INSS Benefits in 2026: Complete List with Codes and Requirements

This page is a translation of the original Portuguese text, provided for convenience. It deals with Brazilian law. If there is any discrepancy, the Portuguese version prevails. Read the original in Portuguese

The INSS (Brazil’s National Social Security Institute) administers more than 12 types of benefits, both social security and social assistance, according to data from the Social Security Statistical Bulletin (BEPS, 2025). Even so, many insured workers do not know their rights or confuse the requirements for each benefit.

How are social security benefits classified?

Law 8.213/91 organizes the benefits of the RGPS (Brazil’s General Social Security Regime) into three main groups. The December 2025 BEPS recorded more than 37 million active benefits (BEPS/MPS, 2025), which shows how far these payments reach into the lives of Brazilians.

Disability benefits are for people who are temporarily or permanently unable to work. They include temporary disability benefit (formerly known as auxílio-doença, or sickness benefit) and permanent disability retirement.

Scheduled benefits (retirement pensions) are granted based on contribution time, age, or exposure to harmful agents. They are retirement by age, retirement by contribution time (acquired right or transition rules), and special retirement.

Dependents’ benefits are the survivor’s pension and the prison detention benefit, paid to the insured person’s family members.

Besides these, there are social assistance benefits (BPC/LOAS, the Continuous Cash Benefit under Brazil’s Organic Social Assistance Law) and the family allowance, each governed by its own legislation. Do you know which group your situation falls into?

Law 8.213/91 divides RGPS benefits into three categories: disability, scheduled (retirement pensions), and dependents’ benefits. In December 2025, the INSS maintained more than 37 million active benefits, according to the Social Security Statistical Bulletin (BEPS/MPS, 2025).

What are the INSS benefits and their codes?

Each INSS benefit has a numeric identification code. In 2025, the INSS system processed more than 10 million initial applications (INSS Statistical Panel, 2025). The table below lists the main benefits, their codes, and their requirements.

Retirement pensions

Allowances and other benefits for the insured person

Dependents’ benefits

Social assistance benefits (BPC/LOAS)

Notes:

• * Minimum contribution period waived in cases of work accident, occupational disease, or serious illness (art. 151, Law 8.213/91).
• ** Minimum contribution period of 10 months for self-employed contributors, MEIs (individual microentrepreneurs), and voluntary contributors.
• * Employees, domestic workers, and casual workers have no minimum contribution period for maternity pay.
• ** Required only when death occurs after the insured person has lost insured status (art. 74, §3., Law 8.213/91).

What changed in disability benefits after the Reform?

EC 103/2019 changed how permanent disability retirement is calculated. The initial monthly amount dropped to 60% of the benefit base salary, plus 2% for each year beyond 20 years of contributions (men) or 15 years (women), under art. 26 of EC 103/2019.

This means many insured workers now receive less than they would have before the reform. Only in exceptional cases, total and permanent disability resulting from a work accident, occupational disease, or work-related disease, does the benefit equal 100% of the benefit base salary from the start.

8.213/91 organizes the RGPS benefits into three main groups.

The former sickness benefit (code 91) also went through changes. Now called temporary disability benefit, it is periodically reassessed by the INSS. Its duration is no longer open-ended.

Which illnesses waive the minimum contribution period?

Art. 151 of Law 8.213/91, as regulated by Interministerial Ordinance MTP/MS n. 22/2022, lists the illnesses that waive the minimum contribution period for disability benefits. They include:

• Active tuberculosis
• Leprosy
• Malignant neoplasm (cancer)
• Serious heart disease
• Parkinson’s disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• HIV/AIDS
• Serious liver disease
• Blindness
• Irreversible and disabling paralysis
• Serious kidney disease
• Radiation contamination
• Ankylosing spondyloarthrosis
• Mental alienation
• Advanced Paget’s disease

This list is exhaustive in the administrative process, but case law accepts analogy in similar cases. If you have a serious illness that does not appear on this list, it is worth seeking legal advice.

After EC 103/2019, permanent disability retirement pays only 60% of the benefit base salary, plus 2% for each year beyond 20 years of contributions (men) or 15 (women). Only exceptional cases guarantee 100% from the start, under art. 26 of Constitutional Amendment 103/2019.

What are the retirement transition rules in 2026?

Five transition rules cover people who were already contributing before 13/11/2019. In 2026, the score required under the points rule rises progressively each year, under art. 15 of EC 103/2019. Each rule has different advantages depending on the insured person’s profile.

1. Points Rule (art. 15)

Age plus contribution time. In 2026: 93 points for women and 103 for men. It requires a minimum of 30 years (women) or 35 years (men) of contributions. The score rises 1 point per year until it reaches the cap.

