Brazil federal precatórios deadline moves to February 1

Following Constitutional Amendment 136, the deadline for federal court-ordered debts (precatórios) to be included in the following year's budget has moved from April 2 to February 1. Consequently, creditors who submit requisitions by February 1, 2026, will be eligible for the 2027 payment cycle.

Data from the Federal Budget Secretariat (SOF) indicates that 117,855 federal precatórios submitted by February 1 total R$ 44.9 billion, covering 209,622 beneficiaries. This is a decrease from the R$ 71.9 billion recorded for 2026.

While federal payments generally follow a predictable timeline of one to two and a half years, payments from states and municipalities can vary significantly. Under special regimes for entities with high judicial debt, wait times can exceed a decade. The National Council of Justice reports that the total stock of pending precatórios across the Union, states, and municipalities exceeds R$ 300 billion.