Paying for kindergarten with maternity capital: opportunities, features and limitations in 2020

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Published: September 20, 2019

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Since 2007, the Government of the Russian Federation has been implementing a project to provide financial support to families who have a second or subsequent child. Educational services often become a priority for parents who choose the scope of government assistance.

• 1 Is it possible to pay for kindergarten with maternity capital?
• 2 How to pay
• 3 List of documents
• 4 Conclusion of the contract
• 5 Calculation of payment amount
• 6 Is it possible to receive compensation for paying for kindergarten?
• 7 Is it possible to pay for a private kindergarten with maternity capital?

Requirements for preschool educational institutions

Types of kindergartens vary depending on the form of payment:

1. Private - parents pay in full.
2. Municipal - at the expense of the federal or local budget.
3. Departmental - at the expense of the federal budget or the parent’s employing organization.

Depending on the time the child spends in kindergarten, the daily routine should be organized as follows:

1. When staying for more than 5 hours - 3-4 meals, sleep and a walk.
2. At 3-4 hours - sleep and feeding.
3. Less than 3 hours - no sleep, 1 meal and a walk of at least 1 hour.

You can pay with maternity capital for the services of all the listed institutions; the legislator does not establish strict requirements in this regard. The main condition is that the preschool educational institution must be registered as a legal entity. In addition, maternity capital is allowed to pay for the maintenance of not only one, but also several children in kindergarten. In 2020 alone, more than 9,000 families took advantage of this right.

A kindergarten must also have a license, which must include a description of the services provided:

• service of household needs;
• child care and supervision;
• control over personal hygiene;
• providing adequate nutrition;
• upbringing.

All children's institutions, regardless of the form of payment and the length of time children are kept in them, are required to comply with SanPin standards. In particular, it is necessary to provide children with a balanced diet appropriate for their age, adherence to the temperature in the room and the permissible noise level, and the absence of industrial enterprises nearby.

Payment amount calculation

As for the costs of preschool education for children in municipal preschool educational institutions, there is a distinction between sources of funding. Thus, the item “maintenance, care and supervision of the child” (food, education and other household needs) is paid by the parents. It is to pay for these expenses that MK can be used. The amount of the fee is calculated individually and determined by the preschool institution. Sometimes a subject of the Russian Federation designates a fixed number. The amount cannot exceed the norm established in a particular region of the country.

The legislation also provides for cases where no fee may be charged at all if the child falls into the following categories:

• has a disability;
• an orphan or a child left without parental care;
• has tuberculosis intoxication.

The rule for the method of calculating the amount is established by specialized local government bodies and is enshrined in the relevant acts. The amount of the fee is determined by the operating hours, type of preschool organization and other determining criteria.

The amount of payments changes in the following situations:

• illness of the child confirmed by a medical institution;
• absence due to parental leave for no more than ninety days a year;
• failure to appear at a child care facility during the summer holidays (no more than seventy-five days);
• quarantine in a kindergarten or in a group;
• repairs in the organization;
• downtime of the enterprise where the parent works through no fault of his own.

Read also: Selling an apartment with a mortgage with maternity capital

There is no unified system for calculating parental fees, but it depends on the number of days the institution provides services for the child (that is, the child went to kindergarten).

Payment order

To pay for kindergarten with maternity capital, you must:

1. Conclude an agreement with the preschool educational institution for the provision of services on a paid basis.
2. Submit the agreement, application and other documents to the local Pension Fund office.
3. Wait for the decision of the Pension Fund. Approval of an application can take up to two months, so it is worth submitting documents in advance. For example, if you are going to send your child to kindergarten in September, start applying for a subsidy in June.
4. If the decision is positive, the first payment will be made within two months, the rest - in accordance with the schedule established by the agreement.

Parents can choose the period for which to transfer money at their discretion:

• one-time payment for the whole year;
• monthly fee;
• quarterly payments.

Reference! Maternity capital funds can only be transferred in non-cash form to the bank account of the preschool educational institution. The certificate cannot be cashed; even if the contract is terminated, the money must be returned to the Pension Fund.

The amount of kindergarten fees is reduced in the following cases:

• quarantine;
• illness of the child (medical certificate required);
• summer holidays (lasting no more than 75 days);
• the child’s failure to attend kindergarten during parental leave, but not longer than 3 months;
• carrying out repairs or eliminating an accident in a preschool educational institution;
• simple in the organization where parents are employed.

