Brazil sets 30‑day deadline for INSS maternity benefit payments

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed Law 15.415, establishing that the Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social (INSS) must pay maternity benefits within 30 days of a claim. The rule applies to women who receive the salary‑maternity directly from the INSS, such as domestic workers, rural laborers, indigenous and quilombola women, artisanal fishers, individual micro‑entrepreneurs, and unemployed insureds.

If the INSS does not complete the analysis within the 30‑day window, the benefit is automatically granted, though the agency may still verify eligibility afterward. The legislation aims to reduce the current average processing time of about 45 days and to provide more reliable income support during the 120‑day maternity leave period. Payments can begin up to 28 days before childbirth or on the child’s birth date, with amounts ranging from the minimum wage to full earnings.