Italian retirement age in 2027 and 2028: the new requirements and what they change in your plan

The new requirements at a glance

For the standard early pension, the three-month window between qualifying and the first payment remains. The increase doesn't apply to workers in arduous and strenuous jobs; for early starters not in arduous jobs the requirement rises to 41 years and 1 month in 2027 and 41 years and 3 months in 2028. The operational details are in INPS circular no. 28 of 2026.

Why it's happening

Requirements had been frozen since 2019. But the law links them to life expectancy, which is rising again: the adjustment due in 2027 was three months, and the 2026 Budget Law spread it out as one month in 2027 and two more in 2028. The mechanism is still in place, so further increases in later years are a reasonable expectation.

What changes if you plan to stop early

For anyone following a FIRE plan, the date that matters is almost always the old-age pension: that's when the INPS pension starts and the period covered by your bridge capital ends. Every extra month is another month to fund from your savings.

• With spending of €30,000 a year, three extra months of bridge cost about €7,500; a full year, €30,000.
• If you're 40-50 today, your old-age pension age will probably be closer to 68 than 67, allowing for future adjustments.
• If you're aiming for the contribution-based early pension at 64, remember that besides the age you need a minimum pension of roughly three times the assegno sociale: with a career cut short, it's often out of reach.

You can rerun the numbers with the new age in the FIRE simulator with state pension, for example setting 68 as pension age, and see what each extra year costs in how much pension you lose by stopping early.