According to paragraph 3 of Art. 65 Federal Law 273 of December 29, 2012, the fee is reduced or completely canceled for children:

• left without parents;
• with a disability;
• patients with tuberculosis.

Payment for kindergarten is made upon attendance and provision of services.

Making payment with maternity capital

The procedure has no difficulties. It is enough to simply draw up an agreement with the chosen kindergarten and submit it to the Pension Fund. Difficulties may arise during the drafting of the contract itself. Payment for kindergarten with maternity capital is carried out only by non-cash payment.

When can you make a payment:

• once a year;
• every month;
• every quarter.

Attention! It takes a month for the Pension Fund to review the application. After 2 months the first payment is made. The remaining funds are transferred in accordance with the agreement.

The nuances of drawing up an agreement with a kindergarten

The decision to admit a child is made by the head of the kindergarten. You need to contact her to conclude an agreement. First, parents need to study the license and charter of the preschool educational institution.

Directly when drawing up an agreement with a kindergarten, a number of nuances should be taken into account:

• parties to the agreement - a parent with a maternal certificate and a preschool institution;
• the obligation to look after the child, support and care for him must be specified;
• the procedure, amounts, terms of payment are included in a special section of the agreement;
• The details of the kindergarten, information about its license and charter must be written down;
• a bank account for transferring funds must be indicated.

Recommendation! For convenience, it is better to put the term, amount, and payment procedure in a separate section of the contract and write it down in detail.

How to pay for kindergarten using maternity capital

It would seem that it could be simpler than paying for kindergarten with maternity capital: you came to the kindergarten, signed an agreement, and took it to the Pension Fund. Ready!

It’s not as easy as it seems to actually understand the intricacies of paying with maternity capital for the maintenance of a child in kindergarten

Of course, if everything were really so simple, it is unlikely that citizens would en masse begin to wonder how to finally complete this transaction within the framework of the law and as quickly as possible.

You need to understand that the case you are looking for is accompanied by a number of different nuances that relate to:

• direct conclusion of the contract;
• various legal intricacies of the functioning of each educational preschool institution.

Funds due as payment to persons providing child care services can be transferred to the account of the relevant organizations only by bank transfer . In this case, the family must choose for itself how exactly the funds will be transferred to the account of a particular kindergarten:

• once a month;
• once in three months;
• once a year.

A month after the specialists of the Russian Pension Fund review all the documents you submitted, they will make a decision on whether to approve or refuse to use maternity capital funds. If everything goes well, the first transfer to the kindergarten account will be made two months after the decision is made, and subsequent transfers will be made according to the deadlines specified in the agreement.

Where to apply and how to complete it correctly

The application can be submitted in one of the following ways:

• by personally contacting the PFR office at the applicant’s place of residence;
• through the MFC;
• in electronic form through State Services or the service on the Pension Fund website.

When sending an electronic application within 5 days, the parent will still have to come to the Pension Fund or MFC office and provide the collected documents. However, through State Services you can make an appointment at a certain time so as not to sit in line.

The application must indicate the following information:

• Full name of the child’s legal representative;
• a request to send maternity capital funds to pay for kindergarten;
• Full name and date of birth of the child for whom the certificate was received;
• list of attached documents;
• current date and signature of the applicant.

If the application is approved, parents will receive a notification that money will be sent to pay for the kindergarten. This document should be taken to the preschool educational institution.

What documents need to be attached?

To obtain permission to use maternity capital to pay for kindergarten, you need to prepare a package of documents:

The application form can be obtained from the territorial office of the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation at the place of permanent registration or actual residence. The entire package of documents for payment is also submitted there.

Is it possible to receive compensation if maternity capital is used?

Payment for kindergarten with maternity capital does not cancel the compensation of part of the amounts from the local budget. In this way, the state provides additional social support to families raising and educating children.

The amount of compensation is fixed in regional regulations. In this case, the minimum values ​​are defined:

• for the firstborn - at least 20% of the cost of kindergarten services;
• for the second child - at least 50%;
• for the third and subsequent ones - at least 70%.

When maternity capital funds are used, the monetary compensation itself is not returned to the parents. The amount of kindergarten fees is initially reduced by the calculated amount.

Reference! According to amendments to Law No. 388-FZ of December 29, 2015, from the beginning of 2020, regional and municipal authorities can now, at their discretion, establish the degree of need for compensation. In some areas, this rule even applies to large families who are forced to pay for kindergartens entirely out of their own pockets.

