Financial assistance following a relative’s death may have its own protection from enforcement. In bankruptcy, evidence should identify not only the loss but who paid a particular amount, to whom, and on what basis. A bank transfer labelled ‘for the funeral’ does not replace that review.
This concerns the bankruptcy of the living recipient. A statutory burial allowance is a separate payment. Other support is covered in the general financial-assistance guide.
Information and legal grounds checked on 8 September 2026.
A specific legal basis
Different assistance payments have different treatment. Identify the payment first.
Two sets of evidence
Death and relationship documents establish the event; the payer’s decision and bank statement establish the money.
No concealed transfers
Explain protected funds to the financial manager instead of using another person’s card to bypass disclosure.
Keep these receipts separate
| Receipt | Review | Supporting evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Organisation’s assistance after a relative’s death | Award basis and link to the event | Award order, assistance policy and relationship evidence |
| One-off aid following a family member’s death | Source, one-off nature and family relationship | Aid decision or agreement and event documents |
| Statutory burial allowance | The actual allowance award, not just funeral expenditure | Award decision and payment evidence |
| Wages sent with the assistance | The separate employment-income amount | Itemized payslip |
| Inheritance, insurance or debt repayment | Its independent legal basis | Inheritance, policy or settlement documents |
Relevant legal grounds
Article 101(1) of Law No. 229-FZ provides two relevant grounds: paragraph 8(c) concerns money paid by an organisation following a relative’s death, while paragraph 14(c) concerns one-off financial assistance following a family member’s death from specified and other sources. Statutory burial allowance is listed separately in paragraph 17.
In asset realization, Article 213.25 of the Bankruptcy Law governs the exclusion of enforcement-exempt assets; disagreements may be referred to the court in the bankruptcy case. Do not replace a specific exemption argument with a request to retain ordinary income.
Evidence of the relationship
Collect the death record and documents tracing the relevant family relationship. A name change may require another linking document. Share information relevant to the issue; passwords and access to personal accounts are not needed.
Do not automatically import a definition from a tax exemption, employment leave rule or inheritance rule into every assistance scheme. If the relationship is not obvious, explain the facts and the precise basis of the award. This article does not establish a universal list of qualifying relatives for every programme.
What to request from the payer
Ask an organisation for its order or a certificate identifying the recipient, event, amount, date, award basis and separate assistance figure. An itemized breakdown is needed if wages were sent together. A death certificate alone does not establish that a RUB 30,000 bank credit was financial assistance.
For another source of support, collect the decision, agreement, application or correspondence explaining its purpose. A private transfer is neither automatically exempt nor automatically excluded from consideration because no employer was involved: its basis and evidence need review. Clarify real facts rather than retrospectively inventing a payment purpose.
Protection from enforcement does not mean every employer must award assistance of any requested amount. Entitlement to receive it and the payment process depend separately on the applicable instrument or agreement.
Assistance and wages in one transfer
Illustrative example: an employer sends RUB 80,000. Its records show RUB 50,000 in wages and RUB 30,000 in assistance. Send the manager the breakdown, award order, event documents and bank statement showing the combined credit. The request concerns the evidenced RUB 30,000, not the entire RUB 80,000.
This illustrates document preparation, not a decided court case. Wages have separate treatment; see receiving wages during bankruptcy. If the documents show only one undifferentiated line, ask payroll for clarification first.
When access to the funds is restricted
Find out whether the issue is account restrictions during asset realization, enforcement debiting, or a transfer to the financial manager. Ask the bank for transaction details, and send the manager the evidence and a request for the process of receiving the protected amount.
If there is disagreement, request a written position. A court application should identify the exact sum, exemption basis and disputed action, with correspondence attached. Do not assume that sending a letter automatically stops distribution. If creditors have already received the money, the appropriate remedy depends on the actual stage of the transaction.
Prepare the request to the financial manager
Identify the assistance
State the case number, payer, recipient and award basis.
Link the evidence
Match the event, assistance decision and specific bank credit.
Separate the amount
Distinguish assistance from wages, burial allowance and other receipts.
Request the receipt procedure
Ask for review of the exemption and the process for releasing the amount; retain the response.
Document checklist
This is an organisational checklist, not proof that every receipt is protected.
Frequently asked questions
Is assistance the same as statutory burial allowance?
No. Their legal grounds differ. Keep separate award documents rather than combining payments into an unsupported total.
Is a transfer marked ‘for the funeral’ sufficient?
No. Evidence should establish the event, relationship and basis of the particular assistance. The transfer description is only part of the evidence.
Is every transfer from relatives after a bereavement exempt?
There is no automatic conclusion. Check whether it is qualifying one-off assistance or has another basis, such as repayment of a debt.
Can assistance be sent to someone else’s card?
Do not use another person’s account to conceal funds. Agree on a transparent receipt process with the manager: the payment route itself creates no exemption.
Related payments
Statutory burial allowance · Types of financial assistance · Wages during bankruptcy
Need to establish a payment’s protection?
An initial consultation can review the award basis, supporting documents and reason for restricted access to the money.
General information about Russian law. Treatment depends on the payment basis and evidence; a favourable dispute outcome is not guaranteed.