RUSSIAN PERSONAL BANKRUPTCY • PROTECTED PAYMENTS
The annual payment for a guide dog’s maintenance and veterinary care is expressly protected from enforcement. In personal bankruptcy, document the purpose of the transfer and arrange access with the financial administrator. A food e-certificate must be recorded separately.
Information checked: 7 September 2026. This guide concerns a payment recipient undergoing the asset-realisation stage of Russian personal bankruptcy. It does not replace an individual review of the documents.
Annual payment
It has its own legal protection. Do not replace that ground with a request to keep part of a salary.
Travel to collect the dog
The statutory reimbursement for the relevant journey and the dog’s transport has a separate provision.
Food e-certificate
This is a restricted payment mechanism, not an addition to the available balance in a bank account.
Can creditors take guide-dog compensation?
Point 25 of part 1 of Article 101 of Federal Law No. 229-FZ protects the annual cash compensation paid to a person with a disability for a guide dog’s maintenance and veterinary care. Point 26 separately covers the specified reimbursement of travel to collect the dog and its transport, subject to the conditions in that provision. These rules do not exempt every expense incurred by an animal’s owner.
In bankruptcy, rely on this protection for the identified payment and the documented remaining amount. Article 213.25 of the Bankruptcy Law governs exclusion of protected assets and resolution of disagreements; paragraph 1 of Supreme Court Plenum Resolution No. 48 explains the financial administrator’s role. If a dispute arises, it is considered by the arbitrazh court handling the bankruptcy.
The exemption does not mean that a bank will automatically allow unrestricted use of the account during asset realisation. There must be a clear arrangement for accessing the protected money. Restricted access does not by itself prove that creditors have already received the funds.
Distinguish the forms of support
| Support | What to check | What to give the administrator |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash compensation | The award must specifically concern maintenance and veterinary care | The award document and a bank statement showing date, amount, sender and purpose |
| Reimbursement of travel to collect the dog | Whether it falls under Article 101(1)(26), rather than any journey with an animal | The reimbursement decision; where needed, the referral, tickets and evidence of expenditure |
| Food e-certificate | Its purpose, expiry date and availability of certificate payments | Certificate information separately from the bank statement |
| Salary, pension or private transfer | The independent legal basis of each receipt | A separate breakdown; a payment description saying “for the dog” does not create an exemption |
What changed with the food certificate in 2026?
According to the Social Fund’s announcement of 16 July 2026, the food certificate can be used for 12 months after receipt and is issued automatically following a positive decision on annual compensation. The cash payment has also been retained. Two distinct forms of support may therefore appear in the recipient’s documents.
The Social Fund explains how e-certificates operate: the Mir card identifies the holder, while funds are reserved with the Treasury and paid to the seller at purchase. The certificate’s face value should not be treated as an ordinary account credit or money available for cash withdrawal. Check the purpose and usage conditions of the particular certificate.
If bankruptcy restrictions make the card unavailable, tell the administrator about the linked certificate and obtain the bank’s and Social Fund’s procedure for lawful targeted payments. Do not open a new account on your own or try to cash out the certificate through someone else’s card: targeted support does not cancel the restrictions of the bankruptcy procedure.
How to notify the financial administrator
- Collect evidence. Keep the awarding authority’s decision or certificate, the bank statement and the e-certificate details. This is a practical evidence checklist for the bankruptcy case, not an exhaustive list of documents required to apply for Social Fund support.
- Separate the amounts. List each cash receipt with its date, amount and legal basis. Put the certificate on a separate line without adding its value to the account balance.
- Send a written request. Give the bankruptcy case number, identify the payment and explain the applicable protection. Ask that the protected amount not be distributed to creditors and that an access procedure be established. Attach evidence and retain proof of delivery.
- Clarify the practical arrangement. Obtain an answer explaining which amount is accessible, on what document and what steps are necessary at the bank. If access is refused, request specific reasons.
- Take unresolved disagreements to court. Attach correspondence, award documents and account statements. Making a request does not automatically stop distributions: where urgent, the need for interim measures must be assessed separately.
If money has been withheld or mixed with salary
First establish where the money is: on a restricted account, transferred to the debtor’s main account, or already distributed. Request the statement and basis of the transaction, and match the amount to the award decision. A mixed balance may require tracing movements of money; a disability certificate alone does not establish the source of the entire balance.
Do not transfer the remainder to relatives to conceal it, or assume that repayment is automatic. The appropriate claim depends on who carried out the transaction and on what basis. Preserve the documents and promptly send specific objections to the administrator.
Illustration: two documents, not one combined income figure
A recipient has an annual compensation notice, the matching credit in a bank statement and a separate food-certificate entry. The request to the administrator identifies the cash payment by date and purpose. The certificate’s value is not added to the account funds. If salary was also credited there, its treatment is assessed independently: owning a guide dog does not automatically protect the whole salary.
This is a teaching example, not an account of a court case or a promise of an outcome.
Frequently asked questions
Is compensation protected only up to the subsistence minimum?
The statutory annual compensation has an independent basis of protection. It should not be treated as ordinary income protected only within the minimum. The payment type and disputed amount still need to be established.
Is any transfer marked “for the dog” protected?
No. Money from a friend or relative does not become statutory compensation merely because of the transfer description. The source, legal basis and award documents must be checked.
Can I open a new card for the payment?
During asset realisation, an individual is generally prohibited from personally opening bank accounts. Receiving this compensation does not itself remove that prohibition. Agree the payment and certificate arrangements with the administrator, bank and, where needed, the Social Fund.
Should I disclose a protected payment to the administrator?
Yes, it is sensible to provide its purpose and supporting documents in advance: protection from enforcement is not a reason to conceal information. Disclosure helps separate compensation from other money and prevent disputes over distributions.
Related guide: receiving salary during bankruptcy. Salary rules do not replace the separate protection of targeted compensation.
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