Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
4 min of reading 
0 comments 
Bill Proposes Up to 3 Years of Bonus Per Child for Low-Income Mothers. Measure Could Advance Retirement and Review Benefits at INSS.
In Brazil, the fight for fair retirement has always been at the center of social debates. For women, who historically bear double burdens and often sacrifice their careers to care for children, this challenge is even greater. Now, a draft bill currently in progress in the National Congress could radically transform this reality: it proposes that the time dedicated to motherhood will be counted as a bonus in the retirement calculation.
The proposal guarantees that each child could yield up to 3 years of additional contribution time, accelerating the retirement of low-income mothers. If approved, the measure could benefit millions of women, especially those who have dedicated part of their lives to family care and faced difficulties in maintaining continuous contributions to the INSS.
What Does PLP 122/2021 Say?
The bill in question is the Complementary Bill (PLP) 122/2021, which has already been approved by the Women’s Rights Defense Committee of the Chamber of Deputies.
-
A bill could eliminate councilors in small towns in Brazil and replace fixed salaries with session allowances in municipalities with up to 30,000 inhabitants.
-
As the use of slimming pens grows in Brazil, a silent question arises among taxpayers in the 2026 income tax: why can’t these expenses be deducted and what specific detail could completely transform this rule into an isolated case?
-
He missed work to take care of his sick child, was fired for just cause, and ended up turning the tables in court with a decision that surprises companies.
-
STJ confirms that child support must be proportional to the father’s actual income and not to the mother’s standard of living — the decision reinforces balance in family obligations and prevents abuses in requests for increases.
The text proposes that the maternity period be acknowledged as extra time for social security purposes, establishing criteria for bonuses per child:
- 1 year of addition per child;
- 2 years in the case of adoption or a child with a disability;
- 3 years when a low-income mother proves she received social benefits for at least 12 months.
This formula creates a compensation for women whose professional trajectories were interrupted or reduced because of motherhood.
Why Is This Rule Necessary?
Statistics show that women still face enormous inequalities in the job market. According to IBGE, Brazilian women earn, on average, 20% less than men and are primarily responsible for caregiving tasks within the home.
Furthermore, time out of the job market to care for children causes many mothers to end up with gaps in their contributions to the INSS, which delays their retirement or reduces the value of their benefits.
The bill aims to correct this distortion: to recognize the care of children as socially valuable work and provide mothers with fairer conditions for access to social security.
Impact on Women’s Retirement
If approved, PLP 122/2021 could represent a silent revolution. Imagine a low-income mother with three children: under the new rule, she could have up to 9 years of additional contribution time.
This means that a retirement age that was previously only achievable at 62 years could come much earlier, changing the life perspective for millions of Brazilian families.
Moreover, the project provides that these bonuses will also apply retroactively, allowing women who have already contributed to review their benefits or expedite pending requests.
The Legislative Path to Becoming Law
Despite the expected positive impact, the bill is still in progress and needs to go through several stages. After approval in the Chamber’s committees, it will follow for analysis in the areas of Social Security and Family, Finance and Taxation, and finally the Constitution and Justice Committee. Only then can it be voted on in the Chamber’s plenary and subsequently in the Senate.
This process could take months or even years, but the fact that it has already been approved in one of the most important committees represents a considerable advance.
Lawmakers and social security experts argue that the bill is a form of historical justice. After all, if maternal care is fundamental to society, it must also be recognized in the social security system.
For them, the child bonus should not be viewed as a privilege, but as a reparation for a system that has historically penalized women for balancing work and family.
A Watershed in Women’s Retirement
If implemented, the measure will not only reduce the waiting time for retirement for millions of women but could also be the starting point for a new social security logic that recognizes the invisible work of mothers as an essential part of the economy and social structure.
By providing up to 3 years of bonus per child, PLP 122/2021 stands out as one of the most innovative proposals in recent years in the social security field.
For many Brazilian families, this could be the difference between aging with dignity or facing the uncertainty of a delayed and insufficient retirement.
-
-
-
16 pessoas reagiram a isso.