A low-income family is a family in which the per capita income is less than the subsistence level. People who have both education and work often fall into the low-income category. Most often this happens when a child appears in the family. If in a megalopolis one father at a good job can still feed his wife and child, then in the provinces, in some cities, a salary of 10-13 thousand is considered high. It is enough to divide it into three to understand that when a baby appears, the family slides beyond the subsistence level, which for 2012 is about 4600 rubles, especially after 1.5 years when they stop paying child benefits. However, families with a real income exceeding the cost of living by 5-10 times can fall into the category of low-income families. How? The fact is that for calculation in social services there is only a “white” salary, which for many is the minimum. Hence, a large number of low-income families with expensive apartments and annual holidays abroad.
However, wealthy people are unlikely to draw up benefits for poor families, because they are not so large, and for many they are not worth the paperwork that accompanies them. The size of payments and the type of assistance varies by region. Let us consider in more detail what subsidies to the poor may be. If we are talking about a family with a small child, then he is entitled to free meals for up to 2 years, while ordinary families (regardless of their income) are given curds, porridge and milk for free only up to a year. Secondly, children under three years of age are entitled to free medicines on prescription from a pediatrician (though the reality is that they are not always in pharmacies, and their effectiveness is lower than that of expensive foreign counterparts). Thirdly, children under the age of seven have the right to travel in public transport for free. In some areas, a low-income family living in a private house has the right to receive a discount on the purchase of coal for heating.
Students at school may be entitled to free meals. A separate category is material assistance to families with children. It depends both on the region of residence and on the age of the child. Parents whose children have not reached the age of 1.5 years are entitled to a minimum compensation of 750-800 rubles, because it is believed that at this time the mother receives maternity benefits. After the payment of benefits ceases, the amount doubles. When a child reaches the age of three, when a woman can already go to work and send the baby to kindergarten, payments are again reduced to a minimum. In some cities, poor families will receive once a month 1 ticket for each child to a circus, theater or other entertainment institution belonging to the city department. Another significant benefit is compensation for kindergarten payment. It is 20% of the amount paid with one child, half with two children and 70% each, if there are three or more children. In addition, low-income families with children have the right to get a place in a kindergarten at a reduced rate. Unfortunately, the story is silent about what parents should do if they did not get this place by the age of 3.
A separate category is an incomplete low-income family, in other words, single mothers. In addition to these subsidies, they are entitled to a number of benefits. In particular, for such mothers, the employer must pay the sick leave to care for a child who has not reached the age of fourteen in full, if the duration of the illness does not exceed 10 days, and at a 50% rate from 11 to 15 days. In addition, they cannot be dismissed by the reduction, nor can they be involved in night work without their consent. Incomplete low-income families have the right to housing on favorable terms.