The Brazilian government plans to eliminate the waiting list for Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social (INSS) benefit requests by the end of 2026.

This initiative targets a critical administrative bottleneck that prevents millions of citizens from accessing essential social security payments and healthcare benefits. Clearing the backlog is a primary goal for the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Minister of Social Security Wolney Queiroz announced the plan on May 20, 2026. He said, "Vamos zerar a fila do INSS até o fim de 2026."

The effort follows a period of extreme pressure on the social security system. Pending requests reached a historic peak of 3.1 million [1]. However, recent data suggests a downward trend in the queue. Queiroz said the number of pending requests fell by more than 800,000 over a period of two and a half months [3].

Depending on the reporting source, the current number of pending requests varies. Some reports indicate the queue has dropped to 2.3 million [2], while other reports state that more than 2.5 million people are still waiting for service [4].

While the government celebrates the reduction in the backlog, the rapid processing of claims has created other fiscal pressures. The administration has implemented a budget block of R$ 1.6 billion for ministries related to INSS spending to manage the financial impact of the accelerated payouts [5].

The government intends to maintain this pace to ensure no requests remain pending by the close of the calendar year. This strategy relies on increasing the efficiency of benefit processing, and managing the associated budgetary requirements.

“Vamos zerar a fila do INSS até o fim de 2026.”

The push to clear the INSS backlog represents a significant administrative effort to reduce social vulnerability in Brazil. However, the R$ 1.6 billion budget block suggests a tension between the political goal of rapid benefit delivery and the fiscal reality of the national budget, indicating that the government may struggle to balance social obligations with spending caps.