Brazil's Caixa launches R$6,220 emergency FGTS withdrawals for disaster‑hit cities

Caixa Econômica Federal has opened a special “Saque Calamidade” allowing workers in Brazilian municipalities officially declared in a state of emergency to withdraw up to R$6,220 from their FGTS accounts. The amount is a ceiling per account and applies only to those whose homes were damaged by recognized disasters such as floods, landslides, storms, cyclones or dam failures. Past uses include the Mariana and Brumadinho dam collapses and the Petrópolis landslides. A 2024 decree temporarily removed the usual 12‑month interval between withdrawals for municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul hit by severe flooding.

The FGTS (Fundo de Garantia do Tempo de Serviço) is a compulsory savings fund built from employer contributions. It can be accessed in several situations—termination without cause, retirement, home purchase, serious illness, birthday withdrawals, and now declared public calamities. Workers are advised to weigh the loss of future earnings and the impact on fund growth before withdrawing, especially under the birthday‑withdrawal option which reduces the amount available in case of dismissal.