The State Duma has adopted in the first reading a bill that allows banks not to carry out identification of citizens if the funds are directed to the payment of residential premises and communal services, and the payment amount is less than 60 thousand rubles.
According to deputies, the adoption of the bill will simplify the procedure for accepting payments and facilitate the receipt of payment for accumulated multi-month arrears for housing and communal services.
What is the maximum payment amount for customer verification?
The maximum payment amount for which customer identification – individual – is not required was introduced in 2006 for certain transactions, including payments for residential premises and communal services, in the amount of 30 thousand rubles.
In 2009, the limit of 15 thousand rubles was set for all types of payment transactions, including utilities.
The authors warn that the average monthly payment for housing and communal services in 2023 reached the size of the current limit of 15 thousand rubles in some regions of the Russian Federation, which requires the identification of about 50% of all payers for housing and communal services.
Financial organizations have to conduct identification of no less than 200 thousand payers across the country every month.
How many debtors are there for housing and communal services in Russia?
According to the Federal Bailiffs’ Service, by the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2023, the number of persistent debtors for housing and communal services (those against whom enforcement proceedings for recovery are initiated) reached 7.9 million people.
According to Rosstat, as of the results of the first quarter of the same year, the debt of Russians for housing and communal services reached almost 900 billion rubles. Over the year, the indicator grew by 72 billion rubles, and in 2022, it increased by 56.6 billion rubles.
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