Pensions will increase, debts will be limited, and installment payments will be cut: what will change in the lives of Russians from April 1.

      On the website of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, a list of laws that will come into effect in April 2026 has been published. We discuss the innovations that will affect the wallets of Russians, loans, and social guarantees.

      Laws coming into force on April 1:

      Social pensions will increase

      Starting tomorrow, social pensions will be indexed by 6.8%. The amount of the indexation is calculated based on the growth rate of the minimum subsistence level for pensioners over the past year. Let us remind you that social pensions are received by:

      citizens with disabilities

      those who have lost their breadwinner

      those who have no work experience or insufficient experience to qualify for an insurance pension.

      Regulation of installment services

      From April 1, rules for operators of installment services and the rights of their users will be established. Now the price for the buyer will be unified: the cost of the goods when purchased in this way must correspond to the price when fully paid. In addition, operators will be prohibited from charging buyers extra fees for providing installments. The maximum installment period will be six months. The Bank of Russia will maintain a register of such services.

      Protection of borrowers' rights

      From April 1, the maximum amount of charges (interest, penalties, fees) on consumer loans and loans for a term of up to one year will be reduced from 130% to 100% of the principal amount. Thus, the total debt cannot exceed double the amount of the loan. This will help reduce the debt burden on citizens.

      Development of medical research centers

      From April 1, organizations under the jurisdiction of federal or regional executive authorities engaged in medical, scientific, or research activities will be able to obtain the status of a national medical research center. The criteria and procedure for granting this status will be determined by the Government of Russia. Among the areas of work for the centers:

      rehabilitation

      treatment of diseases

      development of innovations.

      Laws coming into force on April 3:

      Strengthening control over tariffs in the housing and utilities sector

      The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) will be able to independently review the maximum tariff levels to bring them in line with the legislation. The basis for this will be the repeated failure of regional authorities to comply with FAS decisions.

      Responsibility for violations in tariff regulation

      From April 3, officials of regional authorities in the field of price and tariff regulation will face disqualification for up to three years for repeated disregard of FAS decisions without the alternative of fines.

      Guarantees for large families

      Now the list of property of large families that cannot be seized for debts will be supplemented by a land plot provided free of charge. In addition, it will be prohibited to seize a vehicle if it is the only one in the family.

      Law coming into force on April 26:

      Simplification of citizenship registration for children by birth

      From April 26, an application for the registration of Russian citizenship acquired by birth can be submitted remotely in electronic form to the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. In addition, the list of persons entitled to submit such an application is expanded. Now this can be done by an adoptive parent and an authorized representative of the guardianship and custody authority.

      The State Duma also reminded of a bill that has already come into effect. Thus, starting March 23, a fine for driving a vehicle without a compulsory insurance policy (OSAGO) will be charged only once within 24 hours from the moment of the first detection of such an offense.