The job of a customs officer in Russia is one of the most prestigious. Getting to customs at the airport, to the border at transition points, including at the borders of the Customs Union, is not easy. To do this, you need to have knowledge in the relevant field, graduate from a special faculty at a university, understand customs legislation, and know the features of documentation and document management.
The work and responsibilities of a customs officer
A person working in the customs service must be prepared for constant negative emotions from residents, irregular daily routines and emergency situations. They have no right to make a mistake, otherwise it could end extremely badly.
The customs service operates directly from the government apparatus and is subordinate to it. The responsibilities of employees of this profession include:
- controlling the specifics of foreign trade;
- monitoring the import of large amounts of money and their transfer to bank accounts;
- investigation into customs violations;
- maintaining and filling out documents;
- control at the checkpoint;
- thorough inspection of things transported at airports, train stations, etc.
- keeping records of goods obtained through confiscation;
- work to detect prohibited goods;
- work to detect contraband;
- work to eliminate violations in the field of customs law.
What affects salary
Employee salaries depend on several factors. The base amount for calculating wages to employees is the salary based on the tariffication. Plus, allowances and payments are added to the salary, and adjustments by position and rank also occur.
The bonus, as a rule, plays a significant role in the salary issue. The amount of the bonus depends on the region of work. Representatives of the customs service can receive additional payment for their services or achievements:
- special conditions for civil service;
- working with classified materials;
- quality of work;
- class rank;
- academic titles;
- special achievements;
- work in remote and hard-to-reach places in Russia.
What does income depend on?
Salary consists of salary and bonus. The salary portion is fixed and is awarded according to position or rank. The bonus portion is paid in the form of allowances for extracurricular work or keeping state secrets. An increased coefficient is added in remote and hard-to-reach duty stations, in the Far North, etc. In addition, customs officers are given a monthly food ration. If this does not happen, it becomes monetary and is paid with wages.
At the same time, an employee can count on financial assistance once a year in the amount of at least two salaries. There are also holiday allowances depending on length of service. More than 10 years - 5 days are added to the vacation, 15 years - 10, from 20 years - 15. You can retire after 14 years of service. The amount of payments depends on length of service, the percentage can be from 10 to 40.
On average, a customs officer's pension is about 18,000-25,000 rubles.
Average salary of a customs officer in the Russian Federation
Below are the salary amounts that reflect the salary situation in law enforcement and civil customs services in the Russian Federation in 2021. The highest salaries are for customs officers who work in Moscow and the region. For the law enforcement division of customs, the following salary levels have been established for 2021:
- Head of department - almost 50 thousand rubles/month.
- Head of customs posts, deputy heads - from 60 thousand to 70 thousand rubles/month.
- Heads of customs - almost 100 thousand rubles/month.
Customs officers at different levels differ from the salaries of their chiefs by 20%. The amounts indicated are net wages minus taxes, but without allowances. Additional salary formation items increase the salary by one and a half times.
Salaries of employees of the state division of the customs service are indicated below:
- Inspectors - 15 thousand rubles/month.
- Senior inspectors - about 18 thousand rubles/month.
- Chief inspectors - about 25 thousand rubles/month.
- Deputy heads of customs departments - about 25 thousand rubles/month.
By region
The salary of customs officers by region is as follows:
- Russian Customs Academy, where two employees from the customs management team work. Their salary is 184 thousand rubles/month.
- Far Eastern Customs Department - about 102 thousand rubles/month.
- Central Forensic Department - 98 thousand rubles.
- Sevastopol and Crimean customs - about 61 thousand rubles per month.
Employees of the state division of the Federal Customs Service earn an order of magnitude less:
- Far Eastern Customs Department - 50.8 thousand rubles/month.
- Siberian Customs Administration - almost 45 thousand rubles.
- Other regions of the country - 30–32 thousand rubles/month.
Payroll and Benefits
The salary amount is calculated taking into account:
- Allowances for length of service (experience).
- Ranks.
- Monthly incentives.
- Special achievements.
- Working with classified materials.
- Special conditions of service.
So, the salary of the head of a department is generally 50,000 rubles. For the heads of customs posts and customs offices - from 70,000. Taking into account one-time bonuses and incentives, the amount can increase by one and a half, or even double.
Subordinates of these units earn approximately 20% less.
The income status of ordinary civil servants is much more deplorable. The salary of ordinary inspectors is about 15,000, senior and chief ones - 18,000-25,000. At the same time, employees are deprived of additional medical services - this is the privilege of “sport” employees. In addition, if there are outstanding penalties, such as a reprimand or reprimand, there can be no talk of a bonus. Therefore, the job of an ordinary inspector cannot be called highly paid.
