Cash cliff: Teachers complain about delayed payments for classroom guidance
Delays in payments to teachers for classroom guidance have been recorded in at least 10 regions of Russia. This was reported to Izvestia by the branch trade union. We are talking about a federal supplement for classroom teachers — its amount is 5 thousand or 10 thousand rubles per month (the amount depends on the number of residents of the locality). The Teacher trade union appealed to the Prosecutor General's Office with a request to check and eliminate violations. Lawyers point out that the delay in such payments is a violation of labor laws.
Where payments were not received
In February 2026, teachers from 10 regions began complaining about the non-issuance of federal incentive payments for classroom management. This was reported to Izvestia by the Teacher trade union. This organization also sent an appeal to the Prosecutor General's Office (the publication has the document).
— Payments for January were not received by at least teachers from 10 regions: Chelyabinsk Region, Irkutsk Region, Zabaikalsky Territory, Ryazan Region, Udmurtia, Rostov-on-Don, Arkhangelsk Region, Republic of Karelia, Tambov Region, Khabarovsk Territory, — said Olga Miryasova, the trade union's organizing secretary.
As Dmitry Kazakov, the head of the trade union, reminded, the payment for classroom guidance is fixed: 5 thousand rubles for school teachers in cities with a population of more than 100 thousand people and 10 thousand rubles for settlements with less than 100 thousand people.
"At the same time, an educational institution can increase the amount of this payment from the institution's payroll, but it cannot reduce it," he explained.
Payments have already started in some of the regions where the complaints came from. In particular, in the Khabarovsk Territory. Teachers who did not receive their allowance on time shared with Izvestia a warning about non-payment, which was sent to them in messengers. It was sent to the management of educational institutions with a request to "conduct explanatory work with the teaching staff."
"Funds for the payment of classroom guidance, funded from the federal budget, have not been fully allocated from the Ministry of Education and Science," the teachers were warned. "In addition, given the regulations for treasury payments, funds will be credited to the accounts of educational institutions with a delay."
At the same time, the Ministry of Education and Science is not responsible for schools, the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation is engaged in this. Izvestia sent a request to the agency asking if the situation was really as explained to teachers on the ground. In addition, the publication asked the authorities of the Khabarovsk Territory to provide the reason for the late payment and sent a request to Rosobrnadzor: whether the agency had received complaints about the delay in federal payments.
As teachers from the Khabarovsk Territory told Izvestia, they began receiving payments after they complained to local deputies.
Among the complaints from teachers was also an appeal from the Arkhangelsk region. It said that the additional payment for classroom instruction had been included in the payslips, but in fact it had not been received. Teachers from Bashkiria spoke about a similar situation. Teachers from the Trans—Baikal Territory actively complained - according to them, "all schools" in the Mogochinsky district did not receive an additional payment for classroom guidance.
In an appeal to the Prosecutor General's Office, the trade union asked for an audit and, if the facts are confirmed, to bring the perpetrators to administrative responsibility on the basis of Article 5.27 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation — on violation of labor legislation. It provides for a fine of up to 5,000 rubles for officials and up to 50,000 rubles for legal entities.
After sending the appeal to the trade union, a complaint was received from a teacher from Primorsky Krai. "In the calculation for January, they wrote that the company owed an employee," it says.
Izvestia sent inquiries to all regions from which complaints were received, asking them to inform whether the payment dates were postponed, and if so, for what reasons. By the time of publication, a response had been received only from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Tambov Region. The agency reported that the monthly monetary remuneration for classroom guidance to teachers for January 2026 has been paid in full.
"The Ministry of Education and Science of the Tambov Region has not received complaints from teachers about the lack of payments for classroom guidance or non-payment of other allowances for January 2026. Thus, the facts of the lack of payments for classroom guidance to teachers in the Tambov region have not been confirmed," the ministry assured.
Reasons for the delay in the additional payment
The reasons why teachers did not receive payments may be different in each case, says Tatyana Kupriyanova, deputy chairman of the All-Russian Trade Union of Education.
— Now the regions are reviewing the salary structure, — said the expert. — In Udmurtia, for example, measures are being taken to increase teachers' salaries, as well as to ensure that additional payments to the minimum wage are calculated at the expense of rates and salaries, and all additional workloads are paid separately. As far as I know, this process is still at the very beginning in Karelia, while in Chelyabinsk they are operating more efficiently. In some regions, the principle of non-reduction of salaries is observed, while in some regions they are illiterate.
If the teacher is not credited or payments are delayed, he should contact the trade union, the head of the educational organization, and in case of a technical error, the accounting department, advised Tatiana Kupriyanova.
The lack of additional payments for classroom instruction falls under the article "On the financial responsibility of the employer for the delay in payment of wages and other payments," says Veronika Polyakova, a criminal lawyer and managing partner of the Business Legal Group Bar Association.
"This is considered a violation of labor laws and an employment contract," she told Izvestia. — You should contact the principal of the school with a written statement and a request to specify specific repayment dates. If the school has a primary trade union organization, it is necessary to involve it in drawing up an act on violation of labor rights. In addition, the teacher has the right to contact the prosecutor's office.
If it is confirmed that the school did not submit the documents on time or incorrectly calculated the payments, then the director of the educational institution may be held accountable.
— The fine for officials is up to 20 thousand rubles, for legal entities — up to 50 thousand rubles. And if it turns out that the regional Ministry of Education or Finance has transferred funds to municipalities in a timely manner, specific officials of these departments will be responsible," Veronika Polyakova noted.
The lack of payments for classroom management violates labor laws, confirmed Marina Silvestri, CEO of the Kalinov and Partners law firm, human rights activist.
— Contacting the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation is the right step. The Agency may itself apply to the court with a request to reimburse payments or send a corresponding submission. To strengthen their position, teachers can appeal to the president of the country or to the government," the human rights activist believes.
Lawyer Yana Kovalevskaya believes that teachers should contact the labor inspectorate or sue the employer.
— If the employer's guilt is proven, he may face civil, administrative or even criminal liability (under the article on non-payment of wages or other payments out of self-interest or personal interest. — Ed.), — she pointed out.
If the problem reaches the federal level, the ministries of education of the regions will also have to answer, the lawyer stressed.
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