The State Duma has proposed indexing pensions every three months

The authorities are discussing the possibility of indexing pensions to the inflation rate every three months. The initiative to increase the income of Russians quarterly was put forward by State Duma deputy Sergei Mironov. In his opinion, such frequent recalculation is necessary due to the continuing rise in prices. In addition, the parliamentarian suggested focusing not on the average inflation rate, but on a higher one, since "products, medicines, housing and communal services in demand by pensioners are becoming more expensive faster." MK found out from experts what difficulties this initiative may encounter during its implementation.

The State Duma has proposed increasing Russians' pensions by the inflation rate every three months. The author of this initiative, Sergei Mironov, believes that such a step is necessary, since otherwise "pensions will always lag behind price growth."

Let us recall that, according to Rosstat, inflation in 2024 was 9.52%. However, due to the fact that the government's preliminary calculations indicated a figure of 7.3%, this is the amount by which insurance pensions were indexed from January 1. To restore justice, it took the intervention of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who demanded that pensions be indexed by 2.2% "retroactively", that is, from January 1, pensioners received increased payments from the Social Fund of the Russian Federation in February, and then the additional payment for January arrived.

Inflation in April 2025 was 10.34%. However, the next general indexation of pensions will take place in January 2026. This is the injustice that Deputy Mironov drew attention to. Technically, there are no obstacles to indexing pensions every three months. "There are methods for calculating inflation rates quarterly, as well as by half-years and for the year," says Andrey Girinsky, associate professor of the RUDN University Faculty of Economics.

However, the parliamentarian's initiative may encounter more subtle difficulties. As Lyudmila Ivanova-Shvets, Associate Professor of the Basic Department of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation "Human Resources Management" at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, pointed out, the fact that indexation lags behind the inflation rate is a common practice; it does not happen differently in any country. "Our inflation is not that high, so maybe it is not worth indexing pensions every quarter," she explained. "It turns out that, taking into account the current inflation, indexation every three months can be up to 2-25%, which for some pensioners will amount to several hundred rubles. Of course, even such an amount will be support for some pensioners, but such an indexation amount may cause more surprise and discontent." Perhaps it is worth leaving the two-time indexation, as planned from 2026, but the size of the indexation should be oriented not only to the inflation rate, but also to the ratio of the average salary and the insurance pension, since now the average salary is growing at a higher rate without being tied to price growth, and it turns out that the gap between the insurance pension and the average salary is increasing, the expert suggested.

It should be recalled that in the recent history of Russia, pension indexation due to high inflation was carried out not once a year, but many times. "For example, in the period from January 1, 1992 until the pension reform of 2002, pensions in Russia were increased 27 times," emphasized Alexander Safonov, professor at the Financial University. "During this period, the pension amount increased 542 times! The reason is quite understandable - these are very high inflation rates. The decisions to carry out indexation were implemented on the basis of presidential decrees, Supreme Council resolutions and federal laws. This allowed for a faster response to the depreciation of pensioners' incomes." More frequent indexation is also carried out in other countries when the inflation rate exceeds target indicators. This scheme is also applicable in Russia, but this requires stable economic development and positive dynamics of wage growth, the scientist believes.

If we are talking about taking into account not the average inflation rate, but a higher one, since "products, medicines, housing and communal services in demand by pensioners are becoming more expensive faster," as Mironov noted in his proposal, then there are difficulties of a different kind. Let us recall that the deputy believes that the amount of payments to pensioners should not be lower than the cost of the consumer basket, the composition of which should be expanded. "Discussions about taking into account special consumer inflation have been going on for quite a long time," Safonov emphasized. "Such a solution has technical difficulties, which consist of how to determine this basket. If it is based on the consumer basket, and it already existed in our country, then many may not be satisfied with it: there will be disputes about its composition."