Accreditation of IT companies in Russia

2023
Researchers and developers in the natural and technical sciences can now also get accreditation
Companies in the IT sector, whose activities are related to research and development in the field of natural and technical sciences, will now be able to obtain state accreditation, which means they can apply for state support measures. A resolution to this effect was signed in February 2023 by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

The adopted decision is aimed at supporting companies developing domestic products in the field of information technology.

2022
The number of accredited Russian IT companies grew by 5 times
By the end of 2022, there were about 19 thousand accredited domestic IT companies in Russia, which is almost 5 times more than a year earlier, when the indicator was measured by 4 thousand organizations. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko announced this on February 16, 2023. The growth in the number of accredited companies was due to the measures taken to support the industry.

In mid-June 2022, Chernyshenko predicted that by the end of the year about 35,000 Russian IT companies would be accredited by the Ministry of Digital Development and entered into the appropriate register by the end of this year.

By the end of 2022, the number of accredited companies reached 19 thousand.
"
We understand that the conditions for doing IT business in Russia are more profitable than in the rest of the world, and the industry is already starting to show results. The alignment of forces is very changing in the market. We understand that the largest corporations and government customers are now turning towards IT solutions. The Russian decisions exist practically in all categories of software, - spoke in the vice-premier.
»

According to him, which he said at one of the forums on February 16, 2023, Russia is smoothly moving towards achieving the goal set by President Vladimir Putin of technological independence and economic security of the country.

Almost every large business has its own staff of programmers and other IT specialists: many organizations bring them to separate companies, as this allows them to save money through new tax incentives, Sergei Shilov, president of the Digital Economy League, told Forbes. Aram Sargsyan, a business angel and former vice president for Yandex Go strategy, agrees with him, who believes that some companies are forced to seek these benefits. If an organization even has a small staff of IT specialists, they need to be retained somehow, says Sargsyan.[1]

Mintsifra: 10 thousand of 26.7 thousand IT companies did not give the Federal Tax Service consent to the disclosure of tax secrets
On November 24, 2022 in the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation announced that more than 10 thousand IT companies in Russia will be deprived of accreditation because of tax secrecy.

"
Of the 26.7 thousand companies that had accreditation before the new government decree came into force, 10,141 companies did not submit their consent, - said Maksut Shadayev, the head of the department, answering a question from journalists about how many companies did not apply to the Federal Tax Service.
»

10 thousand out of 26.7 thousand IT companies did not give the Federal Tax Service consent to the disclosure of tax secrets
Commenting on the timeframe in which the process of depriving companies of accreditation will begin, he noted:

"
De facto, it has already begun.
»

He added that the department “repeatedly informed and notified about this through all channels, through the personal account of the State Services.

After the revocation of the license, companies will be able to apply for accreditation again, subject to the simultaneous submission of an application to the Federal Tax Service for consent to the disclosure of tax secrets.

"
There are no rules that prevent re-submission. But when submitting, they must still submit consent to the disclosure of information,” said Maksut Shadayev.
»

On September 30, 2022, the Government of the Russian Federation approved a new procedure for accreditation of IT companies. In particular, in order to obtain accreditation, the average salary of employees must not be lower than the average salary in the region or country. The condition for accreditation of small companies is an income of more than 1 million rubles. All accredited companies had to send their consent to the disclosure of tax secrets to the Federal Tax Service by October 31, 2022.

Accredited companies have a number of benefits, including tax benefits, a moratorium on scheduled tax audits, preferential loans, simplification of public procurement procedures, etc. preferential IT mortgages. [2]

Mintsifra resumed accreditation of IT companies
On October 26, 2022 the Ministry of digital development, communication and mass communications of the Russian Federation announced resumption of accreditation of IT companies. According to the agency, 422 applications for inclusion in the register were received in 15 days, of which eight companies were approved for accreditation, and three were denied.

According to the Ministry of Digital Development, IT companies may be denied accreditation for the following reasons:

the company filed zero salary payments and zero revenue for the year;
the salary of IT specialists is below the average monthly for the region or country;
there is no consent to the disclosure of information constituting a tax secret.

Ministry of Digital Development

Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation resumed accreditation of IT companies
Organizations that have been denied state accreditation, or whose state accreditation has been cancelled, have the right to file a complaint with an authorized body or appeal such a decision in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

The ministry recalled that IT companies need to send their consent to the disclosure of tax secrets to the Federal Tax Service (FTS) by October 31, 2022. This must be done in order to maintain the previously obtained accreditation.

The new regulation on accreditation provides that in respect of accredited organizations annually until July 1 (starting from 2023) a procedure will be carried out to confirm compliance with the requirements for accredited IT companies, within which organizations will need to provide information on income from activities in the field of information technologies. The Ministry of Digital Development of Russia can also conduct an unscheduled inspection.

