Anyone who is about to retire needs to be careful. Enacted in 2019, the Social Security reform established automatic transition rules, which change the granting of benefits each year.
The retirement score based on contribution time and age has changed. Check out the changes that come into force this year below.
Retirement based on contribution time
The Social Security reform established four transition rules, two of which provided for modifications at the turn of 2024 to 2025. In the first rule, which establishes a transition schedule for the 86/96 rule, the score made up of the sum of age and years of contribution rose in January: to 92 points (women) and 102 points (men).
Public servants are subject to the same scoring rule, with the difference that they must be 62 years old and have 35 years of contributions (men), 57 years old and 30 years old (women). For both sexes, it is necessary to have 20 years in public service and five years in office.
In the second rule, which provides for a lower minimum age for those who have been contributing for a long time, the minimum age to apply for the benefit was increased to 59 years (women) and 64 years (men). The Social Security reform adds six months to the minimum ages each year until they reach 62 years old (women) and 65 years old (men) in 2031. In both cases, the minimum contribution time required is 30 years for women and 35 years for men.
Teachers
In relation to teachers, who obey a transition rule based on the time of contribution in the teaching role combined with the minimum age, women start to retire at the age of 54; and men, at 59 years old. The age is increased by six months each year until reaching the limit of 57 years for women and 60 years for men, in 2031.
The minimum contribution time to obtain retirement as a teacher is 25 years for women and 30 years for men. The rule applies to teachers in the private sector, federal educational institutions and small municipalities. State and large municipal teachers obey the rules of their own pension schemes.
Retirement by age
Since 2023, the rule for retirement by age has been fully in force, aimed at low-income workers who contributed little to Social Security and would retire by age under the old rule.
For men, the minimum age has been set at 65 years since 2019. For women, the transition age has been set at 62 years since 2023. For both sexes, the minimum contribution time required to retire by age is 15 years.
When the Social Security reform was enacted in November 2019, the minimum age for women was 60 years old, increasing six months a year in the following four years. It rose to 60 and a half years in January 2020, to 61 years in January 2021, 61 and a half years in 2022 and 62 years last year.
Rules that won’t change
As it has already been complied with, the 100% toll rule on contribution time will not change in the private sector. Anyone over 60 years of age and 35 years of contributions (men) or 57 years of age and 30 years of contributions (women) can retire. The rule established that the insured person had to serve twice the remaining period before retiring when the reform was enacted in 2019.
In public service, some will have to wait a little longer, because, in addition to the toll, it is necessary to have 20 years of public service and five years in office. In theory, anyone who started contributing to Social Security at a very young age and entered public service at least 20 years ago still has the possibility of benefiting from the rule in 2025.
The reform had another toll rule, this time for the private sector. Anyone who was up to two years away from retirement in 2019 had to complete 50% more in relation to the time left until retirement. However, this transition rule has been fully complied with and will no longer benefit anyone in 2024.
In the most comprehensive scenario, anyone who would work for two more years in 2019 had to work an extra year, totaling three years. At the end of 2022, everyone who was covered by the 50% toll rule has already retired.
Simulations
The National Social Security Institute (INSS) allows retirement simulations on your computer and cell phone.
Computer simulation
• Go to the website meu.inss.gov.br and enter your CPF and password. If you don’t have a password, register one;
• Go to “Services” and click on “Simulate Retirement”
• Check the information that will appear on the screen. The website will show your age, gender and contribution time, as well as how long until retirement, according to each of the rules in force
Simulation on cell phone
• Download the Meu INSS app (available for Android and iOS)
• If necessary, click on the “Login with gov.br” button and enter your CPF and password. If you don’t have a password, register one
• Open the side menu (at the top left) and click on “Simulate Retirement”
• Check the information that will appear on the screen. The website will show your age, gender and contribution time, as well as how long until retirement, according to the rules in force
• If you need to correct any personal data, just click on the pencil icon (on the right)
The insured can save the document with all simulation data. Just click “Download PDF”.