The advantages are social guarantees:
- Fully paid sick leave and partial vacation.
- Pension payments.
- Travel benefits.
- Help with enrolling children in kindergarten or school.
It is possible to get additional days off if a customs officer works after hours or on holidays.
Salaries in other countries
The profession of a customs officer in most countries is considered quite prestigious. Civil servants receive decent salaries, which are usually above average. Japanese customs officers can boast of the highest income, receiving 506 thousand rubles. per month. Despite the high price level in the country, this amount is still considered very large.
Table 4. Average salary in different countries.
| A country | Average salary, thousand rubles. |
| Japan | 506 |
| Germany | 411 |
| Australia | 379 |
| USA | 338 |
| UAE | 290 |
| Canada | 189 |
| Great Britain | 172 |
As a rule, customs officers earn little money at the initial stage. For example, in the USA, an inspector will have to start with 189 thousand rubles. ($33 thousand) - not so much by local standards.
Profession of a customs officer
There is no need to talk for long about how important the profession of a customs officer is, because it was no coincidence that the corresponding organizations began to be established on the borders of large states.
Customs officers are employees of the executive service. They perform the most important functions related to the import and export of goods. Moreover, not everyone can engage in this profession. This will require a higher economic or legal education, as well as continuous training and knowledge of all changes in this industry.
Customs officers do not receive too much money, which means there is always a need for an increase. At the same time, the customs service has always stood and stands guard over the interests of any country; it is financed by the state budget, therefore the employees of such an organization are highly valued.
It must be said that the latest news about increasing salaries for customs officers in Russia sounds quite optimistic. In the new year, payments to customs service employees will be reviewed, their activities will be assessed and appropriate conclusions will be drawn, so raises will not be possible. The components of the salary will remain the same, but the size of bonuses and salaries may change, which is worth remembering.
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True, in light of the latest events related to the introduction of quarantine, it becomes clear that the issue of increasing salaries for all civil servants is under threat. The reason for this lies in the difficult economic situation caused by long-term downtime of the enterprise and unfavorable events in the world.
With the introduction of quarantine, business and industry suffered, and tax revenues decreased. Although, according to the latest data, the official indexation of wages of customs officers in Russia will occur as planned.
Premiums and bonuses
Conscientious work is rewarded not only with verbal praise, but also with all kinds of incentives. For honest work and a job well done you can get:
- bonus;
- a gift of value (example: personalized weapon);
- exemption from disciplinary punishment;
- awarding an honorary title, or conferring a title earlier than expected.
The bonus is:
- additional leave that can be received after working for ten years. The longer the length of service, the more days of additional leave (from 5 to 15);
- insurance (at the expense of the organization);
- provision of compensation (in certain cases);
- provision of equipment, housing;
- clothing and financial assistance to students studying full-time at the Federal Customs Service;
- payment for business trips and all related expenses;
- payment for sick leave and other leaves (example: due to death, birth, fire).
Retirement
There are age restrictions for customs officers. Men in the junior and middle group are required to work until they are 50 years old. The senior staff is under 55 years old. The senior staff is under 60 years old.
Women are allowed to remain in service until they reach 45 years of age. After which the employee retires.
With an inexhaustible desire to work further, employees can stay in their positions for another 5 years. Permission to extend the contract is approved by the head of the Federal Customs Service. In this case, the employee will receive a pension and basic salary.
You can calculate your pension using the so-called “calculator”. There is a Federal Law “On Pensions” for citizens who served in the military, customs and other public service. This law states that after working for 20 years, a citizen has the right to a pension equal to 50% of the salary (regular and by rank).
Salary dynamics
Statistical agencies and job search portals do not keep separate records of salaries of Russian customs officers. The only method that allows you to analyze the dynamics of income is to review the tax returns of department heads in the regions. Information on the income of such employees is published annually on the official website of the Federal Customs Service. For example, let's take statistics for the Vladimir region.
Important: the information provides only an approximate idea of salary changes. Due to the complex bonus system, the income of management often changes more than the wages of ordinary customs officers.
Table 3. Salary dynamics since 2012 using the example of Vladimir Customs
| Year | Salary, thousand rubles |
| 2012 | 42,2 |
| 2013 | 70,2 |
| 2014 | 99,8 |
| 2015 | 53,3 |
| 2016 | 71,1 |
| 2017 | 71,6 |
Source: customs.com
The dynamics of wages are clearly visible in the graph. Until 2014, income grew steadily. In 2015, they sank sharply against the backdrop of a general deterioration in the economic situation in Russia. Subsequently, despite a slight increase, wages never returned to their peak values.
