INSS blocks consigned credit at BPC; see the rules

The rules that limit the contracting of payroll-deductible loans by new retirees and pensioners of the INSS (National Social Security Institute) will also apply to beneficiaries of the BPC (Continued Benefit Benefit).

New policyholders who gain access to the assistance income of a minimum wage (R$ 1,212) will only be able to take out a loan directly deducted from the payroll 90 days after the benefit is granted. The rules are in the normative instruction 134, published in the “Official Gazette” of the Union this Thursday (23), and, according to experts, protect against fraud and avoid the indebtedness of policyholders.

The normative instruction also prohibits the offer of payroll loans by banks and financial institutions for up to 180 days (six months) from the grant date. With this, the insured will not be able to receive calls, SMS, WhatsApp or any type of advertising that leads him to take out the loan.

The BPC is granted to the elderly and people with disabilities who have a family income of up to a quarter of the minimum wage per person in the family (R$ 303). It is not necessary to contribute to the INSS to have the benefit.

The release of the consignment to the BPC was made through provisional measure 1,106, of March this year, within an economic package of the Bolsonaro government that aims to release more than R$ 100 billion in the year in which the president seeks re-election.

how to unlock

After 90 days, the insured who started to receive the BPC will be able to unlock the benefit to take out a loan. Unlocking is done through the Meu INSS app or website, completely remotely, without having to go to a Social Security agency. You must have the password to access the Gov.br Portal. See what to do:

1. Access the My INSS app or website; if necessary, update the app
2. