INSS has 1 million benefits under suspicion and could waste R$15 billion per year

Just over a million benefits suspected of irregularities are being analyzed by the INSS, but payments that could reach R$15 billion per year are still being made.

The amount is part of a survey released this Monday (21) by the newspaper O Globo and partially confirmed to Gazeta do Povo by the Ministry of Social Security (MPS). According to official figures, there are currently 1,001,743 pending appeal processes.

Of these, the MPS confirms, 371,552 are awaiting judgment at the Social Security Appeals Council (CRPS), and another 630,191 at the INSS itself. The average processing time for appeals at the first body is 394 days, according to the ministry.

According to a survey conducted by consultant Leonardo Rolim, who headed the INSS (National Institute of Social Security) during Jair Bolsonaro 's (PL) administration, just over half of suspicious benefits are canceled after review. In other words, approximately 578,000 may be undue.

Rolim conducted the survey based on a thorough review of this type of process between 2020 and 2021, when 662,300 suspicious benefits were examined. The savings during the period amounted to R$9.48 billion.

Therefore, he pointed out, if the current backlog of suspicious benefits were exhausted, the suspension of undue payments could save around R$1.2 billion per month.

The MPS did not directly comment on Rolim's estimate, only stating that it is working to reduce the waiting time for appeals, with the goal of reaching 180 days, "ensuring a faster and more efficient response to society" (see full statement below). The INSS did not respond to the report's question.

Suspicious benefits are sent to the INSS Operational Benefits Monitoring (MOB), based on alerts issued by bodies such as the Federal Court of Auditors (TCU), the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU) and the Social Security intelligence sector.

Suspicion arises when there are signs of irregularity, inconsistency, or need for review that could affect the continuity or correctness of the payment. This is done by cross-referencing data from various databases, such as an individual's accumulated benefits, failure to meet legal requirements, complaints, among others.

According to the survey, the appeals backlog has worsened over the past two years. In 2023 and 2024, the monthly number of suspicious benefit reviews fell by half, from 27,600 to 13,800.

Part of the explanation for the delay in the waiting list lies in the end of the bonus policy for civil servants, which had been implemented by a task force in 2020 and 2021 to encourage review of cases during the fine-tooth comb. The program was terminated in December 2024, but reinstated in 2025 with the goal of resuming queue reduction.

In addition to the backlog of benefits under suspicion, the Social Security Administration is facing slow response times to regular retirement, pension, and other assistance requests. As of April of this year, the INSS's general backlog already totaled 2.7 million applications awaiting a response.

See the MPS's full response regarding the suspicious benefits under analysis:

There are currently 1,001,743 pending appeals cases. Of these, 371,552 are pending with the Social Security Appeals Council (CRPS), awaiting judgment at its respective offices. Another 630,191 are under the responsibility of the National Social Security Institute (INSS).

The average processing time for an appeal at the CRPS is 394 days. However, the agency has been taking effective measures to address this situation. Since 2023, the agency has reduced its backlog of pending appeals by more than half, reflecting investments in training, computerization, and improved case management.

The goal for this year is to reduce the average waiting time for trial to 180 days, ensuring a faster and more efficient response to society.