Social Security will continue to apply its penalty system in 2026 for workers who decide to voluntarily advance their retirement. According to current regulations, individuals with over 41 years of contributions who choose this option and retire before the legal age could see their benefit reduced by up to 17%.

This measure is a response to the need to maintain the financial balance of the pension system, given the increase in life expectancy and the mass retirement of the baby boom generation. The intention is to adjust expenses to new demographic and economic realities.

The legal age for ordinary retirement is currently 65 for those with 38 years and 3 months or more of contributions, and rises to 66 years and 10 months for others. Workers can request an advance of up to 24 months, but this incurs a scale of penalties ranging from 2.81% to 21%.

The reduction coefficients are no longer calculated quarterly but monthly and vary according to the years contributed. For example, a worker with between 41.5 and 44.5 years of contributions who retires 23 months early will face a 15% cut, rising to 17% if they take the full 24 months. For careers longer than 44.5 years, the penalty is lower, around 13%.

The highest penalty, 21%, applies to those who take the maximum 24-month advance and have contributed for less than 38 years and 6 months.