At the same time, the requirement for the main type of activity (according to OKVED) in relation to previously accredited organizations (before July 1, 2022) does not apply during the confirmation and verification procedure. In addition, only the direct government share will be tested in the annual compliance test. [3]

The number of accredited IT companies in Russia increased by 7 times
The number of accredited IT companies in Russia increased 7 times over two years and reached 28,000 by October 24, 2022. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.

This suggests that, of course, many, apparently, have come out of the shadows, but many have also been created, because we see that the number of IT specialists has increased - this is 1.7 million, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation emphasized.

The number of accredited IT companies in Russia has increased in two years
According to him, there is still a shortage of personnel in this area:

"
We have about a million more deficits in these areas.
»

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin instructed the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to prepare additional support measures for the introduction of Russian IT products and software and hardware systems by August 1, 2022. Chernyshenko noted that "this is a very correct decision - the effect of such measures is obvious to us."

"
As an example, thanks to state support for a year and a half, the number of accredited domestic IT companies has grown seven times. If at the beginning of 2021 there were a little more than four thousand, then at the end of the year there were already 14 thousand, Chernyshenko noted.
»

The Deputy Prime Minister recalled that in 2021, on behalf of President Vladimir Putin, 62 measures to support the IT industry were launched. This year, by decree of the head of state, a plan was developed to support the industry in the face of external sanctions pressure.

The new regulation on accreditation provides that in respect of accredited organizations annually until July 1 (starting from 2023) a procedure will be carried out to confirm compliance with the requirements for accredited IT companies, within which organizations will need to provide information on income from activities in the field of information technologies. The Ministry of Digital Development of Russia can also conduct an unscheduled inspection. [4]

IT companies in the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions received the right to accreditation
IT companies in the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions have received the right to accreditation in the Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation. Maksut Shadayev, head of the Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation, announced this on October 20, 2022.

"
Technically, in order for them to apply, the company must be accredited. We opened accreditation a week ago. I don't remember if there are companies that applied. So, they have all the rights, of course, as citizens of Russia. Obviously, their companies were not accredited before. And now we must first accredit the company, and then apply, - said Shadayev, answering the question of journalists about the possibility of obtaining a deferment from partial mobilization by IT specialists in the annexed territories.
»

IT companies in the DPR, LPR, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions received the right to accreditation in the Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation
According to the minister, the infrastructure development plan for launching the State Services portal in the new territories of Russia will be ready by mid-November 2022.

In October 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed federal constitutional laws on the entry into Russia of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), as well as the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions.

Thus, the number of Russian regions will grow from 85 to 89, and the borders of the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions will become the state borders of the Russian Federation. At the same time, the DPR, LPR and Zaporozhye region became part of Russia within their administrative borders, and the Kherson region - with two districts of the Mykolaiv region, in which the referendum was held.

Uniform digitalization and communication standards will be developed for the liberated territories. This will be done in the Ministry of Digital Transformation on behalf of the

Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko.[5]

IT companies must send their consent to the disclosure of tax secrets to the Federal Tax Service by October 31
All accredited IT companies must, within a month after the entry into force of the updated accreditation procedure (until October 31), send consent to the Federal Tax Service to disclose information constituting a tax secret. The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Russia reported about it on October 20, 2022. This is necessary to confirm that the company complies with the terms of accreditation.

Consent can be given:

through the personal account of the taxpayer;
through an electronic document management operator.
You can learn more about how to do this in the instructions prepared by the Ministry of Digital Development.

Compliance with this requirement is necessary to maintain accreditation after October 31, 2022.

The Ministry of Digital Development hid the register of accredited IT companies
On October 11, 2022, the Russian Ministry of Digital Development hid the register of accredited IT companies, which was previously publicly available on the department's official website.

Previously, the data of organizations included in the register could be found in the section “Accreditation of IT companies”. There, visitors had access to a file that contained the names of accredited IT companies, their OGRN, TIN, as well as the dates of making an entry in the register and decisions on state accreditation.

The Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation hid the register of accredited IT companies
Now, in the same section on the website, the ministry provides the ability to check information about the status of accreditation in the register using a special service on the Unified Portal of Public Services (EPGU).

As Vedomosti's source in the Ministry of Digital Development explained, the general register was hidden due to fears that Western countries would impose sanctions on [listed] companies. The same reason was heard by an employee of one of the Russian IT firms, who is familiar with the situation. According to him, the list could be hidden in the summer of 2022.

Lawyers interviewed by the publication note that the ministry itself decides whether to publish such data for general information or not. And because of the threat of sanctions, more government agencies prefer not to do this, says Kira Vinokurova, sanctions adviser at the Pen & Paper Bar Association.

