the indexation continues, additional budget expenses for these purposes will increase to 83.9 billion and 148.4 billion rubles . accordingly, it follows from the government’s amendments to the second reading of the draft budget. Thus, increasing military salaries in 2018-2020 will require a total of almost 300 billion rubles from the state.

In 2018, the budget will spend 2.27 trillion rubles on payouts to military personnel and persons of equal status. (13.8% of total budget expenditures), and this is only in the open part. The non-assessable share of expenses for payments to the military and security forces goes through secret budget items, it follows from the amendments. By 2020, open expenditures on military allowances will reach 2.39 trillion rubles. (13.9% of the total budget), follows from the draft budget and proposed amendments to it.

Money for indexation was allocated from the “presidential reserve” - 847 billion rubles, initially reserved in the draft budget in the “National Economy” section for “individual decisions of the president.”

Who will be indexed?

The fact that the pay of the military and equivalent categories will begin to be indexed by 4% (forecast inflation rate) was stated in the materials for the draft budget presented in early October, but the cost of this decision for the treasury was not disclosed. According to the law, employees of internal affairs bodies, the National Guard, the Federal Penitentiary Service and the state fire service are equated to military personnel. Military personnel also include employees of the FSB, FSO and the Foreign Intelligence Service, a representative of the Ministry of Finance explained to RBC.

Payments to the military and security forces will increase, as will the salaries of public sector workers not covered by the May decrees of the president, federal civil servants and parliamentarians, as well as judges, prosecutors and employees of the Investigative Committee - all of them are scheduled to be indexed at 4% per year, which has not been carried out for several years .

The head of the laboratory of military economics at the Gaidar Institute, Vasily Zatsepin, supports increasing the pay of both military and civil servants. “Our standard of living has stopped, and some believe it has fallen. “Perhaps, before the indexation freeze, the salaries of generals increased tenfold, but little has changed for ordinary sergeants, which may be related to the current problems with recruiting so-called contract soldiers,” he noted. The quality of budget planning may improve if the economy manages to switch to an annual automatic wage indexation regime. “To do this, we will have to get used to the factor of reducing inflation, which is still new to us,” he believes.

TsSR expert Ilya Sokolov, on the contrary, considers it inappropriate to index the same content of state employees and military personnel in the conditions of the latter’s transition to a contract payment system. “At one time, military personnel received less than the average salary in the economy, but after the army reform was carried out in 2010-2011 and their pay was significantly increased, additional indexation lost its meaning. The same applies to preferential mortgages, which state employees do not have,” he says.

Indexation is not fixed for 2019 and 2020

The costs of indexing the salaries of the military and everyone else would have been even higher if the government had not decided to shift the indexation deadline in 2019 and 2020 to October 1 (the next salary increase is scheduled for January 1, 2018).

The law on monetary allowances for military personnel stipulates that their salaries are subject to annual indexation taking into account inflation in accordance with the law on the federal budget, but this norm was suspended on January 1, 2014. The suspension expires on January 1, 2018 - accordingly, the government returns to implementing the corresponding norm from the law on military allowances (no separate law is needed).

Since the law on monetary allowances states that indexation is carried out in accordance with the budget law, this means that next year, when the government adopts a new “rolling” budget for three years, the indexation figures in 2019 and 2020 may change depending on current inflation data. And the forecast for price growth may well change: for example, for 2017, the Ministry of Economic Development now expects the figure to be 2.5-2.8%, although it initially predicted 3.8%.

The military is not enough

Earlier, RBC's source in the State Duma and a source in the Ministry of Defense said that the possibility of indexing military salaries to a higher level was being discussed. The State Duma Defense Committee addressed the insufficient increase in allowances in its conclusion on the draft budget. Committee deputies emphasized that during the time until salaries were indexed, prices in the country increased by 46%, the cost of the minimum set of food products rose by almost 60%.

In order to ensure that the salaries of military personnel do not fall below the average salaries in leading sectors of the economy, the Ministry of Defense, during the preparation of the draft federal budget, developed and sent to the Ministry of Finance two options for calculations for indexing the pay of military personnel, the defense committee reported in its conclusion, but these proposals “were not reflected "in the final draft budget. The document does not say how much the Ministry of Defense proposed to index military salaries.

“The relevant State Duma Committee on Defense will consider amendments to the second reading at a meeting on November 9, after which it will be possible to comment on the proposals of the Ministry of Finance,” committee head Vladimir Shamanov told RBC. According to him, the processes of agreeing on a common position are very difficult within the committee. “The process is complicated. We have all four factions represented, and there is no common understanding yet,” added Shamanov.

In total, indexation will affect at least 2.7 million people: currently the maximum number of Armed Forces in Russia is 1.9 million people (of which 1.03 million are military personnel), employees of internal affairs bodies are set at 904 thousand people, employees of the Federal Penitentiary Service - 225 thousand, fire service - 251 thousand. The number of the Russian Guard, as its commander-in-chief Viktor Zolotov told Interfax, exceeds 340 thousand people. Taking into account the civilian personnel of the Armed Forces, whose wages will also be indexed by 4%, the number of people covered will exceed 3.5 million.

The Ministry of Finance did not explain what the average amount of allowance for military personnel and equivalent categories is, forwarding the request to the relevant departments. In January 2016, in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda publication, Deputy Defense Minister Tatyana Shevtsova reported that in 2015 the average level of allowance for military personnel was 62.2 thousand rubles.

