The cuts applied to early retirement pensions continue to generate strong opposition in Spain, especially among workers with very long contributory careers, who feel penalized despite decades of discounts. The situation affects thousands of retirees and gained prominence again after the public testimony of a woman with more than 44 years of contributions.
After 44 and a half years of Social Security deductions, Cándida Jiménez saw her pension reduced by 13%, a cut that translates into a monthly loss of around 195 euros. This is a lifelong penalty, applied for having brought forward retirement age, which she herself classifies as “a huge injustice”.
An early retirement forced by health
Cándida Jiménez retired at the age of 63, not by choice, but due to health problems that prevented her from continuing to work. Despite having a contributory career well above the minimum required, current legislation led to the automatic application of a reducing coefficient, according to the Spanish digital newspaper Noticias Trabajo.
According to current rules in Spain, bringing forward retirement by 24 months implies penalties even for those with more than 44 and a half years of discounts. In Cándida’s case, this cut is not temporary, it will stay with her throughout her life.
“It’s a perpetual prison”
The pensioner made her indignation public through social media, where she describes the situation as “a perpetual prison”. The outrage increases when comparing his case with the passive class regime, which allows retirement at age 60 with 35 years of discounts and access to 100% of the pension.
For Cándida, this difference in treatment is unjustified, especially when it comes to workers who started paying very early and supported the system for decades.
A problem affecting hundreds of thousands
Cándida’s case is far from isolated. Official data from the Spanish Government reveal that 865,439 pensioners with 40 or more years of contributions are subject to permanent penalties for early retirement. Reductions vary between 4% and 13% or more, depending on the number of months in advance and the total number of years discounted. In many cases, these losses represent hundreds of euros per month, according to the same source.
The struggle of the ASJUBI40 association
Cándida Jiménez is part of the ASJUBI40 association, which brings together pensioners with long contributory careers and has been giving visibility to situations that, according to the organization itself, go unnoticed in the political debate.
The association defends the elimination of reducing coefficients for those who have had more than 40 years of discounts, considering it unfair that workers with such extensive careers are penalized for bringing forward their retirement.
Direct appeal to the Government
The demand was addressed to the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations, Elma Saiz. The association asks that these cuts be eliminated through a Royal Decree, similar to what happened with the minimum wage updates. “If there is a fast track for social decisions, our solution has to go there”, argues Cándida Jiménez, highlighting that many retirees have anticipated leaving the job market for health reasons.
Average pensions and real losses
In Spain, the average retirement pension is currently around 1,500 euros per month. However, this value is just a reference, as thousands of pensioners receive lower amounts due to the penalties applied, according to the previously cited source. In Cándida’s case, the 13% cut represents 195 euros less every month, a permanent reduction that has a direct impact on disposable income and quality of life.
Legal retirement age continues to rise
In 2026, the legal retirement age will increase again. It will be set at 66 years and 10 months for those with contributory careers of less than 38 years and 3 months. Only those who exceed this limit will be able to retire at age 65 with access to the full pension.
This legal framework continues to generate contestation among workers who, despite long contributory careers, find themselves penalized for bringing forward their retirement by just a few months, keeping alive a controversy that promises to continue, according to .
A debate that also takes place in Portugal
Although the case occurred in Spain, the situation also raises relevant questions for Portugal. In the Portuguese system, early retirement also continues to be associated with significant penalties, especially when it is not the result of long-term unemployment or a high number of years of deductions, and the cuts may continue throughout the entire pension.
In a country where many workers are removed from the market before the legal age and face difficulties in returning to work after the age of 55, Cándida Jiménez’s testimony reinforces the debate on the justice of penalty mechanisms, the protection of long careers and the risk of impoverishment in old age, an increasingly present concern also among Portuguese pensioners.
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