— 04 / CHAPTER

04
YOUR SHARE

— Note · how Russian personal income tax works

Russia's personal income tax — НДФЛ, transliterated NDFL — was a flat 13 % from 2001 to 2020, for years one of the lowest flat rates in Europe and a foundational element of Putin's first-term economic settlement. From 2021 a second 15 % bracket was added; from 1 January 2025 the rate became fully progressive in five tranches — 13 %, 15 %, 18 %, 20 %, 22 % (Federal Law No. 425-FZ).

Under Russian budget law, NDFL is collected and spent at the regional level — it does not flow directly into the federal budget that funds the war. The calculator below is therefore a model: it shows the symbolic share of your annual tax that corresponds to the military-security bloc's share of the federal budget (38.2 %). The federal budget is funded primarily by VAT (20 %, rising to 22 % in 2026) and oil-and-gas revenues, both of which every consumer in Russia pays into.

— 04.1 / PREMISE

The tax is anonymised. No one mails you a statement saying «this share went to artillery shells». But the federal budget is arithmetic — and the share of every line is fixed in law.

— MILITARY-SECURITY BLOC

38.2 %

of the 2026 federal budget

— YOUR PIT

× 38.2 %

model share directed to the military-security bloc

— YOUR SHARE

= ?

depends on your salary — calculate below

— 04.2 / CALCULATOR

CALCULATE YOUR CONTRIBUTION

Nothing is saved or transmitted. The calculation runs in your browser, against the official 2026 progressive PIT scale and the legally fixed structure of expenditure. Input is in roubles — at March 2026 rates, 1 USD ≈ 91 ₽, 1 EUR ≈ 99 ₽.

— A RUSSIAN MONTHLY SALARY (BEFORE TAX, IN ROUBLES)

₽

A model calculation: enter a monthly salary in roubles for a hypothetical Russian taxpayer. The 2026 progressive personal-income-tax scale (Federal Law No. 425-FZ) is applied; 38.2 % of that tax is the military-security bloc's share. USD equivalents at ₽91 / $1, March 2026 (CBR).

Annual income

1,200,000 ₽ (≈ $13,187)

Personal income tax (year)

effective rate 13.0 %

156,000 ₽ (≈ $1,714)

Share directed to the military-security bloc

38.2 % of annual PIT

59,612 ₽ (≈ $655)

— WHAT THAT IS IN UNITS

0.11

seconds of war

at $5,868 (534,005 ₽) per second

0.75

152mm artillery shells

at $879 (80,000 ₽) per shell

0.15

annual teacher salaries

at $4,510 (410,400 ₽) per year

— OVER 40 YEARS OF WORK

2,384,479 ₽ (≈ $26,203)

cumulative model contribution of one person on this salary across a full working life — assuming the military-security bloc's share of the budget remains constant.

Model. In reality NDFL is predominantly a regional tax and does not flow directly to the federal budget. The calculation shows a symbolic proportion — what fraction of the funds the state collects from you corresponds to the share of the military-security bloc in total expenditure.

— 04.3 / BRIDGE

The number is fixed; there is nothing to dispute. What to do with it is each reader's choice. Chapter 05 — what others have done.

— NEXT

Chapter 05 — Action ← back to Chapter 03 · Subjects

— METHODOLOGY

The calculation runs in the browser; nothing is saved or transmitted. The PIT scale is the 2026 progressive scale from Federal Law No. 425-FZ. The military-security bloc share (38.2 %) is the ratio of $185 bn to $484 bn from Federal Law No. 426-FZ. Reference units (teacher salary, shell cost, second of war) are kept consistent with Chapters 01–02. USD figures at FX rate ₽91 / $1, March 2026 (CBR).

document open for verification. every figure verified.

04YOUR SHARE

CALCULATE YOUR CONTRIBUTION

04
YOUR SHARE