Due to climatic and other conditions that complicate work in certain regions of Russia, the government is taking additional measures to support the population that lives in them, calculating the so-called "northern coefficients". There are also a number of other measures, many of which are approved and implemented in accordance with local and regional initiatives, but such a tool is the main tool at the state level to maintain the material equality of citizens living throughout Russia. Northern coefficients are a fixed percentage that multiplies the wage and a certain number of other types of income of a citizen in order to cover the overpriced expenses necessary for a comfortable stay in an unfavorable territory.
Features of the law
In accordance with the current legislation, the norms for using this tool are reflected in various regulatory acts. In particular, a sphere has been fixed in which northern coefficients are used, the possibility of adjusting their rates for individual power structures, and the maximum possible value is established. The territories providing for the use of this tool are indicated in the Decree of the Ministry of Labor No. 49, issued on September 11, 1995. Other laws also regulate the possibility of using the northern coefficients for the Far North regions and for a number of other territories with similar status.
Payment by coefficient affects the amount of different income received. This primarily concerns salaries, but in addition to this, it is also used in the calculation of mandatory social benefits. For employees of military units who serve in similar territories, the northern and district coefficients are calculated on the cash allowance due to them. It is also worth noting the fact that the military is additionally covered by a whole series of conditions expanded in comparison with civilians, according to which the coefficient is assigned - they have the right to use the increase in wages for service in highland, desert, and also for storage military secrets.
Northern and district coefficients are provided for those citizens who constantly live or are engaged in labor activities in the territory with harsh conditions. In addition, allowances were also given to pensioners at the time of granting a pension to people with more than 25 years of experience, 15 of which should be worked out in the Far North.
Territories
District coefficients and northern premiums, first of all, depend on a specific territory. That is why such an increase in different regions of Russia in 2016 had different values, ranging from 1.15 for residents of Karelia and ending with 2.0 for those located on the islands and coastal areas of the Arctic Ocean, on Sakhalin, or in diamond mining areas on the territory of Republic of Sakha. To make the district coefficients and northern allowances more understandable and transparent, a special list is used, established in accordance with applicable law.
Generally speaking, an additional payment is assigned for the following territories:
- Far Eastern region.
- Territories of the Far North and those areas that are equated to them.
- The southern territory of Eastern Siberia.
List
Initially, Law No. 4520-1 of February 19, 1993 was issued, according to which both the regional and northern factors are calculated. 2014 is listed as the last revision date of this law.
Next, we will consider a listing of all territories for which such allowances are provided, starting from the most severe for living and ending with the most favorable.
- 2.0 - this northern coefficient of wages is expected for all people working on the islands that are in the Arctic Ocean and its seas (the only exception is Dixon Island, as well as the islands of the White Sea). Also included here are: The Republic of Sakha, which includes already built and only developing enterprises operating in the field of diamond mining. North Kuril, South Kuril and Kuril regions, as well as the Kuril Islands. The entire territory of the Chukotka Autonomous Region.
- 1.8 - allowance is provided for residents of the city of Norilsk and all settlements subordinate to its administration. The bonus also applies to the city of Murmansk-140.
- 1.7 is the northern coefficient for wages for the Lensky district, the city of Mirny and all settlements subordinate to its administration and located on the territory of the Republic of Sakha. The premium is also charged to residents of the urban-type village of Tumanny, located in the Murmansk region.
- 1.6 - allowance provided for residents of Vorkuta and all settlements subordinate to its administration. It is also provided for many areas of the Republic of Sakha, namely: Anabar, Olenek, Allaikhovsky, Abyisky, Bulunsky, Verkhoyansk, Zhigansky, Mirny and others. The northern coefficient in Krasnoyarsk and the Krasnoyarsk Territory is envisaged for the Turukhansky district, the city of Igarka and all the surrounding settlements, as well as the areas located to the north of the Arctic Circle. The entire territory of the Kamchatka region, the Koryak autonomous region and the Okhotsk region of the Khabarovsk Territory also provide for this increase.
- 1.5 - is provided for the city of Inta and all settlements subordinate to its administration in the territory of the Komi Republic. There are also other territories for which such a northern coefficient is provided: Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug (Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug); village Kangalassi (Yakutia); Todzhinsky, Mongun-Taiginsky and Kyzyl districts of the Republic of Tuva. In addition, this includes the entire territory of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.
- 1.4 - the calculation of the district and northern coefficient is provided for the entire territory of the Republic of Sakha, the city of Kem and the surrounding settlements, the entire territory of the Republic of Tuva and a number of separate settlements.
- 1.3 - the most extensive coefficient, which is provided for a number of regions and areas: Evenki Autonomous Okrug, Republics of Karelia, Buryatia, Komi; Krasnoyarsk Territory; Amur, Irkutsk, Chita, Tomsk and other regions.
- 1,2 - the calculation of the northern coefficient in this amount is provided for individual cities of the Republic of Buryatia and Komi, as well as Primorsky Territory, Khabarovsk Territory and the entire territory of the Arkhangelsk Region.
- 1.15 - a special coefficient provided for the entire territory of the Republic of Karelia.
How is the size determined?
In order to understand what the northern coefficient or allowance is provided to residents of a particular area, a number of factors are used that can affect the health and livelihood of a person as a whole, namely:
- transport accessibility;
- specific features of the local climate;
- special environmental factors.
