How to retire early: these are the years you have to contribute

In order to be able to retire early, interested persons must prove a series of requirements, among which (due to the difficulty that often entails) reaching a specific contribution level stands out. The years of contributions required for early retirement are different depending on the modality and the scheme or profession to which the worker belongs.

How many years do you have to contribute to voluntary early retirement?

The most common case is voluntary early retirement, whereby workers can retire up to two years before the ordinary retirement age, which is currently 66 years and two months and 65 years for people with at least 37 years and six months quoted.

In this modality, the contribution requirement is 35 years, in which you can include one corresponding to compulsory military service (the mili) or substitute social benefit. Of those 35 years, at least two of them must have contributed in the 15 years prior to the retirement application.

How many years do you have to contribute in involuntary early retirement

Another extended modality is involuntary early retirement, the one that derives from non-voluntary termination of employment and that allows professional retirement to be brought forward up to four years before the ordinary retirement age.

For these involuntary early retirements, the regulations require a smaller amount, of 33 years listed. Here you can also include one of compulsory military service or substitute social benefit and two of those 33 years must have contributed in the 15 years prior to applying for the pension.

How much must be contributed in the early retirement of the Passive Classes

A special case is that of workers who belong to the Passive Class Regime. This includes civil servants in training and career, military personnel, Justice Administration personnel, former ministers, former Vice Presidents of the Government, former Presidents of the Government…

In all these cases, retirements are allowed from the age of 60 (in some cases even at 55) provided that at least 30 years of effective service to the State.

Two contribution exceptions in early retirement

Both in voluntary and involuntary early retirement there are two groups that have special legislation:

-On the one hand, the agricultural workers for otherswhich are adjusted to the global calculation of years of contributions (35 and 33 in the voluntary and involuntary, respectively), but must have a longer specific period: six years of contributions within the last 10 years prior to the application for the retirement pension.

-The workers of the professions that in reason for its dangerousness, arduousness or toxicity they present special regulations that allow early retirement even at age 52 in the best of cases. They are mining workers, railway workers, bullfighting workers, artists, firefighters at the service of administrations, local police, members of the Ertzaintza, aerial work flight personnel, workers of the Sea… Social Security has a link on its website with access to specialized regulations for each of these professions.