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New applications for retirement in Greece are overwhelmingly coming from women, according to figures from EFKA, the country’s unified social security fund. Seven out of every ten new pension applications filed are from women, and most of those women are retiring with reduced pensions between the ages of 58 and 61.

A set of pension rules built around mothers of minor children explains much of the trend. Those provisions remain on the books in 2026 even though Greece has raised the general retirement age to 62. Under the rules, women who meet specific contribution and age thresholds tied to the years 2010 through 2012, when their children were still minors, can retire earlier than the standard cutoff, either with a full pension or a reduced one depending on when they met the requirements.

Why 2026 is a turning point

Greece’s pension overhauls over the past decade progressively raised retirement ages and tightened eligibility rules. Lawmakers, however, preserved a narrower path for women who were already close to qualifying for early retirement as mothers of minors under the older system. Because eligibility depends on conditions met years ago rather than a person’s current age, many women are only becoming eligible now, in 2026, even though the qualifying events, such as a child’s minority status or a contribution threshold, occurred more than a decade earlier.

Mothers insured through IKA-ETAM

Before Greece consolidated its pension system under EFKA, IKA-ETAM was the main fund covering private sector employees. Mothers insured through that fund can qualify for early retirement under three separate tracks.

  • Women who had completed 5,500 days of contributions while raising a minor child by 2010, and who turned 55 by 2018, can retire with a full pension at the new age limit of 61, even if they only reach that age in 2026, provided they have not already retired with a reduced pension.
  • Women who reached the 5,500 day threshold with a minor child in either 2010 or 2011, and who turned 50 or 52 in 2017 or 2018 respectively, can retire with a reduced pension at age 58.5 or 60.2, even if they reach those ages in 2026.
  • Women who reached the same threshold with a minor child in 2012, and who turned 55 by 2018, can retire with a reduced pension at the new age limit of 61, even in 2026. Women who turned 55 from 2019 onward must instead wait until 62 to retire with a reduced pension.

Mothers with pensions from DEKO and bank funds

DEKO refers to Greece’s state run public utility and service companies. Employees of those organizations, along with bank employees, fall under separate pension arrangements with their own thresholds for mothers of minors.

  • Mothers who had 25 years of service with a minor child by 2010, and who turned 50 by 2017, retire with a full pension at an age limit of up to 58.5, even in 2026. For those who turned 50 after 2017, the age limit rises progressively to 60.2, then 61.3, and so on. The same limits apply to mothers who reached 25 years of service with a minor child in 2011 and turned 52 by 2018.
  • Mothers who reached 25 years of service with a minor child in 2012, and who turned 55 by 2018, retire with a full pension at an age limit of up to 61, even in 2026.

Parents with minor children in the public sector

  • Parents insured in the public sector who had a minor child in 2011 and 25 years of service, and who turned 52 in 2017, can retire starting at 58 years and 5 months. Those who turned 52 in 2018 can retire starting at 60 years and 2 months, even in 2026.
  • Parents with a minor child in 2012 and 25 years of service, who turned 55 in 2017, can retire starting at 59 years and 6 months, even in 2026. Those who turned 55 in 2019 can retire with a full pension starting at 62 years and 6 months, even in 2026, a notably earlier exit than public sector employees under the standard rules, who leave at 62 with a reduced pension.

Parents of three or more children

Public employees with three or more children have their own early exit windows.

  • Employees with 21 years of service by 2011 who turned 52 in 2017 can retire starting at 58 years and 5 months, even in 2026. Those who turned 52 in 2018 can retire starting at 60 years and 2 months, even in 2026.
  • Employees with 23 years of service by 2012 who turned 55 in 2017 can retire starting at 59 years and 6 months, even in 2026. Those who turned 55 in 2018 can retire starting at 61, even in 2026.

Reduced pensions after 25 years in the public sector

A reduced pension before age 62 also remains available to so called old insured public sector employees, meaning those who began contributing before 1993. To qualify, they must have turned 55 (a threshold that applies to women only), 56, 58 or 60 by December 31, 2022, while also having completed 25 years of service, whether through actual contributions or credited years, in 2010, 2011 or 2012.

In practice, men and women who reached 25 years of service in 2011 and turned 56 by 2022, or who reached 25 years of service in 2012 and turned 58 by 2022, can retire with a reduced pension at any time. Anyone reaching 56 or 58 from January 1, 2023 onward must instead wait until 62 to retire with a reduced pension.

A separate regime also applies to women working in what Greek labor law classifies as heavy and arduous professions, jobs considered physically demanding or hazardous enough to warrant earlier retirement eligibility.

Source: TA NEA