The retirement age has risen again in 2026, normally reaching 66 years and 10 months, or 65 years for those workers who have contributed at least 38 years and 3 months throughout their working life. Despite this increase (and which will continue until 2027), the public Social Security pension system is so dynamic and flexible that it allows workers with disabilities to advance their ordinary retirement age to 56 years, and even to 52 years in the most severe cases.
Early retirement due to disability allows workers with a recognized degree equal to or greater than 45% to access retirement at age 56. This reduction is governed by Royal Decree 370/2023 (available in this BOE), which modified the previous regulations (Royal Decree 1851/2009) to make the required contribution years more flexible.
In this sense, refer to the latest update, where the Government has announced that it will incorporate 11 new pathologies to this standard. It is expected that around 50,000 people will benefit from it. The Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz, has highlighted the importance of this future expansion: “It is a measure of justice for thousands of people who suffer from serious illnesses that greatly affect their daily lives and who, therefore, need to advance their retirement age to be on par with the rest of the workers. It was something that the Government was committed to and that comes to meet a demand from this group”.
Diseases that give the right to early retirement at age 56
Any person who is registered with one of the Social Security schemes can opt for early retirement due to disability, as long as they meet certain requirements. Firstly, it is necessary to have contributed for a minimum of 15 years, of which at least 5 must have been with a degree of disability equal to or greater than 45%, officially recognized and caused by one of the pathologies contemplated in the regulations.
Furthermore, those 5 years must be linked to one of the diseases listed in the Annex to Royal Decree 370/2023. It currently includes 21 current pathologies:
- Intellectual disability.
- Cerebral palsy.
- Down syndrome.
- Prader Willi syndrome.
- Fragile X syndrome.
- Osteogenesis imperfecta.
- Achondroplasia.
- Cystic Fibrosis.
- Wilson’s disease.
- Autism spectrum disorders.
- Congenital anomalies secondary to Thalidomide.
- Sequelae of polio or post-polio syndrome.
- Craniocerebral trauma.
- Sequelae of CNS tumors, infections or poisoning.
- Schizophrenia.
- Bipolar disorder.
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
- Multiple sclerosis.
- Leukodystrophies.
- Tourette syndrome.
- Traumatic spinal cord injury.
Once the Government formally modifies the Annex to the royal decree, the following announced diseases will be added to the list:
- Spina bifida.
- Variant transthyretin amyloidosis.
- Parkinson’s.
- Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (Steinert).
- Huntington’s disease.
- Chronic kidney disease stage 5.
- Systemic sclerosis.
- Spinal cord injury (extension of the traumatic cause).
- Corticobasal degeneration.
- Multiple system atrophy.
- Progressive supranuclear palsy.
What is the difference with early disability retirement at age 52?
You must be clear and not confuse early retirement due to disability at age 56 with that allowed at age 52. The conditions are different:
- Disability equal to or greater than 45%: Allows retirement at 56 years of age as an exceptional minimum age, but only if the disability is caused by one of the diseases on the official list.
- Disability equal to or greater than 65%: In this case, a list of specific diseases is not required. What is done is to apply reducing coefficients that subtract time from the ordinary age (0.25 is applied for each year worked with that degree, or 0.50 if help from a third person is needed for the essential acts of life). This modality allows the retirement age limit to be lowered to a minimum of 52 years.
How much pension is left?
Unlike voluntary or involuntary early retirement, which applies cuts of up to 30%, in disability retirement the amount of the pension does not suffer penalties or reducing coefficients on the amount.
Thus, the current Social Security calculation method for 2026 would be applied:
- The regulatory basis: As of January 1, 2026, the new calculation model comes into force. Social Security will calculate the regulatory base with the traditional formula (the bases of the last 25 years) and also with the new formula (the 302 best contribution bases of the last 304 months, divided by 352.33). The formula that is most beneficial will automatically be applied to the worker.
- The percentage according to the years of contributions: With the minimum 15 years required, 50% of the regulatory base is obtained. To collect 100% of the pension in 2026, it is necessary to prove 36 years and 6 months of contributions.
Furthermore, there is an enormous advantage in the calculation to compensate for the advance: the time that is reduced from the worker’s retirement age will be computed as contributions for the exclusive purpose of determining the percentage applicable to the regulatory base to calculate the final amount of the pension. This guarantees that the advance does not negatively affect the amount the person will receive upon retirement.