Spain widens disability retirement access

Spain is expanding access to early retirement for some workers with recognized disabilities, but the change is narrower than the headline suggests. The measure applies to people with a disability degree of at least 45% whose condition appears on the official list used for disability-based early retirement. The government said in February it would add 11 new pathologies to that list, allowing affected workers to retire as early as 56 without the usual actuarial cuts to their pension, if they meet the rest of the conditions. ### What exactly changed? On February 26, 2026, Inclusion Minister Elma Saiz said Social Security would add 11 new pathologies to the rules governing early retirement for workers with disabilities of 45% or more. The ministry said the expansion would be made through the annex to Royal Decree 1851/2009, the regulation that sets which disabilities qualify for this route. (inclusion.gob.es) The 11 newly named pathologies are spina bifida, hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis, Parkinson’s, myotonic dystrophy type 1, Huntington’s disease, stage 5 chronic kidney disease, systemic sclerosis, spinal cord injury, corticobasal degeneration, multiple system atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy. (inclusion.gob.es) ### Does this mean anyone with a disability can retire early on a full pension? The answer is no. Royal Decree 1851/2009 applies to workers with a recognized disability degree of at least 45% and only when the disability is linked to conditions included in the decree’s annex. The legal basis is article 206 bis of Spain’s General Social Security Law, which allows the retirement age to be reduced for disabilities that are shown to significantly shorten life expectancy. (inclusion.gob.es) The ministry’s 2025 order did not itself add diseases to the list. Order ISM/444/2025, published in the official gazette on May 7, 2025, set the procedure for adding new pathologies and said the reduction in life expectancy to be evidenced must be 15% relative to the general population. It also said only representative associations, foundations or similar organizations can request inclusion of a new pathology. (boe.es) ### What age can eligible workers retire? Spain’s Social Security rules set 56 as the minimum retirement age for workers affected, at a degree of 45% or more, by one of the listed disabilities. Social Security’s guidance says that retirement under this route does not carry the reduction coefficients applied in ordinary voluntary early retirement. (boe.es) A separate ministry article published when the 2023 reform took effect said the contribution period tied to this route had been cut from 15 years to 5 years from the diagnosis of the disability above 45%, while requiring effective work for an equivalent minimum period. ### Why are some reports saying “full retirement without reductions”? (seg-social.es) El Cronista described the measure as access to “full” retirement without reductions because this disability route differs from standard voluntary early retirement, where pension amounts are usually cut for retiring before the ordinary age. In the disability-based route, the key issue is not a general early-retirement option for all workers, but whether the worker has an officially recognized disability, the required percentage and a pathology on the approved list. (revista.seg-social.es) Minister Elma Saiz said the expansion was “a measure of justice” for people with severe diseases that heavily affect daily life. The ministry said around 50,000 workers could benefit from the addition of the 11 pathologies. (cronista.com) ### What should affected workers watch next? The ministry said in February that the 11 conditions would be incorporated once the government modifies the annex to Royal Decree 1851/2009. Until that annex is updated, eligibility still depends on the current official list and on Social Security’s recognition of the worker’s disability status and contribution record. (revista.seg-social.es) (inclusion.gob.es)