Brazil
Worked in Brazil? Any pension you built up here is yours to keep and can usually be paid to you abroad — but you have to claim it; it won't start automatically. The full state pension age is 65, with early access from 57. On totalization, Brazil has bilateral totalization agreements, so the years you worked here may combine with other countries you've worked in. Below is Brazil's system at a glance and what expats should check.
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Overview
Brazil operates a multi-pillar mandatory and voluntary pension system anchored by Constitutional Amendment 103/2019 (effective November 13, 2019), which was the most sweeping pension reform in the country's history. The system comprises: Pillar 0 (BPC/LOAS — non-contributory welfare benefit of one minimum wage for low-income elderly aged 65+ or disabled persons); Pillar 1 (mandatory pay-as-you-go public schemes — RGPS for private sector workers and RPPS for civil servants); Pillar 2 (supplementary funded defined-contribution schemes — mandatory for new RPPS entrants post-2019, voluntary for RGPS workers via EFPCs and EAPCs); and Pillar 3 (voluntary private pension products — PGBL and VGBL offered by banks and insurers). The 2019 reform introduced minimum retirement ages (62 for women, 65 for men), eliminated pure contribution-length retirement for new entrants, and established transition rules with progressively increasing age and points requirements through approximately 2033. As of 2026, the INSS benefit floor equals the national minimum wage (R$1,621/month), the ceiling is approximately R$8,537.55/month, and benefits above the minimum wage are adjusted annually by the INPC inflation index (4.18% for 2026), while minimum-wage-linked benefits receive a higher adjustment (6.79% for 2026) tied to the minimum wage policy formula.
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Brazil maintains two distinct mandatory public schemes: RGPS (Regime Geral de Previdência Social), administered by INSS and covering virtually all private sector workers, domestic workers, self-employed, and rural workers; and RPPS (Regimes Próprios de Previdência Social), covering federal, state, and municipal civil servants under separate schemes. Post-2019 RPPS entrants must participate in a two-pillar structure where Pillar 1 benefits are capped at the RGPS ceiling and Pillar 2 (Funpresp or equivalent) provides supplementary defined-contribution savings. The complementary pension sector is regulated by PREVIC (closed funds/EFPCs) and SUSEP (open funds/EAPCs), with PGBL plans offering tax deductibility of contributions up to 12% of gross income and VGBL plans offering tax-deferred growth without upfront deductibility. Brazil has totalization agreements with over 40 countries (including the US-Brazil agreement in force since October 2018 and the Czech Republic agreement in force since November 2024), and INSS pensions are paid indefinitely abroad subject to annual proof-of-life requirements, which since 2024–2025 are increasingly fulfilled automatically via government data cross-referencing.
88.4%
Pillar 0: BPC/LOAS — non-contributory welfare benefit (one minimum wage = R$1,621/month in 2026) for low-income elderly (65+) or disabled persons; no INSS contributions required. Pillar 1: RGPS (mandatory public pay-as-you-go) for private sector workers, self-employed, domestic workers, and rural workers — administered by INSS; RPPS (special public regimes) for federal, state, and municipal civil servants — administered by respective government entities. Pillar 2: Previdência Complementar — mandatory for new RPPS entrants post-2019 (Funpresp at federal level; state/municipal equivalents); voluntary for RGPS workers via closed pension funds (EFPCs, regulated by PREVIC) or open pension funds (EAPCs, regulated by SUSEP). Pillar 3: Private pension products — PGBL (Plano Gerador de Benefício Livre, tax-deductible contributions up to 12% of gross income) and VGBL (Vida Gerador de Benefício Livre, non-deductible but tax-deferred), offered by banks and insurers to the general public.
Bismarckian/Mixed — mandatory earnings-related contributory public schemes (RGPS/RPPS) combined with voluntary supplementary funded schemes and a non-contributory welfare safety net
Employee
7.5% to 14% (progressive brackets on monthly salary up to BRL 8,157.41 ceiling in 2025; cap ~BRL 951.63/month)
Employer
20% (standard, no cap); total social charges including RAT/SAT work accident insurance (1–3%) and third-party contributions (~5.8%) can reach 28.8% of total payroll
Self-Employed
5%, 11%, or 20% of contribution salary ceiling depending on category and chosen benefit level; MEI (micro-entrepreneurs) pay fixed monthly DAS amount including reduced INSS component
Notes
Employee contribution rates (7.5%–14%) have been unchanged since March 2020; only the income brackets are adjusted annually by INPC in January. Employer base rate is 20% (flat, no cap) for most sectors; some sectors use revenue-based CPRB instead of payroll — Law 14,973/2024 established gradual re-taxation of payroll for these sectors from 2025 to 2027. Voluntary insured persons (facultativo) who do not work may contribute 20% of chosen salary (or 11% for reduced benefit set). Rural workers: 2.5% of gross revenue from rural production if employer/landowner. Domestic workers: employee 7.5%–14% progressive; employer 20% + 8% FGTS. FGTS (Severance Fund) is an additional 8% employer contribution on total compensation — separate from INSS but mandatory. Contribution ceiling for 2025: BRL 8,157.41/month; projected ceiling for 2026: ~BRL 8,537.55/month.
Common questions
What is the retirement age in Brazil?
The full state pension age in Brazil is 65. Early retirement may be possible from 57.
Can I claim a Brazil pension if I live abroad?
Yes. A pension you've earned in Brazil stays yours wherever you retire, and can usually be paid into an overseas account once you reach pension age. It won't start automatically, though — you need to claim it, typically a few months in advance, through Brazil's pension authority.
Do totalization agreements affect my Brazil pension?
Brazil has bilateral social-security (totalization) agreements. These can let you combine the years you worked in Brazil with years in partner countries to meet a minimum qualifying period, so short stints aren't wasted. Which partners and rules apply depends on your own work history.
How is the pension system structured in Brazil?
Bismarckian/Mixed — mandatory earnings-related contributory public schemes (RGPS/RPPS) combined with voluntary supplementary funded schemes and a non-contributory welfare safety net Pillar 0: BPC/LOAS — non-contributory welfare benefit (one minimum wage = R$1,621/month in 2026) for low-income elderly (65+) or disabled persons; no INSS contributions required. Pillar 1: RGPS (mandatory public pay-as-you-go) for private sector workers, self-employed, domestic workers, and rural workers — administered by INSS; RPPS (special public regimes) for federal, state, and municipal civil servants — administered by respective government entities. Pillar 2: Previdência Complementar — mandatory for new RPPS entrants post-2019 (Funpresp at federal level; state/municipal equivalents); voluntary for RGPS workers via closed pension funds (EFPCs, regulated by PREVIC) or open pension funds (EAPCs, regulated by SUSEP). Pillar 3: Private pension products — PGBL (Plano Gerador de Benefício Livre, tax-deductible contributions up to 12% of gross income) and VGBL (Vida Gerador de Benefício Livre, non-deductible but tax-deferred), offered by banks and insurers to the general public. It includes 4 schemes in our directory.