On October 12, 2022, the Ministry of Digital Development announced the launch of a service that can be used to check by TIN or company name whether it has state accreditation. It is enough to enter a part of the name of the organization in the search line, and if it has accreditation, it will immediately appear in the drop-down list.

According to the department, the new service will help employees of IT companies understand whether they are eligible for benefits: a deferment from mobilization or an IT mortgage. The service can be used by both individuals and legal entities. If necessary, you can also get an extract from the register on the portal, this service is available to legal entities.[6]

Mintsifry approved the list of activities in the field of IT
In October 2022, it became known about the order “On the list of activities in the field of information technology” approved by the Ministry of Digital Development. The document includes 36 areas for the availability of certain benefits.

"
In order to uniformly define the concept of "information technology activities", I order: to approve the list of activities related to activities in the field of information technology in accordance with the appendix, the document says.
»

So, in particular, the document specifies the design and provision of consulting and expert services in relation to robotics and sensor technologies, information systems, sites or pages of sites in information and telecommunication networks, comprehensive maintenance of IT infrastructure, activities to create, train and support the functioning of neural networks , as well as trade in software and hardware systems and equipment and its components.

In the context of these types, organizations will need to provide information (in the form of a certificate) on income from IT activities. So the company will be able to confirm a necessary share of income from activity in the field of IT (not less than 30%), reported earlier in October, 2022 in Mintsifra.

Earlier in October 2022, the Government of the Russian Federation approved new rules for accreditation of IT companies. According to the document, the Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation must approve the list of activities in the IT sector by November 1, 2022, and approve the administrative regulations for granting accreditation by December 1, 2022.[7]

A form for accreditation of IT companies began to work at State Services
On October 10, 2022, a form for accreditation of IT companies under the new rules began to work at the State Services.

"
The form of accreditation was taken out at the State Services at night. There are already real applications. If something goes wrong, let me know, we will promptly correct it. But so far it is working regularly,” said Maksut Shadayev, head of the Ministry of Digital Development, in the Telegram channel.
»

A form for accreditation of IT companies began to work at State Services
According to him, IT specialists and companies that are in the industry chat can report possible failures to the ministry. It is noted that by October 10, 2022, the service is already working on the portal and is available only for legal entities.

By October 10, 2022, new rules for the accreditation of IT companies are in force in Russia, according to which the revenue from activities in the field of information technology must be at least 30% of the total income of the company, and its employees must receive a salary not lower than the average for the country or the subject of registration.

Start-up projects that do not have revenue from IT activities, but invest in this area, can also now receive accreditation. When submitting documents for accreditation, such projects must provide an extract from the register of start-ups.

At the beginning of August 2022, the Ministry of Digital Transformation excluded from the register of IT companies more than 400 organizations for which information technology is not the main activity. Including 32 banks, 12 insurance companies, more than 150 budgetary institutions and a number of other non-IT companies were removed from the register.[8]

New procedure for state accreditation of IT companies approved
On October 1, a government decree was published approving a new procedure for state accreditation of IT companies. The main condition is that the revenue from IT activities should be at least 30%.

The Ministry of Digital Development explained in its Telegram channel that they had developed two options for accreditation. It is important that not only large, but also small Russian IT companies can be accredited. The organization itself chooses the most convenient option for it, and for each option there are a number of conditions.

Option 1:

the average salary of the company's employees must not be lower than the average for the country or region;
specialized IT-OKVED as the main one;
the company's website should contain information about the organization's activities in the field of IT.
Option 2:

the company's income is more than 1 million rubles;
at the same time, the organization must be the copyright holder of the software included in the register of Russian software and have income from the sale of rights to it;
specialized IT-OKVED as the main one;
the company's website should contain information about the organization's activities in the field of IT;
the salary requirement is not taken into account in this option.
IT startups with no revenue can also get accreditation. Basic conditions for startups:

the average salary of employees is not lower than the average for the country or region;
the company was established less than 3 years prior to the application;
the organization's income is less than 1 million rubles (from the moment of creation);
specialized IT-OKVED as the main one;
the company's website contains information about the organization's activities in the IT field.
If there is no start-up registry in the region, then the company can apply for accreditation by meeting only these conditions. And if there is a register of startups, then for accreditation you need:

basic conditions (see above);
the organization is registered in the register of start-ups, the maintenance of which is normatively fixed by the decision of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation.
If the company is not in the start-up register, but there is a register in the region, then it is necessary to meet the basic conditions (see above), and the company's revenue from IT activities must be at least 30%.

