From today, January 1, 2026, new, stricter retirement conditions come into force in Bulgaria. The increase affects both the age of completion and the required length of service for all categories of work. The changes coincide with the official introduction of the euro as the national currency, the National Social Security Institute (NSI) announced.
For those working in the mass third category of work, the required length of service is increased by two months. For men, it is now 39 years and 10 months, and for women – 36 years and 10 months. The gradual increase in the retirement age also continues, which by 2037 should reach 65 years for both sexes.
Later, workers in the first and second categories of labor will also retire. Since the beginning of this year, women in the most severe category have been entitled to a pension at the age of 51 years and 4 months, and men at 54 years and 6 months. In the second category, the age becomes 56 years and 4 months for women and 59 years and 6 months for men, respectively.
"Fewer people will have access to a pension", show the official calculations of the institutions, NOVA reported. Forecasts indicate that the number of Bulgarians with a pension for work activity will progressively decrease in the coming decades.
Currently, there are over 2 million pensioners in the country, but their number is expected to shrink to nearly 1.6 million by 2070. However, due to the aging of the nation, they will represent an increasing percentage of the total population.
In parallel with the new retirement conditions, the insurance thresholds are also changing from today.
The maximum insurance income for all individuals is set at 2,300 euros, and the minimum for the self-insured will be equal to the new minimum wage of 620.20 euros.