The normal age for access to old-age retirement is set, in 2026, at 66 years and nine months. Still, there are workers who can leave the job market early without suffering the cuts usually associated with early retirement.
The rule does not apply to everyone and depends mainly on the contributory career. According to , which cites information published by Santander’s Salto blog, early retirement can, in general, be requested from the age of 60, but the conditions vary according to the applicable regime.
When Early Retirement May Have No Cuts
The most important point is in the so-called very long contributory careers.
In these cases, there are situations in which the worker can request retirement before the normal age without applying the sustainability factor, which is one of the heaviest penalties in early pensions. In 2026, this factor represents a cut of 17.63%, as provided for in Ordinance No. 476/2025/1.
Under certain conditions, the reduction factor may also not be applied, which corresponds to 0.5% for each month left to reach normal retirement age.
Who may be covered
Among the most relevant cases are workers who are at least 60 years old and have 48 years of discounts.
People aged 60 and with at least 46 years of contributory career can also benefit from this scheme, as long as they started making contributions very early, before the age of 17.
These situations seek to protect those who began their professional lives at a young age and have accumulated a particularly long contributory career.
Personal retirement age also counts
In addition to very long careers, there is the so-called personal retirement age. This rule allows the normal age of access to the pension to be reduced depending on the years of deductions above 40. For each year beyond these 40 years of contributory career, the normal age can be reduced by four months.
In practice, this means that some workers can retire before the age of 66 years and nine months without penalty, as long as their personal retirement age has already been reached.
Not all early retirements escape penalties
It is important to distinguish these regimes from early retirement due to age flexibility. In this case, the worker can request the pension from the age of 60, as long as they have contributed at least 40 years, but the amount is normally reduced by 0.5% each month in advance.
Depending on the situation, the sustainability factor may also apply, which makes the decision more penalizing.
Unemployment and fast-wearing professions have their own rules
There are also special regimes for long-term unemployment, disability and professions considered to be quickly worn out.
In these cases, the conditions vary greatly and may include different penalties, specific requirements and specific forms of calculation. So don’t just look at age. It is necessary to understand which regime applies to each worker.
Simulate before deciding
Before requesting early retirement, Social Security recommends using the Pension Simulator, available from Social Security Direct.
The tool allows you to estimate the value of the pension based on existing data on your contributory career, and can help you understand whether there are cuts, bonuses or the possibility of leaving without penalty. Still, the result is only informative and not binding.
The detail that can change everything
Uncut early retirement exists, but it is far from automatic. It depends on age, years of deductions, when you started working and the applicable legal regime. For those who have a very long career, the difference can be significant: leaving early without seeing their pension reduced.
In the end, the essential question is not just when you want to retire, but whether you have already put together the years necessary to do so without losing money every month.
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