What will the money be used for?

Military personnel will receive the most of the additional expenses in the next three years - 73.3 billion rubles, as follows from the amendments to the open part of expenses under the “National Defense” section.

About 6 billion rubles. It is proposed to increase the salaries of investigators of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Investigative Committee conducting the preliminary investigation (the FSB also has such powers), and the same amount - to those who are engaged in operational activities in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Federal Penitentiary Service. 27 billion rubles are provided to increase the salaries of employees of the Russian Guard. for three years, and for employees of the Federal Penitentiary Service - 20.4 billion rubles. The amendments include 11.4 billion rubles for indexation in the departments of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and almost 8 billion rubles in the Investigative Committee. About 59 billion rubles related to the indexation of cash benefits are covered by closed expense items, which are not possible to track. An increase in spending on military personnel by 300 billion rubles, or 0.3% of GDP, creates risks of an incorrect structure of government spending, says Ilya Sokolov.

With the participation of: Inna Sidorkova

Recently, the media has been actively advertising military service in the ranks of our army. In addition to prestige, the advertisement talks about a stable salary and a full benefits package. With social guarantees, the situation is more or less clear: a military mortgage for purchasing your own home, official housing, health and life insurance, good contributions to the Pension Fund, benefits and other benefits in the form, for example, of sanatorium and resort treatment. But what salary awaits after concluding a contract and can those who are already serving count on increase in military salaries in 2017 in Russia?

The latest news does not refute the revision of the salary component of salaries for military personnel planned for February in the new year. But, given the experience of the previous four years, many speak with caution about the expected increase in military salaries in 2017, especially given the current economic crisis.

How are military salaries determined?

Since the end of 2011, wages for those serving under a contract have been regulated by the adopted Federal Law No. 306. It includes a fixed salary and possible allowances, depending on the position and military rank.

Additional payments to the main part are paid on a monthly basis and are calculated as a percentage of the salary. The factors that form the bonus also include length of service, qualifications, possible secrecy of the work performed or other special service conditions.

Military personnel can receive additional compensation for their level of physical training and knowledge of at least one foreign language. The presence of higher education and the absence of emergency situations are financially encouraged. Tasks involving risk to life, participation in military field exercises, and significant achievements in military service are also factors influencing the amount of wages.

The bonus portion can be paid for conscientious and high-quality performance of military duties in the amount of no more than three salaries per year. Financial assistance to military personnel is provided in the amount of at least one salary.

Compensations included in salary calculations

The parameters under which other compensation is made are determined by law. For example, the so-called lifting allowances are paid upon transfer to a new place in the amount of one salary per soldier. If a family moves with him, the compensation will increase by 25% for each member.

When leaving the army, for example, for health reasons, the serviceman is paid a benefit depending on the length of service. If the length of service is less than twenty years, the resigning employee is entitled to two salaries. Those who have served under a contract for more than twenty years are paid seven salaries in the amount current at the time of dismissal.

If a contract employee needs housing, he must be provided with an apartment from the service fund. In the absence of adequate living space, housing rent is compensated on a monthly basis. In large cities, this amount is maximum and is determined in the region of 15 thousand rubles, in small cities, as well as in regional centers - 3.6 thousand rubles and in smaller settlements - 2.7 thousand rubles per soldier. If 3 or more family members live with him, half is added to this amount.

Current 2016 allowances for military personnel

The average salary of a person serving under a contract in the ranks of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, and current today, is about 32 thousand rubles. The minimum amount is paid to an ordinary contract employee who has served for less than 2 years - 17.4 thousand rubles, including taxes. This is the result of a large-scale military reform carried out in 2008-2011, as a result of which the salaries of military personnel increased 3 times. At the time the law was passed in 2011, this was a very competitive salary. It would have remained this way if only for one thing: since 2013, the Government of the Russian Federation has annually made additional amendments to the adopted budget for the next year, as a result, there has been no increase in military salaries.

This year there is a law in force according to which, until 2017, the salaries of civil servants and judges, maternity capital, all types of benefits, military allowances and the amount of the savings contribution under the mortgage program for contract employees and their families did not change. The Government of the Russian Federation explains this measure as forced due to the worsening budget situation: revenues fell sharply in 2016 and additional measures were required to reduce expenses.

Knowing this, it becomes clear why the increase in pay for military personnel in 2017 is so expected.

Annual indexation: what to expect?

Should we hope for the long-awaited increase in salaries for military personnel in 2017? The above Federal Law No. 306 of 2011 confirms the need for annual wage indexation. Salaries, bonuses and compensation are subject to revision. And although, when the planned Federal budget for 2015-2017 was adopted, an increase in the parts financing the country’s national security was adopted, a revision of the salaries of military personnel has not yet occurred.

It is reported that the indexation of salaries for military personnel in 2017 will be carried out in February based on the actual increase in prices over the past 2016. However, it is too early to say whether there will be an increase in military salaries in 2017, despite the current law on the annual review of military pay. And in the case of indexation, you shouldn’t hope for too significant a salary increase either. Especially in the current difficult economic situation. It will be possible to confidently confirm the annual salary review only in November-December 2017, after the adoption and approval of the Federal budget for the coming 2017.