The Ministry of Digital Transformation also expanded the list of core OKVED, now it includes more than 30 types of activities:

2620.4 Manufacture of information security tools, as well as information and telecommunication systems protected using information security tools;
46.512 Wholesale of software;
58 Publishing activity;
47.91.2 Retail trade carried out directly with the help of the Internet information and communication network;
58.2 Software publishing;
59.14 Motion picture display activities (activities of showing films or video clips in cinemas, open areas or other places intended for viewing films and activities of film clubs);
60.10 Activities in the field of broadcasting;
60.20 Television broadcasting activities;
62.0 Development of computer software, consulting services in this field and other related services;
62.01 Development of computer software;
62.02 Advisory activities and work in the field of computer technology;
62.021 Activities related to planning, designing computer systems;
62.02.4 Activities for the preparation of computer systems for operation;
62.02.9 Other advisory activities in the field of computer technology;
62.03 Computer equipment management activities;
62.03.1 Computer systems management activities;
62.03.11 Activities for the management of computer systems directly;
62.03.13 Maintenance of computer systems;
62.09 Activities related to the use of computers and information technologies, other. This grouping includes:
other information technologies related to work on a computer, not included in other groups, including: provision of services for restoring a computer after a failure, installation (configuration) of personal computers, installation of software.

This grouping does not include:

cn installation

cialized digital and analog computers; development of computer software; consulting in the field of computer systems; management of computer hardware; data processing and hosting.

63.1 Data processing activities, provision of information placement services, activities of portals in the Internet information and communication network;
63.11 Data processing activities, provision of information hosting services and related activities;
63.11.1 Activities for the creation and use of databases and information resources;
63.11.9 Other activities related to the provision of information placement services;
63.12 Activities of web portals. This grouping includes:
operation of websites using a search engine to create and maintain an extensive database of Internet addresses contained in an easily accessible form;

the operation of other web sites that act as portals to the information and communication network of the Internet (for example, media sites offering periodically updated content, media posted on the Internet)

This grouping does not include:

publication of books, newspapers, magazines, etc. through the information and communication network Internet;
broadcasting via the information and communication network Internet
63.91 Activities of news agencies;
73.1 Advertising activities;
73.20.1 Market research;
74.90.9 Information security activities;
85.30 Vocational training;
85.41 Additional education for children and adults;
85.42 Additional vocational education.
The following documents are required to obtain accreditation:

certificate of absence of a criminal record of the head
consent of the taxpayer to the disclosure of information constituting a tax secret
statement of income (for state institutions and autonomous non-profit organizations - on expenses) in the context of types of activities related to the field of IT.
All documents regulating the procedure for accreditation of companies, the department will try to release as soon as possible. In the coming days, a list of IT activities should also be published. In the context of these types, organizations will need to provide information (in the form of a certificate) on income from IT activities. So the company will be able to confirm the required share of income from IT activities (at least 30%).

The Ministry of Digital Resources recommends starting now to prepare all the necessary documents in order to upload them in a timely manner to the State Services form, which the department plans to launch on October 10.

It is important that if the company is already accredited, then there is no need to re-apply for accreditation now. But such a company must, within a month from the date of entry into force of the new procedure, send consent to the Federal Tax Service to disclose information constituting a tax secret in order to pass an audit for compliance with the requirements for accredited IT companies, the Ministry of Digital Development explains.

At the same time, the new regulation on accreditation provides that, in relation to already accredited organizations, annually until July 1 (starting from 2023), a procedure will be carried out to confirm compliance with the requirements for accredited IT companies, within which organizations will need to provide information about income from IT activities. Mintsifra can also conduct an unscheduled inspection.

The Ministry of Digital Development clarifies that accreditation will be denied if the organization:

does not meet the criteria specified in the regulation;
with direct and (or) indirect state participation (50% or more);
is a state body, state unitary enterprise (MUP), state company, state corporation, public company;
is a credit, non-credit organization, insurance organization, telecom operator;
included in the list approved by Government Decree No. 91-r dated January 23, 2003;
has a tax debt of more than 3 thousand rubles;
did not provide consent to the disclosure of tax secrets;
and also, if the head of the organization has an unexpunged or outstanding conviction.
Chernyshenko: In Russia, 0.5 million people work in accredited IT companies
Almost half a million people work in accredited IT companies in Russia. This was announced by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko on September 13, 2022, while congratulating Russians on the Programmer's Day.

"
The vice-premier noted that IT specialists are the locomotive in digital transformation of branches of economy and social sphere — Chernyshenko's press service reported.
»

Dmitry Chernyshenko
The new law on IT benefits from August 1, 2022 canceled the "old" procedure for state accreditation of IT companies. According to official data from the website of the Ministry of Digital Development, a new procedure is being developed by mid-September 2022, and the submission of applications until the adoption of a new accreditation procedure has been suspended. At the same time, it is not known how long its development will be delayed by the relevant departments.

