Work or collect your pension, but not both—that choice no longer exists
En Perú, una reforma al sistema público de pensiones redefine el contrato entre el Estado y sus trabajadores: quienes contribuyeron menos de lo exigido ya no quedan excluidos, y quienes se jubilaron ya no deben elegir entre trabajar y cobrar. El Decreto 282, vigente desde el 16 de octubre, extiende una red de protección a decenas de miles de personas que el sistema anterior dejaba sin respaldo, reconociendo que la informalidad laboral y las trayectorias irregulares son parte de la realidad peruana, no excepciones a castigar.
- Durante décadas, jubilados que tomaban un empleo enfrentaban cobros coercitivos de la ONP, obligados a elegir entre su pensión y cualquier ingreso adicional — esa disyuntiva injusta desaparece con la nueva norma.
- 46,000 personas que contribuyeron entre 10 y 15 años al sistema, y que bajo las reglas anteriores no tenían derecho a nada, recibirán ahora pensiones proporcionales de entre 250 y 350 soles mensuales.
- La reforma reconoce la informalidad como una realidad estructural: quienes no pueden documentar todos sus años de aporte pueden presentar declaraciones juradas o acceder a préstamos provisionales descontados de pensiones futuras.
- El costo del primer año — 190 millones de soles — está garantizado por un fondo especial protegido legalmente, con proyecciones que apuntan a 740,000 beneficiarios en el largo plazo.
- La estandarización de la jubilación anticipada a los 50 años con 25 años de aportes, igual para hombres y mujeres, elimina una disparidad de género que había persistido sin justificación en el sistema.
El 16 de octubre entró en vigor el Decreto 282, que implementa la Ley 31301 y transforma las reglas del sistema público de pensiones peruano, la ONP. Walter Borja, titular de la institución, explicó los alcances de una norma que llega a quienes el sistema anterior dejaba fuera: personas mayores de 65 años con entre 10 y 15 años de aportes — en lugar de los 20 exigidos antes — podrán acceder a pensiones proporcionales. En el primer año, 46,000 personas se beneficiarán; a largo plazo, la cifra proyectada asciende a 740,000.
Los montos son modestos — 250 soles mensuales para quienes aportaron 10 años, 350 para quienes llegaron a 15 — pero para trabajadores que no alcanzaron el umbral anterior representan la diferencia entre tener algo y no tener nada. Todos los beneficiarios conservan además el acceso a servicios de salud para ellos y sus dependientes.
La reforma también elimina una de las restricciones más gravosas del sistema anterior: la prohibición de trabajar mientras se cobra pensión. Bajo las viejas reglas, un jubilado que aceptaba un empleo podía enfrentar procesos de cobro por parte de la ONP. Esa norma desaparece, y los casos pendientes vinculados a ella serán extinguidos. Para quienes viven con pensiones pequeñas, poder complementarlas con trabajo parcial o informal es la diferencia entre subsistir y vivir con dignidad.
La norma también incorpora mecanismos que reconocen la informalidad laboral como una realidad estructural: quienes no puedan documentar todos sus años de aporte pueden presentar declaraciones juradas por los años faltantes, o acceder a préstamos provisionales que la ONP descuenta gradualmente de pagos futuros. Asimismo, se estandarizó la jubilación anticipada — ahora a los 50 años con 25 años de aportes, igual para hombres y mujeres — eliminando una disparidad de género que existía en el sistema previo.
El financiamiento descansa en los aportes de trabajadores activos y en un fondo consolidado de reservas protegido legalmente. Borja subrayó que los 255 millones de soles adicionales necesarios en el primer año están asegurados, aun cuando la pandemia redujo la participación histórica del Tesoro en el financiamiento del sistema.
Peru's pension system just shifted in a way that will touch hundreds of thousands of lives. On October 16, a new regulation took effect—Decree 282, implementing Law 31301—that fundamentally changes how the country's public pension system, the ONP, treats its retirees and those who never quite accumulated enough years to qualify under the old rules.
