Early Retirement in Brazil: Steps and Benefits

Published on October 5, 2025 and written by Cyril Jarnias

Planning an early retirement in Brazil can be an appealing prospect due to the various benefits it offers, but it requires a detailed understanding of the specific conditions and administrative procedures in effect.

The Brazilian social security system, although complex, provides interesting options for those wishing to leave their professional life earlier. Indeed, recent reforms have introduced varied criteria based on age and number of contribution years, making it crucial to fully understand the eligibility requirements to optimize benefits.

By guiding you through the essential steps of this process and highlighting the concrete advantages, this article aims to provide you with the key to smoothly and serenely realize your early retirement project.

Procedures for Obtaining Early Retirement in Brazil

Administrative Procedures for Obtaining Early Retirement in Brazil:

Minimum Required Age and Contribution Period

For early retirement in Brazil, the minimum age and contribution period vary depending on the plan and type of worker (generally, there are specific provisions for long careers, high-risk professions, or disability situations).

Typically:

• Men: minimum 62 years with at least 35 years of contributions.
• Women: minimum 57 years with at least 30 years of contributions.
• Exceptions exist for certain professions or in cases of exposure to arduous working conditions.

Required Documents for the Application

• Official ID (RG or passport)
• CPF (tax identification number)
• Work and Social Security card (Carteira de Trabalho e Previdência Social – CTPS)
• Proof of contributions (account statements, work booklets, activity certificates, etc.)
• Proof of residence
• Bank statement for pension payment
• Specific forms to be filled out according to the plan (e.g., form SE416-19 for certain international agreements)

Application Submission Process with INSS

1. Create an account on the MEU INSS online platform (official INSS website or mobile app).
2. Select the “Novo Pedido” section then “Aposentadoria por Tempo de Contribuição” (for early retirement by contribution period).
3. Fill out the electronic form with personal and professional information.
4. Attach supporting documents in PDF format.
5. Validate the application and choose the assigned INSS office (the application is then processed by the competent service, often centralized in Rio for international agreements).
6. Track the application status via the MEU INSS platform.

Processing Times

Processing times vary depending on the complexity of the case and the volume of applications.

On average, processing takes between 30 and 90 days after complete submission of the file.

If additional documents are requested, this timeframe may be extended.

Competent Platforms and Offices

• MEU INSS (online): submission, tracking, and communication with the administration.
• Physical INSS offices: appointments can be made via MEU INSS for assistance or document submission (useful in case of digital difficulties).
• For expatriates or applications with international agreements, files are processed by the INSS service in Rio – International agreements.

Government Assistance and Support

• Online and telephone assistance service (“135”, national INSS service).
• Physical reception points at INSS agencies for personalized support.
• Guides and FAQ on the official INSS website.
• Possibility to use specialized advisors (lawyers, accountants, unions) for file preparation.

Step	Action to Take	Platform or Location	Estimated Timeframe
Preparation	Gather documents and proofs	Home/various organizations	Variable
Application Submission	Enter and transmit the file	MEU INSS or INSS agency	1 day
Analysis	File review by INSS	INSS (online/internal)	30 to 90 days
Decision	Notification and payment	MEU INSS / bank	After validation

Key Takeaways

Any incomplete or incorrect application can delay processing. Assistance from a professional or using INSS support services is highly recommended to optimize timelines and avoid rejections.

Specific Conditions for Early Retirement in Brazil

Brazilian citizens must meet precise criteria to apply for early retirement. The main requirements are:

• Minimum Age:
  • Men: 65 years
  • Women: 62 years
• Required Contribution Years:
  • Men: minimum 35 years (pre-reform), now up to 40 years for full pension without penalty
  • Women: minimum 30 years (pre-reform), now up to 40 years

Exceptions exist depending on the professional sector or specific conditions:

• Certain jobs exposed to risks (arduousness) allow for early retirement after 15, 20, or 25 years of contributions, depending on the exposure level and subject to permanent exposure to harmful agents.
• These provisions (“aposentadoria especial”) mainly apply to employees affiliated with a cooperative or permanently exposed to specific risks.

Comparison Table of Main Criteria

Criterion	Pre-Reform	Post-Reform	Arduousness Exception
Minimum Age Men	None	65 years	Variable
Minimum Age Women	None	62 years	Variable
Contributions Men	≥35 years	Up to 40 years	From 15,20,25 years
Contributions Women	≥30 years	Up to 40 years	From 15,20,25 years

Financial Implications

The pension amount depends on the number of contribution years and the average salary since July 1994.

The formula is: 60% of the reference salary + 2% per additional year beyond 15 years (women) or 20 years (men), capped at 100%.

Quick example:

Pension Amount = 
60% of average salary +
2% per year above threshold
Max limit = total average salary

Main Financial Consequences of Early Retirement

• Proportional reduction if leaving before maximum required contribution period.
• Capping between approximately 1,518 BRL and maximum 8,157 BRL monthly.
• Possibility to continue paid activity while receiving the pension.

Recent Legislative Reforms

• Introduction of a legal minimum age where it did not exist before.
• Gradual increase in the number of years required to obtain full pension without reduction.
• Phased elimination of special regimes for high-ranking civil servants.

International Comparison

Country	Standard Retirement Age	Required Contribution Years
Brazil	Men:65/Women:62	Up to 40
France	~64 (2025)	>42
Germany	~67	>45
Italy	~67	>41 if long career

Key Points

Brazil aligns with international standards with a high legal age and significant extension of required periods, but retains some provisions adapted to arduous professions like Italy or Denmark, which allow early departure with proportional reduction.