"
Accreditation is a prerequisite for IT companies to receive tax benefits and other preferences. And the growth in the number of applications is a direct

evidence of the demand for new anti-sanction measures to support the industry, developed by the government. In the first days after the announcement by Mikhail Mishustin of these measures, the number of applications for accreditation of IT companies in Russia has grown tenfold, - said Dmitry Chernyshenko, whose words are quoted on the official portal of the Government of the Russian Federation.
»

The Deputy Prime Minister recalled that in 2021, on behalf of President Vladimir Putin, 62 measures to support the IT industry were launched. In 2022, by decree of the head of state, a plan was developed to support the industry in the face of external sanctions pressure.

According to Chernyshenko's forecasts, the number of accredited Russian IT companies in the relevant register will reach 35,000 by the end of 2022. [9]

The Ministry of Digital Development creates a council that will clean up the register of IT companies
In the middle of August, 2022 it became known of the decision of the Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation to form council which will be engaged in cleaning of the register of the accredited IT companies having the right to tax and other privileges.

As Kommersant writes, the draft order of the head of the Ministry of Digital Transformation Maksut Shadayev on the establishment of the council was sent on August 5, 2022 to the heads of the largest Russian specialized associations, including Russoft, Domestic Soft, RAEC, APKIT. The interlocutors claim that they will check the registry.

Head of the Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation Maksut Shadayev
The department confirmed to the publication that the practice of attracting industry experts will expand, including to the analysis of information about companies from the register for its compliance with the necessary requirements.

According to the CEO of Almi Partner (the developer of AlterOffice) Mikhail Lebedev, since the beginning of 2022, the industry has been discussing the idea of conducting an audit with the Ministry of Digital Development. According to Lebedev, about half of the entries in the registry look fictitious.

"
For example, we took several companies from the list and simply could not even get through to them. One gets the feeling that these legal entities exist only on paper, — said the interlocutor.
»

Dmitry Komissarov, product development director at New Cloud Technologies (MyOffice), agreed that some of the entries in the registry have already lost their relevance due to identified shortcomings or outdated data. He attributed the termination of the company's activities, the loss of exclusive rights by the copyright holder, the change of legal details, and more to such shortcomings. The source of the newspaper in the IT market added that over the past six months the budget could lose up to 9 billion rubles due to the allocation of benefits to companies that do not develop.

Clearing the register of accredited companies is a logical and absolutely right decision, says Renat Lashin, Executive Director of the Association of Software Developers (ARPP) Domestic Soft. According to him, the situation when the status of an IT company was suddenly received by microcredit and insurance organizations, banks and management companies does not allow talking about the intended use of benefits by the IT sector.[10]

Proposal of an updated procedure for accreditation of IT companies
On August 2, 2022, the Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation proposed to change the procedure for accreditation of IT companies. According to one of the conditions, companies with at least 30% revenue from IT activities will be able to be accredited.

The Ministry of Digital Development proposed a new procedure for accreditation of IT companies
Photo: online-buhuchet.ru
Companies will need to keep separate records of income. In the financial statements generated for the previous reporting period, revenue from core activities should be reflected.

Startups that do not have revenue, but invest in IT, are also invited to accredit.

According to other conditions for accreditation, companies must have a specialized OKVED as the main one. At the same time, at least 80% of the company's employees must receive a salary not lower than the national average.

Startups, in addition to the above items, need to declare the project being developed in the field of IT and the status of its implementation. The company itself must be formed three years or less before applying for accreditation.

The Ministry of Digital Development proposed to refuse accreditation to companies established as a result of reorganization, state-owned companies and organizations with direct and (or) indirect participation of the state (50% or more), banks and non-bank credit organizations, etc., insurance organizations or telecom companies, state or municipal institutions, as well as companies that are included in the order of the Government of January 23, 2003 No. 91-r.

The agency plans to regularly check all companies from the register of accredited companies for compliance with the necessary requirements.

Suspension of acceptance of applications until the adoption of a new procedure for accreditation
From August 1, 2022, the submission of applications has been suspended until the adoption of a new accreditation procedure in connection with amendments to the Tax Code of the Russian Federation. At this time, the Ministry of Digital Development, together with specialized associations and regions, is working to improve the criteria and procedures for accrediting IT companies.

The Ministry of Digital Transformation excluded more than 400 organizations from the register
On August 1, 2022, it was announced that the Ministry of Digital Transformation had excluded over 400 organizations from the register of domestic IT companies.

nizations whose activity in the field of information technology is not the main one.

"The register of accredited IT companies has been updated. As a result, more than 400 companies have been excluded from the register," it was reported.

The Ministry notes that those organizations for which activity in the field of information technology is not the main one are excluded.