The nuances of paying for private kindergartens with maternity capital

If a child goes to a private kindergarten, paying for it usually takes a significant part of the family budget. You can reduce this expense item with the help of maternal capital.

The Pension Fund of Russia makes the following requirements for private kindergartens:

1. Location on the territory of the Russian Federation.
2. Status of a legal entity and availability of a license to conduct relevant activities.
3. Carrying out training activities strictly according to programs that have passed state accreditation.
4. The presence of a strict distinction between services for supervision, care, maintenance of children and additional services for training and development in accordance with accepted educational programs.

It is important to know! Most of the private kindergartens currently operating have not passed state accreditation. In such cases, state support funds can only pay for the maintenance and care of the baby, and parents will have to pay for educational and developmental activities out of their own pockets.

Possibility of paying for kindergarten

From January 1, 2018, it is allowed to finance preschool education and upbringing, including the maintenance of a child in kindergarten, through the use of maternity capital, without waiting for the child to reach the age of three.
Thanks to the rules developed by the Government of July 14, 2014 No. 648, in addition to paying for college or university studies, it has become a reality that this benefit can also be used for services for the maintenance, supervision and care of children in a preschool educational organization (PEO).

To direct maternity capital for this purpose, you should contact the Pension Fund with an agreement, which must be signed between the certificate holder and the management of the kindergarten. Not only public but also private institutions are allowed to pay for services. At the same time, maternity capital is successfully used to pay for the education of several children at once.

Is it possible to pay with maternity capital for a kindergarten registered as an individual entrepreneur?

If the preschool educational institution you choose is registered as an individual entrepreneur, the requirements for it will be the same as for other institutions. Typically, individual entrepreneurs are home kindergartens or regular nannies who look after one or more children. They must have a state registration certificate, and if there are training and development programs, they must also have an appropriate license.

Only if the kindergarten has a license is it allowed to pay for services using maternity capital. However, in practice, most individual entrepreneurs are in no hurry to receive it, since by law it is not mandatory for them. So parents will most likely have to either pay for their services at their own expense or look for other preschool institutions.

Why can they refuse to pay for preschool education with a maternal certificate?

The Pension Fund of the Russian Federation may refuse to transfer maternity capital funds to pay for kindergarten if the following are identified:

1. The absence of one or more required documents or errors in their preparation.
2. Facts of receiving such a subsidy in the past.
3. Lack of a license to provide educational services.
4. The preschool educational institution does not have a registered legal entity status.

If there are any errors or missing documents, they can be completed and resubmitted. If the kindergarten does not meet the requirements, you should find another one and contact the Pension Fund again.

Refund of overpaid amounts from maternity capital funds

Excess maternity capital funds spent on paying for kindergarten must be returned to the Pension Fund budget. Therefore, you need to contact the Pension Fund again with an application in the following cases:

1. If you want to redirect state support funds for other purposes , an application to cancel the previous one is drawn up. It can be submitted within two months after the first application is accepted and before the transfer of funds by the Pension Fund.
2. When transferring a child to another kindergarten , an application to stop payments is submitted to the preschool educational institution specified in the contract, explaining the reason. A document confirming the child’s expulsion from kindergarten must be attached.
3. Upon the death of a child , a statement is written about the refusal to transfer maternity capital to pay for the kindergarten, indicating the reason. A death certificate must be attached.
4. If the terms of the contract change , an application is drawn up to adjust the amount and frequency of payments. It must be accompanied by an additional agreement to the main contract.

Recommendation! To avoid problems in the future, an additional agreement should be concluded immediately. It should include a condition that if the contract is terminated or the child stops visiting, the money will be returned to the PRF. Then you won’t have to send additional requests and waste your time.

How to pay

Parents sign an agreement with the educational organization. Then they provide it and other documents to the Pension Fund department. At this stage, it is important to take into account the subtleties of concluding a contract, as well as the work of the institution from a legal point of view. The mother and father choose the period for depositing funds independently. The amount can be received monthly, quarterly or annually by bank transfer.

Following the submission of the package of documents, the Pension Fund authorities consider the application. The decision-making period is 14-30 days from the date of registration. After a positive response, the money is transferred to the organization’s account within one and a half months (1st payment), the remaining payments will be made taking into account the terms specified in the agreement.

Read also: Monthly payments from maternity capital