Grants and Allowances for IT-companies

As a part of the tax maneuver of the IT industry, from 2021 for Russian IT companies were reduced:

• income tax rates from 20% to 3%,
• insurance contributions to the wage fund - from 14% to 7.6%,
• 0% VAT rate is set for Russian licensed software.

In addition, the government approved amendments to the law "On Compulsory Pension Insurance in the Russian Federation":

• • indefinite reduction in the rate of insurance premiums for compulsory pension insurance from 8% to 6%.

At the same time, in order to implement the policy of import substitution and the transition to domestic software, new rules for the provision of state grants came into force on May 6, 2021. Now state grants will be allocated to the Russian Fund for the Development of Information Technologies (RFRIT), which in turn will distribute them between projects for the introduction of domestic products, services and platforms created on the basis of “end-to-end” digital technologies. 

Grants will be provided on a competitive basis as part of the implementation of the federal project "Digital Technologies" of the national program "Digital Economy of the Russian Federation" and will be aimed at the implementation of domestic IT solutions, hardware and software systems, software development.

The grants will cover the company's costs, including for informational, methodological and expert support of acceleration programs, as well as for full-time and part-time acceleration programs for the following types of expenses:

• expenses for wages to employees, including expenses for compulsory pension insurance, compulsory social insurance in case of temporary disability and in connection with maternity, compulsory medical insurance and compulsory social insurance from accidents at work and occupational diseases, accrued on the indicated amounts of expenses for labor remuneration - no more than 53%;
• overhead costs - no more than 16%;
• expenses for payment of works (services) of other organizations - no more than 11%;
• the cost of creating and maintaining workplaces for employees, including the cost of maintaining the premises - no more than 24%;
• expenses for development, implementation and (or) purchase of application software (licenses) - no more than 4%.

RFRIT has already started developing the tender documentation, where the requirements, rules and selection procedure will be approved, and in the near future plans to release a webinar to explain the changes, introduced by the amendment.

If your business develops or maintains software (even if it is not its main activity), you may qualify for grants and benefits. Contacts us for advice of TEAM professionals!