Thus, among the companies excluded from the register were more than 150 budgetary institutions, 32 banks, 12 insurance companies, as well as a number of other non-IT companies. "The Ministry of Digital Affairs regularly analyzes information about companies from the register for its compliance with the necessary requirements. For example, in September last year, about 1.6 thousand organizations were excluded from the register," the ministry recalled.

"This time, the Ministry of Digital Transformation used information about the activities of companies from open sources as additional information for making a decision on inclusion in the register. Previously, companies only needed to have a profile OKVED," the ministry added.

According to the register of the Ministry of Digital Development, banks, insurance organizations, telecom operators, the media and a number of government agencies were among those excluded.

Among them are banks such as Sberbank, VTB, Gazprombank, Raiffeisenbank, Alfa-Bank, Tinkoff, Moscow Credit Bank, and Otkritie. The operator of the Internet in the metro "Maximatelecom", the GLONASS system, "Mediascope" and the operator of the payment system "Mir" were also excluded. In addition, telecom operators such as Megafon, Yota, Tele2 and Rostelecom were excluded, as well as Russian Post, the Main Radio Frequency Center, the Moscow IT Department, Radio Research Institute, and universities such as SibGUTI and MIPT.

In the spring, more than 10 thousand new participants were included in the register of domestic IT companies, more than in the previous 6 years
As it became known to TAdviser, from February 24 to May 17, 2022 the register of the domestic IT companies increased by more than 10 thousand participants. Moreover, in 2022, until February 24, only 219 organizations were included in the list. For the entire period of its existence since January 2008, 25.8 thousand companies were included in it.

Number of companies included in the Register of accredited organizations operating in the field of information technology, year / piece.
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
171 62 484 1055 483 441 1773 1024 990 1312 1359 1678 2174 2532 10254
TAdviser, based on data from the Ministry of Digital Development
Most of the companies included in the register in 2022 applied already in March-April after the announcement of measures to support the IT industry, including reduced tax rates and social contributions. At the same time, the register included not only companies that develop software, provide cloud services or maintain infrastructure, but also educational and medical institutions, pharmacies and advertising agencies.

For example, in 2022, Chelyabinsk State University, Irkutsk State University of Communications and North Caucasus Federal University, as well as the Moscow advertising agency "There are good guys" and the Yekaterinburg charity company "Profile of Mercy" became IT companies.

Ivan Begtin, General Director of the Association of Data Market Participants, told TAdviser that, of course, the vast majority of participants in the registry are IT companies, however, there are more and more organizations that have nothing to do with IT.

In May 2022, Ivan Begtin published a post in which he wrote that more than 1.5 thousand companies in the Register of Domestic IT Companies have at least one foreign founder, and 381 of them were included in the list as early as March-April 2022. The register includes 43 state medical institutions, 23 state universities, 7 state NGOs, as well as an airport, pharmacies, management companies, more than a dozen factories, private security companies and many institutions of additional professional education.

"
The problem needs to be identified. The existing selection criteria are clearly not enough to form a relevant list of IT market participants, - he shared with TAdviser.
»

Mintsifra will review the register of accredited IT companies to eliminate abuse
The Ministry of Digital Development, Telecommunications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation will review the register of accredited IT companies that can qualify for benefits, such as exemption from income tax for three years, loans to continue work and new projects at a rate not exceeding 3%, preferential mortgage for IT professionals and exempt them from conscription. This became known on April 6, 2022.

According to Vedomosti, a revision of the register and accreditation procedure is necessary to prevent companies from abusing the new preferences. By the beginning of May 2022, specific proposals to change the requirements for companies applying for inclusion in the register were not discussed at the Ministry of Digital Development. It is not planned to exclude already accredited companies from the register, but the requirements for obtaining benefits can be changed, a source close to

Mintsifra.

The Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation will review the register of accredited IT companies that may qualify for benefits
By the beginning of May 2022, it is enough for IT companies to simply obtain accreditation from the Ministry of Digital Transformation: they need to separate the IT department into a separate legal entity with the necessary OKVED codes or simply add the parent company's required OKVED. IT activities must generate at least 90% of the total revenue, and the number of employees should be at least 7 people. However, many of them do not fit the profile of the industry, the publication says.

Since the new support measures were announced, the number of applications for accreditation in the register of IT companies has increased dramatically, according to a representative of the Ministry of Digital Development, whose comment was obtained by the newspaper. Judging by the data of the registry updates, over the past two months, more than 10,000 organizations have been added to it, and as of May 5, 2022, the number of accredited legal entities reached 25,304 organizations. If earlier on average about seven applications were received per day, now it is more than 250.[11]

2021
Now through public services. Simplified state accreditation of IT companies launched
At the beginning of August 2021, a decree of the Government of the Russian Federation on simplified state accreditation of IT companies that may qualify for benefits (a 3% income tax rate, a simplified procedure for attracting foreign specialists, etc.) came into force.

