Life expectancy for those aged 65 at the maximum: will be used to update pension requirements

Under the Italia system, the eligibility requirements for old age and early retirement pensions are revised every two years, based on the change in life expectancy certified by ISTAT for those aged 65.

It is an automatic mechanism introduced by the Fornero reform: if you live longer, you work longer. In order to calculate the 2029 step, the figures for 2023-2024 will be compared with those for 2025-2026. If the positive trend continues, as is expected, this will result in a further tightening of the requirements. The 2024 data already stood at 21.2 years, the highest value in the last five years.

After eight years of substantial stability, 2026 will be the last year without change. From 1 January 2027, a first one-month increase will be triggered, followed by a further two-month increase from 1 January 2028.

The schedule of increases is as follows: the old age pension goes from 67 years to 67 years and 1 month in 2027, then to 67 years and 3 months in 2028; the ordinary early retirement pension for men goes from 42 years and 10 months to 42 years and 11 months in 2027, then to 43 years and 2 months in 2028; the ordinary early retirement pension for women goes from 41 years and 10 months to 41 years and 11 months in 2027, then to 42 years and 2 months in 2028.

The increases were confirmed by the Budget Law 2026, which failed to block the adjustments linked to life expectancy, as some had hoped. Seeing the new Istat data, as already mentioned, the retirement age could increase further from 2029.

Not all workers will be subject to the same steps. Exempted or partially protected categories include:

heavy-duty workers (e.g. those who work continuously at night); heavy-duty workers (e.g. construction workers, steelworkers and drivers of heavy goods vehicles); early career workers in special protection status: long-term unemployed, invalids and family caregivers.

For the latter, access to early retirement with 41 years of contributions will be subject to smaller increases: 41 years and 1 month in 2027 and 41 years and 3 months in 2028.