Advantages of Early Retirement for Residents and Expatriates

Main Reasons Why Early Retirement is Attractive:

• Higher Quality of Life:
  • Pleasant climate year-round (many tropical and subtropical regions)
  • Access to beaches, the Amazon, historic cities, and exceptional nature
  • Cultural richness and gastronomic diversity
• Advantageous Cost of Living:
  • Cost of living generally lower than many European countries, helping to preserve purchasing power
  • Attractive real estate prices, especially for expatriates benefiting from a favorable exchange rate
  • Varied offers for buying or renting homes to suit all budgets
• Financial and Tax Benefits:
  • Progressive income tax brackets, with exemption for low incomes
  • Possibility to combine retirement rights via bilateral agreements (e.g., France-Brazil), totaling contribution periods to optimize pensions
  • Pension systems allowing early retirement for certain arduous professions (aposentadoria especial)
  • Optional supplementary insurance to increase pension as needed
• Facilities for Expatriates:
  • Permanent residence visa programs for retirees (Visa VIPER/Golden Visa), notably via real estate investment
  • Simplified procedures for real estate acquisition by foreigners
  • Bilateral social security agreements facilitating recognition and portability of retirement rights
• Early Access to Healthcare:
  • Benefit from Brazilian medical infrastructures, public and private, before advanced age complicates relocation
  • Developed health systems in major cities and access to international or local health insurance

Comparison Table of Advantages

Advantages	Brazilian Residents	Expatriates
Climate and Living Environment	Yes	Yes
Cost of Living	Yes	Yes (often more attractive)
Taxation/Incentives	Yes (progressive brackets)	Yes (double convention)
Visa/Residence	–	VIPER/Golden Visa Programs
Access to Healthcare	Yes	Yes
Affordable Real Estate	Yes	Yes
Culture/Diversity	Yes	Yes

List of Concrete Benefits for Early Retirees:

• Maximization of purchasing power in a country where the euro and dollar are strong against the real
• Administrative peace of mind thanks to social security conventions and recognition of rights acquired abroad
• Opportunity to invest in real estate to obtain permanent residence
• Adaptation of living standards (choice between dynamic large cities or peaceful small coastal towns)
• Reduction of work-related stress and possibility to fully enjoy retirement in an exotic environment

Early retirement in Brazil combines financial attractiveness, quality of life, administrative advantages for expatriates, and the possibility to settle in an exceptional setting before mobility is restricted by age.

Impact of Legislative Reforms on Early Retirement

Main Recent Legislative Reforms in Brazil on Early Retirement

Constitutional Reform of 2019 (PEC 6/2019)

This major reform profoundly changed the general retirement regime, including access to early retirement:

• Minimum Required Age: introduction for the first time of a generalized minimum age. For private sector employees affiliated with the general regime (INSS), the minimum age is now set at 62 years for women and 65 years for men, with possibility of early departures under transitional conditions.
• Minimum Contribution Period: progressive increase, now a minimum of 15 years for women and 20 years for men, compared to a previous average of about 15 years.
• End of Retirement by Contribution Time Alone: previously, it was possible to obtain full retirement after only 30 or 35 years of contributions without age condition; this mechanism has been eliminated.

Criterion	Pre-Reform (until 2019)	Post-Reform (since end 2019)
Min. Legal Age – Private Sector	Not mandatory	Men: 65 years, Women: 62 years
Min. Contribution Time	Men: ~35 years / Women: ~30 years	Men: 20 / Women: 15
Retirement “by Seniority”	Possible without min. age	Eliminated
Pension Calculation	Average of best salaries	Total average minus exclusions

Transitional Provisions

Specific rules allow workers close to retirement at the time of legislative change to access an attenuated or derogatory form, but these provisions are strictly time-limited.

Special Early Retirement

Certain professional categories exposed to particular risks still benefit from earlier access, but under strengthened conditions and with a less advantageous calculation than before.

Recent Statistical Effects

• About two-thirds of new retirements in process before the reform were granted under the old duration-only criterion; this figure fell below 25% within three years of implementation.
• The average effective retirement age in Brazil now tends towards that observed in the OECD (closer to ~63–64 years) whereas it was only ~55–56 previously among some professional groups.
• The proportion of pensions granted before the legal age has dropped sharply while the average initial amount slightly decreases, reflecting the new calculation method including more low or incomplete annuities.

Economic and Social Impacts

• Tightening criteria mechanically slows the rapid growth of public spending related to pensions, which already represented nearly 8% of Brazilian GDP pre-reform; without intervention, they could have exceeded 17% by mid-century according to some projections.
• The necessary lengthening of careers poses problems especially in informal sectors where many cannot justify either continuous careers or regular declarations—thus risking a future explosion in the number of elderly without sufficient contributory rights.

Social Reactions

• Unions have led several major mobilizations against these measures deemed unfair to those who started their working life early or work in the informal/rural sector.
• Public policy experts nevertheless acknowledge that these adjustments had become essential given rapid demographic aging and the structural budget drift threatening the entire Brazilian social system.

The central question remains:

• How to reconcile financial viability
• AND effective social protection
• …in a country marked by so many
• inequalities,
• and a very large informal market?

The debate remains open among all major social actors!

Key Statistics

• Life Expectancy (2023): ~77 years
• Population >65 years projected: x3 between 2010 and 2050
• Pension Spending (%) GDP:
  – Pre-reform (1995): ≈4.6%
  – Post-reform (2023): ≈8%
  – Projection without reform (>2060): up to ≈17%

The reforms have therefore profoundly disrupted not only access but also the entire social dynamics surrounding the very notion of “anticipation” in terms of pension rights in Brazil.