From August 1, 2021, companies can apply for state accreditation through the public services portal. The system will collect all the necessary information itself - you do not need to fill in anything. Also, in the personal account, it became possible to receive an information statement on inclusion in the register of accredited IT companies.

At the beginning of August, 2021 the decree of the Government of the Russian Federation on the simplified state accreditation of the IT companies came into force
By the end of May 2021, the state register of accredited organizations operating in the field of information technology included 14,248 companies. That month, the list included TechLAB, Center for Informatization of the Republic of Mordovia, Lanit-CESP, Medical Screening Systems (Celsus) and others.

Earlier, the Ministry of Digital Transformation reported that after the announcement of benefits as part of the tax maneuver, the number of applications by Russian IT companies for state accreditation had almost tripled. Also, the number of applications for inclusion of programs in the register of domestic software increased almost four times.

As Dmitry Shepelyavy, Executive Director of PwC IT Consulting, explained to RBC, in all large businesses, from oil and gas to telecommunications companies, retail and banks, there are divisions in state corporations that develop software.

"
By properly structuring them, you can qualify for benefits. Many companies now carry out the analysis of potential benefits — he noted.
»

According to Natalia Kasperskaya, President of InfoWatch Group and a member of the Russian Software Expert Council under the Ministry of Digital Development, among incoming applications for inclusion of products in the register of domestic software, “quite a lot” is rejected, mainly due to failure to provide information.[12]

Introduction of a new procedure for state accreditation of IT companies in the Russian Federation
In June 2021, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree of the Government of the Russian Federation, which introduces a new procedure for state accreditation of IT companies. The document will enter into force on August 1, 2021.

As before, state accreditation is handled by the Ministry of Digital Development, however, after the entry into force of the innovations, an application can be submitted through the Unified Portal of Public Services. The required information is filled in automatically based on the data received from the ESIA.

Russia introduces a new procedure for state accreditation of IT companies
The authorized federal executive body is not entitled to require the applicant to submit documents or information that is not provided for in the fields of the application for state accreditation.

The decision on state accreditation (to refuse it) is made, the information is entered into a special register within one working day. The organization has the right to re-submit an application for state accreditation after the elimination of the reasons for which it was denied earlier.

An organization, information about which is entered in the register, may request an extract from the register in the form of an electronic document signed with an enhanced qualified electronic signature of an authorized federal executive body in a personal account on a single portal. It is noted that the extract from the register is for informational purposes only.

In case of voluntary refusal of state accreditation, the organization submits an application for refusal of state accreditation in electronic form through a single portal.

Notification of the results of granting state accreditation or cancellation of state accreditation is sent to the organization using the “personal account” service on a single portal on the day the relevant decision is made. In case of impossibility

and informing the organization using the "personal account" service, the notification is sent to the organization on paper within 5 working days from the date of the relevant decision.

For organizations working in the field of information technology, the rate of income tax credited to the federal budget has been reduced from 20% to 3%. In the case of tax credited to the regional budget, the rate will be 8%.[13]

2020: Introduction of online accreditation of IT companies
In August, 2020 the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications announced the decision to enter online accreditation of the Russian IT companies. Entrepreneurs were exempted from the obligation to present a certificate-list of codes of the All-Russian Classification of Economic Activities (OKVED).

Russian IT companies will be able to obtain state accreditation as "organizations operating in the field of information technology" on the basis of an application on the public services portal.

The Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications noted that the refusal of the OKVED certificate is due to the fact that it contains information available in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities.

As reported in the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications, for the period from June 24 to August 10, 2020 the department received 646 applications for state accreditation of IT companies, while for the same period until June 23 - 94 applications. A 7-fold increase occurred after the proposal of Russian President Vladimir Putin to conduct a tax maneuver in the IT industry.

The Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications introduces online accreditation of IT companies
The largest number of requests was sent from Moscow and the Moscow Region, St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Sverdlovsk and Voronezh Regions, and the Perm Territory.

By the middle of August, 2020 about 11.5 thousand Russian IT companies were registered in the register of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications. State accreditation allows you to enjoy tax preferences, but taking into account the additional tax measures taken, companies can claim even greater benefits.

For accredited IT companies, the legislation provides for the following preferences:

reduced rates of insurance premiums (no more than 14%) subject to additional conditions on the share of "core" income and the number of employees;
the right to include expenses for the purchase of electronic computers in the composition of material expenses in the amount of the full cost of such property as it is put into operation, subject to additional conditions on the share of "core" income and the number of employees;
the opportunity to attract highly qualified specialists from among foreign citizens to work in the Russian Federation in a simplified manner.[1]
2015: The number of the IT companies accredited by the Ministry of Communications doubled in two years to 5.5 thousand
The number of IT industry organizations accredited by the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation more than doubled in 2014-2015, exceeding 5.5 thousand. Over a thousand companies received accreditation in 2015, bringing the total number of IT companies accredited to the ministry to 5,604.

