The maximum amount of sick leave will increase by one and a half times by 2026

The benefit amount is calculated individually based on the employee’s length of service and income. Employees with income over 200 thousand rubles and eight years of experience will be able to receive the maximum payment. Now it is 4 thousand rubles per day.

When calculating sick leave payments, the employee’s earnings from previous years are used. At the same time, a limit has been established: if the annual income exceeds 2.2 million rubles, the profit is calculated based on this amount. In 2023 it was 1.9 million rubles. The value of the minimum payment is linked to the minimum wage.

Government Financial University professor Yulia Dolzhenkova noted that increasing the maximum benefit amount probably will not have a significant impact for most Russians. Andrey Girinsky, associate professor at the RUDN Faculty of Economics, agrees with her. “To receive the maximum benefit, it is necessary that the official work experience be at least eight years, and the salary be double the national average,” he stated.

Furthermore, with the spread of remote work, many people prefer to work from home in case of illness, rather than taking sick leave, Dolzhenkova noted. According to her, businessmen in general perceive this practice positively.

Starting in 2026, self-employed workers in Russia will be able to make voluntary contributions to the Social Fund to receive benefits in case of illness, the Ministry of Labor announced in April. For now, self-employed people can only apply for a pension voluntarily and to receive sick leave they need, for example, to register as an individual entrepreneur.