Brazil reforms pension rules as Supreme Court removes age minimum for special retirement and TCU orders INSS automation

The Brazilian Supreme Court ruled 6‑5 that the constitutional amendment requiring a minimum age for special retirement is invalid. The decision eliminates the age threshold for workers exposed to hazardous conditions while keeping the existing contribution‑based calculation formula and the ban on converting special time to ordinary. The ruling applies to the general social security regime (INSS) and does not automatically extend to public‑service pension schemes.

Separately, Brazil’s Federal Court of Auditors (TCU) mandated that the INSS and the state‑owned data‑processing firm Dataprev overhaul the automated system that grants pensions, benefits and aid. The agencies have 180 days to improve data cross‑checking, notification of missing documents and overall transparency, aiming to cut erroneous denials and delays for millions of beneficiaries.