To determine the allowance for your region, you can familiarize yourself with the text of the relevant documents, as they contain not only a list of regions, but also its individual regions, which is also quite important. Calculation of the northern coefficient today is carried out in accordance with Government Decision No. 1237, which was issued on December 30, 2011. Some particularly large regions, such as the Krasnoyarsk Territory and others, due to their too long length and area, provide different conditions for individual regions with in increments.
What payments can a premium be used for?
In accordance with the current legislation, several main types of income are determined, to which the northern coefficients and premiums apply:
- Actual earnings of a citizen, which includes directly salary, tariff rate, as well as basic and official salaries. That is why, if the clause is indicated in the employment contract that the coefficient is assigned only to the salary part, this indicates a direct violation of the rights of the employee, which must be restored in court.
- All kinds of surcharges, including those that are assigned to a person for length of service.
- Minimum wage.
- Compensation for working in hazardous or especially harmful conditions. It also includes the calculation of the allowance for night shift work.
- Surcharges that are determined in accordance with the tariff provisions or are assigned for any special professional achievements.
- Prizes assigned in accordance with the results of the production year.
- Compensation paid on sick leave.
- Payment of seasonal or temporary labor, as well as part-time or part-time work.
Special attention should be paid to pensions, as the situation here is special. Pension savings, in principle, initially include the used coefficient, while the right to receive increased payments is retained only if the person continues to live in the territory for which it is laid down in accordance with the law. In the event of a move, a partial or even complete loss of the right to charge the northern coefficient may be awarded.
Why is there no extra charge?
The coefficient affects the size of the accrued payment, ensuring its proportional increase, and through accounting it is posted in the form of an additional percentage to the standard payment. But at the same time there is a certain list of incomes for which the northern coefficient will be canceled or canceled:
- Travel expenses. In this case, the employee is not engaged in the performance of his direct labor duties in an unfavorable territory.
- Holiday There is much debate about whether the district coefficient can be charged on vacation pay, but in fact, such a payment is initially calculated in accordance with the increased base rate, so there are no allowances for it.
- Payment of material support and other one-time bonuses. The ratio can only be applied to standing payments.
- Other surcharges for labor activities carried out in the Far North and territories similar to its status. Thus, the district coefficient and the northern allowances have a common goal, but they are not related in any way.
Northern allowances
People who perform their duties in a particularly harsh climate in the Far North or similar in status have the right to receive northern allowances. It is worth noting that this concept is not official, and they only determine the increase for seniority in certain conditions. The main purpose of such a payment is to compensate for particularly high material costs to ensure a comfortable life.
In accordance with modern legislation, there is no regulation of any such issues of the use of allowances, and all the fundamental norms were developed back in the days of the USSR. The only significant mention is perhaps article No. 317 of the Labor Code, which states that the determination of the amount and purpose of payment is fully regulated by analogy with the district coefficient.
The right to receive the northern allowance is provided for employees of enterprises that are engaged in the performance of their duties in certain territories. It is worth noting that in some of them the accrual of the premium is provided only for certain areas, and basically such regions are characterized by the presence of zones with sharply different conditions.
How to calculate it?
The size of the allowance is the same for any territories and amounts to 10% after the first six months of work. After that, the so-called incentive system begins to work, and every additional six months of operation, this increase increases by another 10% up to the point that it reaches the maximum possible 80% or 100%, depending on the specific area.
In territories that, according to their characteristics, were equated to regions of the Far North, a 10% rate can be accrued only after a year of work, and in the future it also increases only every year, growing to the maximum possible 30% or 50% depending on a particular region.
In some situations, it is possible to increase the maximum size of such surcharges, but for this, own regions-specific money should already be used.
Youth supplements
Special conditions for the payment of northern allowances are provided for young professionals. Until 2005, there was a provision in accordance with which employees under the age of 30 could receive the maximum possible value of this payment immediately after employment, but subsequently this provision was canceled, leaving only for those people who had already managed to live in the North for more than 2005 five years. The main purpose of this measure was to prevent the excessive outflow of young specialists from the northern territories.
Benefits to young
At the same time, it is worth noting the fact that young professionals still have some preferential conditions for receiving northern allowances, namely:
- After six months of work, they immediately accrue an additional 20%.
- For each subsequent half-year that the specialist is working in the North, his premium is increased by another 20% up to 60%.
- For a full year under the same conditions, wages increase by 20% to the maximum allowable 100%.
In other words, it is enough for young specialists to work for three and a half years in the North in order to receive 100% of the additional payment. For territories that are not related to the Far North, payout growth remains at 10% for every six months, ending with a limit value of 50%.
The state is trying in every possible way to support citizens who are engaged in their work in harsh conditions, and in order to encourage their activities, as well as to prevent an active outflow of labor from these areas, various options for material support are used. In the same way, the work of everyone who agreed to fulfill their duty in difficult conditions is encouraged.
Will these allowances be canceled?
At the end of 2014, many began to think that the northern coefficient would be canceled. The reason for this was the report of the Minister of Labor that such allowances are an unnecessary burden on accounting and should be removed. In fact, it is incorrect to say that the northern coefficient has been canceled, since only minor changes have occurred in the Labor Code. These changes concern mainly employees of enterprises located in areas of accelerated development. In other words, the abolition of the northern coefficient did not occur; only some of the rules for calculating it have changed.
It is also worth noting that the innovations apply only to those workers who worked at commercial enterprises, as well as to persons with individual entrepreneurs. This is directly related to the fact that this law, which, according to many, was supposed to remove the northern coefficient, does not apply to government institutions.