The contributory unemployment benefitor “unemployment”, is charged until you find employment or exhaust the corresponding duration based on the years and months of contributions. Although it has a maximum duration, it must be known that if the ordinary retirement age corresponding to the worker is reached, it will be extinguished, although there are exceptions.
Article 272.d of the General Social Security Law establishes that unemployment will end upon reaching retirement age, as long as the worker meets the requirements to access the contributory retirement pension. To access the pension it is necessary to have the generic deficiency (15 years of contributions) and the specific deficiency (of the total number of years, at least two within the last 15 years). For this reason, the SEPE will stop paying the benefit when the worker has already reached the legal age that allows him to retire.
Regarding age, Social Security has two retirement ages, which depend on the years of contributions throughout your working life.
At what age do you stop collecting unemployment benefits in 2026?
In 2026, the ordinary retirement age will be 66 years and 10 months for those who have contributed less than 38 years and 3 months. On the other hand, those who prove contributions for more than 38 years and 3 months will be able to retire at 65 years of age. This is established in article 205 of the General Social Security Law.
| Year | Quoted periods | Age at which unemployment stops being collected |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 38 years and 3 months or more | 65 years |
| 2026 | Less than 38 years and 3 months | 66 years and 10 months |
| From 2027 | 38 years and 6 months or more | 65 years |
| From 2027 | Less than 38 years and 6 months | 67 years |
Therefore, in 2026, unemployment will end upon turning 65 if the worker proves at least 38 years and 3 months of contributions. If you do not reach that period, the benefit may be maintained until age 66 years and 10 months, which will be your normal retirement age.
The benefit does not always end when reaching that age
Now, as we have said, the law itself includes an important exception. Unemployment is not automatically extinguished in all cases simply by reaching an age. Article 272 expressly refers to article 266.d), which allows access and maintenance of protection when the person does not have a sufficient contribution period to qualify for a contributory retirement pension.
This means that an unemployed person who reaches the ordinary age that would correspond to him in 2026 will be able to continue collecting unemployment if he still does not meet the contribution required to retire. It is not enough, therefore, to look at the date of birth. It is also necessary to check if there really is a right to a contributory pension.
Along with this, the law includes another different cause of termination, which is becoming a retirement pensioner. That is why it is convenient to separate both situations. It is one thing to reach the ordinary age required to retire and another thing is that, in addition, the pension has already been recognized. The LGSS considers both as causes of termination of the right to contributory unemployment benefits.