2. Progressive Minimum Age (art. 16)

In 2026: 59 years and 6 months for women, 64 years and 6 months for men. It also requires 30/35 years of contributions. The minimum age rises 6 months per year.

3. 50% Toll (art. 17)

Available only to those who were less than 2 years away from completing the minimum time on 13/11/2019. The insured person must serve 50% of the time that was missing as an additional toll. For most insured workers, this option has already run out.

4. 100% Toll (art. 20)

It requires a minimum age of 57 (women) or 60 (men), plus 30/35 years of contributions, plus a toll of 100% of the time that was missing on 13/11/2019. The benefit calculation here is more favorable: it uses the average of 100% of wages without the 60% reduction.

5. Special Retirement with a points score (art. 21)

A minimum score of 66, 76, or 86 points, depending on the level of exposure (15, 20, or 25 years of special activity). Have you ever stopped to think about which rule is best for you?

In 2026, the points rule rose again for both women and men, with the minimum of 30 and 35 years of contributions, respectively, unchanged. The score rises 1 point per year until it reaches the cap, under art. 15 of EC 103/2019.

How does the survivor’s pension work after the Reform?

The amount of the survivor’s pension fell with EC 103/2019. Today, it equals 50% of the retirement benefit the insured person was receiving (or would have been entitled to), plus 10% for each eligible dependent, up to a maximum of 100% (art. 23, EC 103/2019).

How long the benefit lasts for spouses and partners varies with their age at the time of death. Dependents under 22 receive it for a limited time. Dependents who are 44 or older on the date of death are entitled to it for life, under the table in art. 77, §2. of Law 8.213/91.

A family with only one dependent, for example, receives 60% of the amount, not 100% as before the reform. This change caught many people by surprise.

After EC 103/2019, the survivor’s pension equals 50% of the insured person’s retirement benefit, plus 10% per dependent, up to 100%. A family with one dependent receives 60% of the amount. Duration varies with the spouse’s age, under art. 77, §2., of Law 8.213/91.

Who is entitled to BPC/LOAS?

The Continuous Cash Benefit (Law 8.742/93) serves older adults aged 65 or over and people with long-term disabilities. In November 2025, more than 6 million people received the BPC, according to the BEPS/MPS (2025), the bulletin of Brazil’s Ministry of Social Security.

The main requirement is a per capita family income below 1/4 of the minimum wage. No prior contributions are required. For people with disabilities, a biopsychosocial assessment by the INSS is necessary.

The case law of the STF (Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court) has relaxed the income criterion. The courts allow a broader analysis of social vulnerability, considering expenses for medication and treatment, for example. This relaxation was an important step forward in protecting families in need.

The BPC/LOAS serves more than 6 million people in Brazil and does not require prior contributions (BEPS/MPS, 2025). The requirement is a per capita family income below 1/4 of the minimum wage, but STF case law has relaxed this criterion to allow a broader analysis of social vulnerability.

Why does knowing your social security rights make a difference?

According to the INSS Statistical Panel, about half of all applications are denied at the first review (INSS/Dataprev, 2025). Knowing the codes, minimum contribution periods, and requirements for each benefit helps you avoid common mistakes.

In practice, knowing your rights allows you to:

• Choose the best transition rule, by comparing the five available options before filing your application.
• Prepare the right documentation, since gathering proof before you apply reduces denials.
• Anticipate your rights, by identifying whether you qualify for benefits with no minimum contribution period.
• Support your appeals, because if the INSS denies your application, knowing the law strengthens your administrative appeal or court action.

If you have been contributing for many years and have never stopped to check which rule is most advantageous, now is the time to do it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many benefits does the INSS offer in 2026?

The INSS administers more than 10 types of benefits, both social security and social assistance. The main ones include retirement pensions (by age, by contribution time, special, and disability), allowances (sickness, accident, and prison detention), the survivor’s pension, maternity pay, and the BPC/LOAS.

How do I look up my INSS benefit code?

You can find your benefit code on the payment statement available on Meu INSS (the INSS’s online portal) or in the app. Each type of benefit has its own code: for example, urban retirement by age is code 41, social security sickness benefit is 31, and survivor’s pension is code 21.

Which INSS benefits do not require contributions?

The BPC/LOAS (Continuous Cash Benefit) is the only benefit administered by the INSS that does not require social security contributions. Intended for older adults over 65 and low-income people with disabilities, the BPC is a social assistance benefit and requires only registration in the CadÚnico (Brazil’s Single Registry for Social Programs) and proof of income.

As informações deste artigo são de caráter informativo e não substituem consulta jurídica individualizada. Cada caso possui particularidades que exigem análise específica.