The Argentine government has presented the 2026 budget bill, outlining key parameters for pensioner payments. According to the document, which will be debated during extraordinary parliamentary sessions from December 10 to 31, retirees will maintain the right to monthly pension adjustments linked to inflation, as established by a presidential decree. However, there will be no additional increases to their benefits or the 70,000-peso bonus received by adults on the minimum pension. The government will allocate 65.7 trillion pesos for pension and benefit payments to 6 million retirees and beneficiaries. Half of them receive the minimum pension and the 70,000-peso bonus, which has been frozen since March 2024. Additionally, 5.3 trillion pesos will be allocated for non-contributory pensions and 3.6 trillion pesos for Pami (National Social Security Administration) benefits. President Javier Milei, while presenting the budget, emphasized that the allocations for pension and benefit payments by Anses will increase by 5%, but this will not impact the income of retirees, as the same monthly adjustment mechanism based on inflation will be maintained. The 2026 budget project also sets social security contributions and contributions at around 4.4% of GDP, a 3.3% increase from 2025. Additional resources for pension payments will include 28.61% of fuel tax revenue and the entirety of the check tax. The Congressional Budget Office analyzed that with 1.6% of GDP, this is the targeted tax with the greatest weight within Anses' total income. Thus, spending on contributory and semi-contributory pension benefits (pensions and benefits granted under the pay-as-you-go system and through a pension moratorium) reaches 5.3% of GDP, a figure slightly above previous years' levels, as evaluated by the OPC. Regarding the bonus paid by Anses to top up the minimum pension, its impact on GDP will be less, as it will decrease from 0.4% to 0.3%.
