Оn January 1, 2022, the Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation №1951 dd. 16.11.2021 comes into force. It concerns increasing the rate limit for insurance payments in cases of temporary disability and maternity, and also mandatory pension insurance:

• The rate limit for social insurance, in cases of temporary disability and maternity, for each individual does not exceed 1,032,000 rubles on a cumulative basis starting fr om the 1 January 2022;
• The rate limit for mandatory pension insurance does not exceed 1,565,000 rubles on a cumulative basis starting from the 1 January 2022 for each individual.

The payments for health care insurance and social payments in case of injuries will have to be made on the basis of all the taxable incomes irrespective of their amount. There will be no lim it for them, as before.

We would like to draw your attention to the fact that starting fr om January 1, 2022 a new standard for accounting for fixed assets (hereinafter referred to as FA) is mandatory for usage – FAS 6/2020.

The corresponding changes were made by the Order of the Ministry of Finance N204n dated September 17, 2020. Before transition to the new standard, we recommend that you do the following:

• Establish a limit on the cost of fixed assets to allocate the cost of an asset to the FA or the low-value FA category;
• Conduct an inventory of fixed assets and other assets that, in accordance with FAS 6/2020, could be classified as fixed assets based on the new cost limit;
• Make appropriate changes to the accounting policy of the Company;
• Determine the useful life period of the FA and the terms of the annual testing of it for relevance;
• Sel ect the method of subsequent accounting of the FA (after initial recognition), at initial or revalued cost;
• Determine the liquidation value (hereinafter referred to as LV) of fixed assets on the balance sheet of the enterprise. and the timing of the annual LV assessment;
• For the method of assessing fixed assets at a revalued cost, establish the frequency of revaluation of fixed assets for each group of revalued fixed assets;
• Reflect changes in the organization’s balance sheet as of 01.01.2022 using incoming adjustments;
• Disclose relevant information in the accounting (financial) statements of the company.

What does this mean in practice?

According to the new standard, an organization has the right to independently set a cost limit for classifying an object as a fixed asset, in the contrast to the previously existing limit of 40,000 rubles.

With an increase in the limit (if, for example, an organization decides to set it at the level of 100,000 rubles in order to make it equal to the FA limit in tax accounting), some fixed assets may no longer meet the accounting FA lim it criteria and will need to be reclassified as low-value FA, writing off the net book value of the period as an expense (clause 5 of FAS 6 / 2020), while it will be still necessary to keep inventory and off-balance sheet records of such objects.

The standard introduces the concept of residual value – the amount that an entity would receive if an item were disposed of (including tangible assets remaining after disposal), less the estimated disposal costs at the time of disposal. A LV of the particular can be equal to zero if at the end of the UL no more benefits are expected fr om the disposal of the object, if receipts are expected, but they are not material, or if it is impossible to determine how much will be received upon disposal of an asset (paragraph 31 of FAS 6/2020). 

The liquidation value of fixed assets should be systematically (at least, at the end of each year) analyzed for changes and, if necessary, adjusted (clause 37 of FAS 6/2020).

Also, the innovation of the standard – the accrual of depreciation on fixed assets is not suspended (including in cases of downtime or temporary break in the use of fixed assets), except for the case when the residual value of an item of fixed assets becomes equal to or exceeds its book value (hereinafter BV). If subsequently the residual value of such an item of fixed assets becomes less than its book value, depreciation is resumed on it (paragraph 30 of FAS 6/2020).

What should be done?

According to paragraphs 48-49 of FAS 6/2020, the consequences of a change in accounting policy associated with the beginning of the application of the new standard should be reflected retrospectively – as if the specified standard had always been applied.

It is necessary to recalculate and adjust the balance sheet statement in the part of fixed assets as of 01.01.2022, in case there was no early application of the standard, and also determine the BV – the initial asset cost less accumulated depreciation. The initial cost should be calculated according to the previously existing rules, and the accumulated depreciation – according to the norms of the new standard (clause 49).

Prospective application of the standard, without incoming adjustments at the beginning of the year, is possible only for organizations that are entitled to use simplified accounting methods, including simplified accounting (financial) statements (paragraph 51 of FAS 6/2020).

We will be happy to answer your questions!

We would like to pay your attention to the fact that the changes specified in the Federal Law No. 274-FZ of July 01, 2021 “On the introduction of amendments to the Federal Law “On the legal status of foreign citizens in the Russian Federation” and the Federal law “On state fingerprint registration in the Russian Federation” shall become effective from December 29, 2021.

According to the Federal Law No. 274-FZ of July 01, 2021 foreign citizens who have arrived in the Russian Federation for working purposes (including highly qualified specialists) shall be subject to mandatory medical examination for substance abuse, infectious diseases that constitute a danger to the public, as well as HIV infection, to state fingerprint registration and photography within 30 calendar days from the date of arrival in the Russian Federation or from the date of receipt of work permission documents.

Besides, foreign citizens who have arrived in the Russian Federation for purposes other than work for a period exceeding 90 calendar days shall be subject to the abovementioned mandatory medical examination, mandatory state fingerprint registration and photography within 90 calendar days from the date of arrival in the Russian Federation.

State fingerprint registration and photography of foreign citizens will need to be completed once.

The medical examination must be repeated multiple times depending on period of validity of medical certificates. It is necessary to mention that in accordance with the clause 20 of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation Order No. 1079нof November 19, 2021 that enters into force from March 01, 2022, medical certificates issued to foreign citizens will be in force within 3 months from their issuance. The Law specifies the procedure for repeated medical examination and submission deadline of its results to the territorial authority of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation within 30 calendar days from the date of expiry of medical certificates. The results of the medical examination are to be submitted by a foreign employee in person or through the Russian unified portal of state and municipal services (Gosuslugi).

If a foreign citizen fails to comply with the above-mentioned mandatory procedures, the period of his residence is reduced and he will be obliged to leave the territory of the Russian Federation.

Comment of swilar Moscow General Director Daria Pogodina for the December issue of the Russian-German Chamber of Commerce briefing