Number of early retirees reaches 88,000 — SSC

AMMAN — The number of early retirees has reached 88,000, accounting for 46 per cent of all pensioners, the Social Security Corporation (SSC) said on Tuesday. 

SSC Spokesperson Musa Sbeihi said the Social Security Law allows early retirees to combine part of their pensions with their salaries from other jobs, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Under previous legislation, early retirees’ pensions were suspended when they took up employment, Sbeihi told Petra.

The amendment was an important step to enhance social protection by giving pensioners the opportunity to improve their income, the SSC official said.  

However, Sbeihi said only 312 early retirees had reported their return to work to the SSC. 

Under the law, early retirees can still claim part of their pensions, even if they resume work, on condition that they stopped work for 24 months before taking up the new position.

Also, in order to continue to receive their pension, they must not return to the same place of work where they were employed during the 36 months before their early retirement, and they must subscribe to the SSC as soon as they begin the new job. 

The SSC encourages early pensioners to benefit from this law to improve their lives by combining part of their pensions with their salaries, Sbeihi said.

This will also improve their future pensions, which will be recalculated when they reach 60 years of age for men, or 55 for women, with the additional years of service added, he explained. 

Sbeihi stressed the importance of informing the SSC of any return to work in order to be covered by social security insurance and to avoid fines. 

He called on companies that employ early pensioners to inform the corporation to avoid sanctions of 30 per cent of the total value of the employee’s salary. 

Early pensioners who return to work will combine 45-85 per cent of their pensions with their salaries, Sbeihi said, noting that the law has sided with pensioners of low or middle income to encourage them to continue working to improve their standard of living.