Retirement Income Gap
Retirement Age by Rule
Comparison of Rules and Terms
| Retirement Rule | Minimum Requirements | When you reach | Age at the time | Status |
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Calculate when you can retire through Social Security and estimate the amount of your benefit under the general and transition rules after the Social Security Reform (EC 103/2019).
| Retirement Rule | Minimum Requirements | When you reach | Age at the time | Status |
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The Social Security Reform, enacted in November 2019, substantially changed the rules for granting social security retirements. The main change was the elimination of retirement based solely on contribution time. Now, a minimum age is required, associated with contribution time or inclusion in transition rules for those who were already contributing.
For those who were already working before November 12, 2019, five transition rules were created. The main ones are:
The Social Security (INSS) Ceiling is the maximum amount that any retiree or pensioner can receive from social security. It is adjusted annually based on inflation (INPC). For 2024, the ceiling amount is $7,786.02. Even if your average contribution salary is higher (e.g., $15,000.00), your gross benefit will be limited to the ceiling at the time of granting.
There is no choice for CLT workers, as the contribution is mandatory and deducted at the source based on the ceiling. For self-employed or individual contributors, it does not pay to contribute amounts exceeding the social security (INSS) ceiling, as the excess will not be converted into additional benefits. In this case, it is much more advantageous to direct the difference to private investments (stocks, real estate investment trusts, fixed income).
It is the negative difference between your last active salary and the actual amount you will receive from social security (INSS). Since most people have salaries higher than their contribution averages and are affected by the calculation formula (which requires many years to reach 100%), the standard of living tends to drop drastically in old age if there is no private investment portfolio to support it.