INSS updates maternity benefit rules and issues fraud warnings

The Brazilian Social Security Institute (INSS) is facing several regulatory and security developments. A new law (Law 15.415) mandates that the INSS has a maximum of 30 days to grant maternity benefits to MEIs, self-employed workers, and other specific categories, or the payment will be granted provisionally and automatically. This follows a 2024 Supreme Federal Court (STF) decision that ruled the previous ten-month contribution requirement unconstitutional for these groups, leading to a significant surge in benefit requests.

In the legislative sphere, Bill 1599/26 is currently under review in the Chamber of Deputies. Proposed by Deputy Laura Carneiro, the bill seeks to permanently eliminate the grace period requirement for maternity benefits for all social security insured persons, aiming to unify rules for individual contributors and rural workers.

Financial and security concerns also persist. The return of a 45% margin for INSS payroll loans has intensified competition between banks and fintechs. Simultaneously, the INSS has issued warnings regarding a WhatsApp scam targeting retirees. Fraudsters are using urgent messages about life proof (prova de vida) to trick beneficiaries into clicking malicious links and revealing sensitive personal data.