Walter Borja, who heads the ONP, explained the mechanics to local media with the clarity of someone who has spent months preparing for this moment. The regulation opens the door to proportional pensions for people aged 65 and older who contributed between 10 and 15 years to the system, instead of the previous requirement of 20 years. In the first year alone, 46,000 people will become eligible. Over the long term, that number swells to 740,000. The first-year cost: 190 million soles, a figure Borja emphasized is fully guaranteed through a dedicated fund.
The money breaks down this way: those who contributed for 10 years receive a monthly pension of 250 soles; those with 15 years get 350 soles. These are modest amounts by any standard, but for workers who fell short of the old threshold, they represent the difference between having something and having nothing. All beneficiaries retain their right to health services, both for themselves and their dependents—a protection that matters deeply in a country where medical costs can devastate a household.
But the regulation does more than just lower the contribution bar. It also dismantles a rule that forced an impossible choice on retirees: work or collect your pension, but not both. Under the old system, a pensioner who took a job faced a stark consequence. The ONP would initiate collection proceedings against them for the crime of earning additional income while drawing their monthly benefit. Now that prohibition vanishes. A retiree can work, earn wages, and collect their pension simultaneously. The outstanding collection cases tied to this old rule are being extinguished. For people living on tight margins, the ability to supplement a small pension with part-time work or informal employment can mean the difference between subsistence and dignity.
The regulation also made the early retirement provisions more equitable. Previously, men had to contribute for 30 years and reach age 55 to access an early pension; women faced different terms. Now both men and women can access early retirement with 25 years of contributions and at age 50—a standardization that removes a long-standing gender disparity in the system.
For those struggling to document their contributions, the regulation offers practical flexibility. A worker claiming 10 years of contributions but able to prove only eight can submit a sworn declaration for the remaining two years. Someone with 13 years of contributions can take out a provisional loan to reach the 15-year threshold, with the ONP deducting repayment gradually from future pension payments. These mechanisms acknowledge a reality that Borja did not need to state explicitly: many workers, especially in Peru's informal economy, lack perfect paper trails of their contributions.
The funding structure reflects Peru's pension system architecture. Active workers' contributions form the primary revenue stream. A consolidated reserve fund—legally protected and separate from general government spending—covers the remainder. The Treasury has historically financed about 30 percent of the total pension payroll, though this year that share shrank as the pandemic forced budget priorities toward health spending. Still, Borja made clear that the additional 255 million soles needed in the first year to cover proportional pensions, early retirements, disability benefits, and survivor pensions is secured. The payment is guaranteed.
Citações Notáveis
The payment of pensions to 46,000 people is guaranteed with a special fund— Walter Borja, ONP director
Previously, a pensioner who took a job faced collection proceedings; now that prohibition is eliminated— Regulation summary
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does it matter that retirees can now work and collect pensions at the same time?
Because before, the system forced a choice that made no economic sense. If you were 68 years old, collecting 250 soles a month, and someone offered you part-time work, you had to refuse or lose your pension entirely. The ONP would come after you. Now you can do both.
Who benefits most from lowering the contribution requirement from 20 years to 10?
Workers in Peru's informal economy—street vendors, domestic workers, construction laborers. People whose contributions were sporadic or undocumented. Forty-six thousand people in the first year alone who would have gotten nothing now get something.
Is 250 soles a month actually livable?
No, not alone. That's why the ability to work matters so much. It's a floor, not a ceiling. Combined with informal work or family support, it becomes part of a survival strategy.
The regulation mentions sworn declarations instead of documents. Isn't that risky for fraud?
It's a pragmatic trade-off. In Peru's informal economy, perfect documentation is rare. The alternative is excluding people who actually did contribute but can't prove it. The system chose inclusion over perfection.
What does the "consolidated reserve fund" actually mean?
It's money set aside specifically for pensions—legally untouchable, separate from the general budget. When the Treasury can't cover everything, this fund fills the gap. It's the system's insurance policy.
Why did the government push this through now?
The regulation was published in October 2021, during the pandemic. Politically, it's a way to extend social protection without massive immediate fiscal impact. Economically, it recognizes that 740,000 people eventually need some form of retirement security.