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Special retirement is a benefit intended for professionals who face working conditions that are harmful to their health, such as doctors, journalists, firefighters, among others. This right, guaranteed by the General Social Security Regime (RGPS), allows these workers to retire early, taking into account the health risks inherent to their profession. However, obtaining special retirement requires proof of exposure to harmful agents, such as excessive noise, intense heat or chemical and biological substances, among other factors.
The CPG, based on expert Laura Alvarenga from the FDR portal, detailed the specificities of this benefit for each professional category. Although many professions are considered high-risk, only continuous exposure to unhealthy or dangerous conditions guarantees the right to special retirement, which also requires a minimum contribution of 180 months to the INSS, in addition to specific age and length of service requirements.
Special retirement rules according to the level of risk
The rules for granting special retirement vary according to the risk level of each profession. For low-risk activities, 25 years of experience and a minimum age of 60 are required. Medium-risk professionals, on the other hand, can retire with 20 years of experience and a minimum age of 58, while those in high-risk activities only need 15 years of service, with a minimum age of 55.
Below, see the professional categories that can apply for special retirement, according to the different contribution periods:
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Special retirement with 25 years of special activity: Professions such as airline workers, firefighters, nurses, chemical engineers, journalists, doctors and bus or truck drivers over 4000 tons are included in this category. The worker must prove exposure to unhealthy conditions during his or her time of service.
Special retirement with 20 years of special activity: This period is intended for professions with exposure to more aggressive agents, such as workers in underground locations away from work fronts, phosphorus and mercury extractors, and lead smelters.
Special retirement with 15 years of special activity: Professions such as underground miners, rock drillers and jackhammer operators in underground environments fall into this higher level of risk, given the direct exposure to extremely harmful conditions.
Professions recognized as unhealthy and regulation
According to lawyer Eduardo Felype Moraes, a specialist in Labor and Social Security Law, many professions are not directly listed in official decrees, but are recognized as unhealthy by case law, and may therefore guarantee special retirement. This reinforces the importance of workers checking whether their profession meets the eligibility requirements to request this benefit.
How to apply for special retirement
To apply for special retirement, the worker must present specific documents that prove exposure to agents that are harmful to health. Among the main documents required are the Professional Social Security Profile (PPP), provided by the employer, and the Technical Report on Environmental Conditions at Work (LTCAT), prepared by an occupational physician or safety engineer.
The request can be made through the “Meu INSS” platform, accessible both on a computer and through the app on iOS and Android devices. The worker must follow the steps below:
Access “Meu INSS” and log in with gov.br;
Click on “New Request” and choose “Retirement by Contribution Time”;
Confirm your personal data and inform the periods in which you worked in unhealthy conditions;
Attach the necessary documents proving exposure to harmful agents.
The importance of documentation
Documents are essential to guarantee the right to special retirement, with the LTCAT and PPP being the main evidence that the worker was exposed to health risk conditions.
Until April 28, 1995, the INSS granted special retirement automatically to several categories, without the need for detailed proof of working conditions. However, currently, it is mandatory to prove the exposure to harmful agents through detailed technical documentation.
To confirm whether your profession is eligible for special retirement, consult the official INSS website, where you can access the complete list of categories and the specific conditions for each one.
