OREANDA-NEWS  Since January 1, amendments to the "Pension Payment Rules" have come into force in Russia, which regulate the procedure for delivering cash payments to pensioners, Olga Lebedinskaya, Associate Professor of the Department of Statistics at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, warned. The changes, according to her, will affect about 10.4 million residents of the country.

Previously, a pensioner could receive money only on a certain day at home, while visiting a doctor or a neighbor's funeral was not considered a valid reason for changing the date of the postman's visit, Lebedinskaya explained.

"In the absence of money, I had to go personally to the post office or wait for the next month. Another option was also allowed — the issuance of a power of attorney. If a pensioner was planning a long trip, he was offered to transfer his pension to a savings book or card. The new procedure has made receiving a pension much more convenient," she clarified in an interview with the Prime agency, adding that now this rule is being canceled.

Since 2023, the postman is obliged to come to the pensioner at least twice more, if he did not find him at home on the appointed day, informing him about his visit in advance. The last day of possible receipt will be the 25th of each month, regardless of the schedule.

If a pensioner is not at home for six months, then payments to him stop – he can resume them by writing an application to the Pension Fund. Lebedinskaya also recalled that from April 2023, the post office will become a monopoly provider of pensions in cash. According to her, this will increase the number of customers of the state-owned postal company by 1.5 million people.

Earlier, Tatar-Inform reported that from the beginning of 2023, insurance pensions for non-working pensioners will increase by 4.8%. On average, their size will be 21 thousand 864 rubles.