2014
1794 companies received accreditation during the year
In 2014, 1,794 companies received accreditation, a record number for all the years of the benefit mechanism, bringing the total number of IT companies accredited under the ministry to 4,596. For the first time in 11 years, they see real improvements in government regulation in all areas of the IT industry.

As of the end of 2014, the following benefits are provided for accredited IT companies: reduced rates of insurance premiums — up to 14% of payments in favor of individuals; the possibility to employ highly qualified foreign specialists in a simplified manner; the right to include expenses for the purchase of electronic computing equipment in the composition of material expenses in the amount of the full cost of such property as it is put into operation; preferential corporate income tax rate in the Novosibirsk and Penza regions.

The first support measure was improved, and the second was developed by the Russian Ministry of Communications in 2013, and both new mechanisms began to operate in 2014. On January 1, 2014, the law on reducing the threshold for the number of employees of IT companies applying for benefits on insurance premiums, signed by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on December 30, 2013, came into force. And on June 24, 2014, amendments to the Federal Law "On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation" began to operate, establishing the minimum wage threshold for highly qualified foreign IT specialists at the level of one million rubles per year, which is 83 thousand rubles per month instead of the existing earlier than the threshold at the level of two million rubles a year (about 170 thousand rubles a month).

In addition, at the suggestion of the Russian Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications, in 2014 Novosibirsk and Penza regions introduced a preferential tax regime for IT companies, which provides for the payment of income tax in the amount of 15.5%

then 20%.

The number of IT companies that apply to the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications for benefits has tripled
From the beginning of 2014, when the minimum threshold for the number of employees in IT companies was reduced to seven people, and until September 2014, the average monthly number of requests for accreditation for benefits has more than tripled.

In February 2014, the Minister of Telecom and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation Nikolai Nikiforov signed an order to grant state accreditation to organizations operating in the field of information technology. 190 companies received accreditation. They were given the opportunity to pay a lower percentage of insurance premiums (14% instead of 30%).

The Federal Law of the Russian Federation of December 28, 2013 No. 428-FZ “On Amending Article 57 of the Federal Law “On Insurance Contributions to the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, the Social Insurance Fund of the Russian Federation, the Federal Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund” prepared by the Ministry of Communications of the Russian Federation was signed by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on December 30, 2013 and entered into force on January 1, 2014.

According to this law, the minimum threshold for the number of employees in IT companies applying for benefits on insurance premiums has decreased from 30 to 7 people.

This measure of state support found a great response from the Russian IT industry. In recent months, the Ministry of Communications of Russia has noted a steady increase in the number of applications for accreditation to receive benefits. Thus, in the first half of 2013, only 180 companies applied to the ministry for accreditation. In the second half of 2013, this number increased, but not significantly, amounting to 247 companies. At the same time, since the beginning of 2014, the number of applications has amounted to 269, which in the average monthly period exceeds the figures for 2013 by more than three times.

"
During the six years of the old norm's operation - from 2008 to 2013 - 465 companies received accreditation annually on average from the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications of Russia. After the introduction of the new law, the ministry notes a sharp increase in the attractiveness of this public service. So, according to the results of incomplete ten months of 2014, 1561 companies received accreditation in the ministry, the ministry notes.
»

As of October 2014, the following preferences are provided for accredited IT companies: reduced rates of insurance premiums — 14% of payments within the base for calculating insurance premiums, which is 624 thousand rubles per employee per year for 2014, and 0% of payments over the specified limit base; the possibility to employ highly qualified foreign specialists in a simplified manner; the right to include expenses for the acquisition of electronic computing equipment in the composition of material expenses in the amount of the full cost of such property as it is put into operation.

2011: 1.5 thousand firms are accredited in the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications
About 1.5 thousand IT firms accredited by the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications will receive tax benefits. This was announced on May 11, 2011 at a meeting of the collegium of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation by the head of the department Igor Shchegolev.

The minister recalled that accreditation with the Ministry of Communications is mandatory for IT companies in order to be eligible to enjoy tax benefits. Now, according to him, "about 1,500 such firms are accredited in the ministry."

"
If the company has at least 50 people and if 90% of the revenue is income from software development, then such companies can now pay contributions / to state social funds / at an aggregate rate of 14%, - Shchegolev explained. - Previously, the rate was 34%. The difference is significant.
»

According to the minister, we are talking about the right to make contributions at a reduced rate to the Pension Fund, the Social Insurance Fund, the Federal and Territorial Compulsory Medical Insurance Funds.