Professional training
To become a customs officer, you need to obtain a higher education in the specialty “Customs.” You can study through a bachelor's, master's or specialist's degree system. In addition, for advanced training or work in the customs system (brokers, declarants, etc.), there are various courses.
When entering a specialty, you need to pass the mandatory Unified State Exam in specialized subjects, as a rule, social studies, English, Russian, as well as an intra-university exam in physical education.
In different universities, training can be carried out in several specialties of customs affairs:
- Customs payments and currency regulation.
- Expertise and commodity science in customs affairs.
- Organization of customs control.
- Information customs technologies.
- Customs management, logistics, etc.
What positions are there in the customs service?
The customs service represents many ranks of activity and special titles:
- inspector 3rd rank;
- inspector 2nd rank;
- inspector 1st rank;
- 3rd rank advisor;
- 2nd rank advisor;
- 1st rank advisor;
- State Councilor 3rd rank;
- State Councilor 2nd rank;
- State Councilor 1st rank.
Titles are classified as first and second. An employee can receive a new title with a certain length of service, as well as if the position held corresponds to the new title. A position is a set of functions that an employee must perform at his workplace.
A new employee is hired at the rank of warrant officer. Service positions are grouped into junior, middle, senior and senior groups. The salary of customs officers directly depends on the position.
Pros and cons of the specialty
Advantages and disadvantages will directly depend on the position held. It is obvious that a senior official or policy maker in the customs industry feels quite comfortable. But since we are not presenting a presentation of the opportunities and prospects of the industry, but an analysis of the real state of affairs, we will note the pros and cons of ordinary professions - inspectors, checkpoint employees, airports and train stations.
Key benefits
- Respectable, respected profession.
- A special mission is to ensure the country's security at the borders.
- Benefits – customs officers are often treated like military personnel.
- Possible supplements to pensions and social benefits.
- Civil service with all provided privileges.
Main disadvantages
- Low level of comfort.
- Average and sometimes downright low salaries.
- Bureaucracy and paperwork.
- Rampant corruption.
- The highest level of responsibility.
- Constant pressure from people who disregard the law.
What salary do they pay in Europe, USA and Asia?
In Germany there is a special table of ranks. Customs officers are considered officials, they have ranks from A9 to A13. Within 3 years from the start of work, the payment starts from 1,100 euros, which is about 82,000 rubles. Over time, income increases.
Attention! In the USA, an employee is given a salary of 40 thousand dollars per year. With advanced qualifications, the payment is 110,000. In addition to the salary, there are overtime, bonuses and other payments provided for hard work.
Chinese customs officers are paid starting at $2,500 per month. Depending on the length of service and position, the salary may be higher.
What to expect for customs officers in 2020
In 2021, not only will the customs officer’s fixed rate be increased, but employees in this field of activity will also be provided with a food ration or cash for it. Employees will be given additional days off to cover work on holidays. In addition, the customs officer has the right to count on financial assistance. It is intended for absolutely all customs service employees 2 times a year. Benefits will also be paid; no changes are envisaged. This assistance includes: free travel, medical care and sanitary treatment at a discount.
Salary of a customs officer in Russia in 2018
Due to the budget deficit in the country, there is an urgent question about increasing the salaries of customs officers. It is known that since 2014, the salaries of civil servants and budget workers have been subject to a moratorium on increases. But, based on the May presidential decrees, salaries should be indexed by one and a half times. Considering the fact that the customs service is directly related to the economic security of the country, with the movement of goods of various contents across the border, there is an increase in income.
Indexation will play an important role on salaries in 2021, which implies an increase in income by a factor equal to the inflation rate. It will be approximately 4-5%, the news is disappointing, but customs officers cannot count on more, although such an increase will be noticeable.
In Moscow, an employee at the beginning of his career receives 30,000 rubles. More experienced - from 45,000. In St. Petersburg, the salary is almost the same as in the capital (≈ 40,000). In other regions, income is approximately 25,000.
There are no plans to reduce customs officers in 2021. The government plans to introduce “effective contracts”, which already perform their functions in other government areas. But it is difficult to evaluate the quality of a customs officer’s work, so this innovation is under consideration.
Reviews about the profession
“The profession of a customs officer is quite complex and multifaceted. The main task of customs officers is to ensure economic state security and create conditions for the successful development of the state’s economy. They serve as a reliable barrier for offenders, including smugglers transporting drugs, weapons, currency and various cultural values. The fight against cunning and resourceful violators requires enormous skills and experience from customs officers.”
– Russian customs officer.
