Jubilación parcial: cómo retirarte hasta 3 años antes cobrando pensión y salario

Partial retirement, known as "Jubilación parcial," allows individuals to retire before reaching the legal age while continuing to receive both salary and pension payments. This change became effective in April 2025, enabling workers to retire up to three years earlier than the standard retirement age, with a reduced working hours schedule. When the full retirement is reached, the individual will stop active employment and start receiving the full Social Security benefits.

Unlike partial retirement with a replacement worker, partial retirement without a replacement worker requires meeting specific conditions. To qualify for partial retirement without a replacement, the worker must meet the legal retirement age (65 years and 3 months, or 66 years and 10 months), have at least 15 years of social security contributions (with at least 2 years within the last 15), and have an explicit agreement with the employer to work part-time.

The working hours reduction must be between 25% and 75%, with the pension payment corresponding to the reduced working hours.

With partial retirement and a replacement worker, the process is more common due to its progressive nature. Workers must agree with the employer to access this scheme, which can now be accessed up to three years before the standard retirement age. In 2026, workers can retire at 62 years old with 38 years and 3 months of contributions or 63 years and 10 months if their work experience is less (starting from January 1, 2027, at 62 years old with 38 years and 6 months or more of contributions, or 64 years old without reaching the required contributions).

They must have at least 33 years of contributions (reduced to 25 years in case of disability) and have at least 6 years of uninterrupted employment in the company with an indefinite full-time contract.

The reduction in working hours depends on the number of years of anticipation compared to the legal retirement age. For the first year of partial retirement before the legal retirement age, workers can reduce their working hours by 20% to 33%, equivalent to the pension amount they receive during this time, while the rest of their monthly income will be their salary.

Starting from the second year (or one year before the legal retirement age), the working hours reduction can range from 25% to 75% of the hours. The replacement worker's contractual conditions play a crucial role in negotiating partial retirement with the employer. The latest regulatory changes have tightened the requirements, making it difficult for this partial retirement option to be implemented without being included in the collective agreement.

The replacement worker must be unemployed, a temporary worker within the company, or have a fixed-term contract. Additionally, the replacement worker's contract must share the same conditions as the partial retiree, including an indefinite full-time and social security contribution base of at least 65% of the replaced worker's social security contribution.

Finally, both the partial retiree and the replacement worker must pay 100% of the social security contributions regardless of the reduced hours. The new regulation does not change the possibility of accumulating or concentrating the remaining work hours until reaching the retirement age through maintaining full-time work, based on the agreed terms and reduction percentages.