Who Can Retire Before the Age of 65 in Azerbaijan? Benefits Explained

Starting from July 1, the retirement age for women in Azerbaijan has reached 65. Thus, the retirement age for women has been equalized with that of men. The retirement age for men was set at 65 starting from July 1, 2021.

According to Article 7 of the Law on Labor Pensions, the retirement age for men was increased by six months every year from July 1, 2017, until July 1, 2021, while the retirement age for women was increased by six months annually from July 1, 2017, until July 1, 2027.

Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Labor and Social Policy Vugar Bayramov told Olke.az that the right to retire earlier applies not only to families with many children but also to several other categories of citizens.

“Preferential retirement rights are established by the Law on Labor Pensions. Article 8 of the law defines ‘persons entitled to old-age labor pensions under preferential conditions due to children,’ while Article 9 determines ‘other persons entitled to labor pensions under preferential conditions.’

According to the law, women and men who have five or more children, including adopted children or children under guardianship who have lost their parents or are deprived of parental care before the age of eight, as well as those who have a child with a disability, have the right to receive an old-age labor pension with the retirement age reduced by five years, provided that the children have reached the age of eight. This means that in large families, mothers can retire at the age of 60, and if this right is used by fathers, they can also retire at 60.

The list of citizens entitled to preferential retirement under Article 9 of the law is quite extensive. Regardless of their last workplace, men who have worked for at least 12 years and 6 months, and women who have worked for at least 10 years in jobs included in the list approved by the Cabinet of Ministers involving particularly harmful and difficult working conditions, underground work, or certain special fields of art, are entitled to retire five years earlier.

In addition, individuals suffering from hypopituitarism (dwarfism) and persons with disproportional physical development are entitled to a retirement age reduction of 20 years if they have at least five years of insurance record.

Employees working in positions related to civil aviation flight and flight-test crews can receive labor pensions 15 years earlier if they have at least 25 years of service in these positions, while those released from flight duties due to health conditions can retire earlier with at least 20 years of service.

At the same time, employees working in certain government sectors, including the prosecutor’s office, military service, justice bodies, and other state institutions, also have the right to earlier retirement depending on their length of service,” the MP said.

Vugar Bayramov noted that they continue to submit proposals aimed at expanding the number of citizens who can retire earlier.

“Deepening pension reforms makes it increasingly important to consider not only quantitative indicators but also qualitative factors when determining retirement ages. This could allow a number of citizens, including women, to retire earlier,” he added.