Rio, Minas Gerais and São Paulo lead the way in joining the agreement with the INSS

São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro are the three states with the highest number of signatories to the agreement proposed by the federal government to enable the return of amounts illegally deducted from the social security benefits of millions of retirees and pensioners across Brazil.

According to the National Institute of Social Security (INSS), 1,052,128 people have already formalized a claim for reimbursement. Of these, 196,160 reside in São Paulo; 99,949 in Minas Gerais and 93,738 in Rio de Janeiro.

Next come Ceara (56,417); Pernambuco (50,206); Rio Grande do Sul (48,316); and Maranhão (43,116). As of the morning of Thursday 24, Roraima was the state with the lowest number of adhesions (1,960).

The details released by the INSS confirm that the illegal discount scheme revealed by Operation Sem Desconto, which the Federal Police and the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU) launched on April 23 of this year, claimed victims in the 26 Brazilian states and the Federal District.

According to the Federal Police and the CGU, civil associations, unions, and other professional bodies defrauded the INSS (National Institute of Social Security) by getting the agency to directly deduct so-called membership fees—dues people pay periodically to join a specific organization—from the benefits paid to millions of retirees and pensioners. Of the approximately 9.3 million beneficiaries consulted by the INSS about the deductions, just over 2.05 million are eligible to join the agreement.

The refund of amounts discounted without the authorization of retirees and pensioners began this Thursday.

Approximately 533,000 INSS beneficiaries who signed up to the agreement by Monday, the 21st, will be covered this week. From then on, the reimbursement schedule provides for daily payments, in batches of up to 100,000 people, until everyone is reimbursed. Payments will follow the chronological order of agreement membership, meaning those who join first will receive the payment first.

The service channels for contesting discounts remain open and will be available until at least November 14, 2025. Those who have not yet joined the federal agreement can do so through the Meu INSS app or at post offices – it is not possible to join through Central 135.

Membership is free, does not require sending documents and allows beneficiaries who suffered undue discounts between March 2020 and March 2025 to receive payments without having to go to court, through administrative means.