Social Security automatically rejects the retirement of workers who do not request their pension, even if they have already reached the ordinary age and accumulate all the required years of contributions. The reason is that Social Security does not grant it automatically, that is, it is the worker and future pensioner themselves who must request it.
This is one of the most common mistakes among workers who are about to retire, since they believe that, once the company processes the leave or the ordinary legal age is reached, the pension begins to be collected on its own. But it doesn’t happen like that. Neither Social Security activates retirement on its own initiative nor is it enough to meet the requirements to start collecting it.
This is how he explains it Alfonso Muñoza Social Security official specialized in benefits and pensions, who explains that “you must ask for retirement. In all cases.” Therefore, although the worker has the right to the pension, if he does not submit the application, it will not be recognized.
The official clarifies that to access retirement “it is not enough that you have reached the legal age, it is not enough that you have enough years of contributions, nor is it enough that the company has dismissed you from work.” In addition to all that, the worker must submit the request for the administration to formally recognize the right.
Regarding when to request the pension, you must be clear about the three-month period, since it is the retroactivity period. Alfonso Muñoz explains that “for the economic effects to be from the day following the termination of employment, the request must be made within three months before or after the termination.” That is, there is a margin of three months before or after stopping work so that the start of payment is correctly established.
If it is requested outside of that period, Social Security only recognizes a maximum retroactivity of three months from the date of the application, so if it exceeds this period, the previous months would be lost.
For this reason, someone who stops working and takes too long to claim a pension may find that Social Security does not pay them all the time that has passed since they stopped working. This delay, even if it is due to ignorance, can translate into a definitive economic loss.
The recommendation is to anticipate the process
To avoid errors, rush or problems with documentation, Alfonso Muñoz’s advice is to anticipate. Not only to submit the application on time, but also to confirm the exact date on which you can access retirement, something especially important in a system in which the ordinary age changes depending on the years of contributions.
For this reason, it is recommended to go to Social Security in advance, whether in person, by telephone or electronically. “When you think your retirement age is close,” Muñoz advises, it is a good idea to make an appointment so that the administration can tell the worker exactly when they can retire, what documentation they need, and when they should submit the application so as not to lose money.