INSS News

Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice (STJ) set a binding thesis in a repetitive appeal: a child under 16 who applies for a survivor’s pension or an auxílio-reclusão (the benefit paid to the dependents of an imprisoned insured person) more than 180 days after the death or imprisonment loses the payments that accrued before the application.

Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court will set a binding thesis on special retirement for community health agents and endemic disease control agents. It will decide whether the Constitution’s rule already has effect or depends on a complementary law.

Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) unanimously upheld the authority of INSS (Brazil’s National Social Security Institute) to set the interest rate cap on payroll-deduction loans (*consignado*) for retirees, pensioners and recipients of the BPC (Brazil’s means-tested Continuous Cash Benefit). The decision is now final and ends the challenge brought by a banking-sector association.

The average time INSS (Brazil’s National Social Security Institute) took to grant benefits was 33 days in August 2026, down from 40 days in July, according to the official Social Security statistical bulletin, which also recorded 844,389 benefits granted during the month.

In Topic 385, Brazil’s National Uniformization Panel (TNU) held that the assistance benefit for persons with disabilities does not depend on an inability to work. It also set three parameters for using the biopsychosocial assessment in court cases.

The federal government has extended for 365 days the measure that increases the maximum duration of the temporary disability benefit (auxílio por incapacidade temporária, formerly known as auxílio-doença) when it is granted through document review, without an in-person medical examination. The decision appears in Joint Ordinance MPS/INSS No. 43 of September 18, 2026,…

Brazil’s Ministry of Social Security has set the inflation-adjustment factors that apply in September 2026 when calculating lump-sum contribution refunds (*pecúlios*), back payments of benefits, and the contribution salaries that make up the initial monthly amount of INSS (Brazil’s National Social Security Institute) benefits.

Brazil’s Ministry of Social Security has opened a questionnaire to map the maturity of integrity programs at closed supplementary pension entities. Responses were accepted from September 1 to October 2, 2026, and the Ministry has stated that the results will inform its regulatory impact analysis on implementing these programs. The news matters beyond this one…

Normative Instruction PRES/INSS No. 213/2026 redesigned the rules for payroll-deducted loans (*consignado*) tied to social security benefits. It sets a twenty-day deadline to confirm portability, reinforces financial institutions’ duty to document each loan, and requires them to send proof of deposit within seven business days after the loan is signed. For beneficiaries, the new regime adds objective safeguards against irregular charges and unrecognized deductions from their benefit payments.

Retirees and pensioners with no facial biometrics on file in government databases can once again take out a payroll-deducted loan (*consignado*), now with an alternative way to verify their identity using bank data inside the Meu INSS app.

If you have a request pending with INSS (Brazil’s National Social Security Institute) and you’re thinking of filing another one for the same benefit, be careful: a new 2026 rule closed that door while your first case is still underway. Understanding what changed can help you avoid requests that are denied on the spot and avoid losing time you may need.

High-risk pregnancy has been added to the list of conditions that qualify for a disability benefit without the twelve-contribution waiting period. We explain who is eligible, how maternity pay (salário-maternidade) adds to this protection, and how to apply through Meu INSS (the online portal of Brazil’s National Social Security Institute, or INSS).

Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice has sent Topic 1.370 to be decided under its repetitive appeals procedure. The ruling will define how the deadline is counted for challenging in court the denial of an administrative request to review an INSS (Brazil’s National Social Security Institute) benefit, and its legal thesis will be binding in thousands of lawsuits.

In 2026, the Meu INSS app (from INSS, Brazil’s National Social Security Institute) became the main gateway to Brazil’s Social Security services. Using it carefully is what separates people who keep their benefits current from those who miss deadlines and face blocks that could have been avoided.

In 2026, INSS (Brazil’s National Social Security Institute) no longer requires you to go to the bank for proof of life. The agency now confirms automatically that a beneficiary is alive by cross-checking public databases, and in-person appearances are reserved for cases in which no recent record can be found.