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 under permanent rules), 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 under Decree 12.797/2025), the ceiling is R$8,475.55/month (per Ordinance MPS/MF No. 13/2026), benefits above the minimum wage were adjusted by 3.9% (INPC for 2025), and minimum-wage-linked benefits received a 6.79% adjustment. Under the 2026 transition rules, the progressive age path requires 59.5 years for women (30 years contributions) and 64.5 years for men (35 years contributions); the points system requires 93 points for women and 103 points for men.
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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 proof-of-life requirements, which since 2024–2026 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; 2026 ceiling R$8,475.55/month per Ordinance MPS/MF No. 13/2026; maximum employee contribution ~R$988.09/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 28–36% of total payroll; financial institutions pay 22.5% base rate
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 (R$81.05/month in 2026 based on R$1,621 minimum wage)
Notes
Employee contribution rates (7.5%–14%) have been unchanged since March 2020; only the income brackets are adjusted annually by INPC in January per interministerial ordinance. 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. 2026 contribution ceiling: R$8,475.55/month (up from R$8,157.41 in 2025); 2026 minimum wage/floor: R$1,621.00 (up from R$1,518.00 in 2025).
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.
How do I get a copy of my Brazil pension record?
Ask Meu INSS for your Extrato CNIS (Cadastro Nacional de Informações Sociais) (the Contribution history statement). It's free and you can request it yourself — our step-by-step guide on this page walks through the portal, what to have ready, and what to do if the login fails.