Brazil Senate spends R$ 3 million monthly on pensions for daughters of former employees

The Brazilian Senate spends approximately R$ 3 million per month, totaling roughly R$ 36 million annually, to pay pensions to 132 unmarried daughters of former employees. This practice is based on a 1958 law that allowed such benefits for unmarried daughters over the age of 21.

While a 1990 law ended the granting of these pensions for new cases, the Supreme Federal Court has upheld the maintenance of benefits previously granted under the older legislation.

Data indicates that 16 beneficiaries have gross incomes exceeding the constitutional ceiling of R$ 46,366.19. In these instances, the Senate applies a mechanism known as 'abate-teto' to limit the actual payment to the legal maximum. Some beneficiaries have received these payments for decades, with cumulative totals estimated in the millions of reais.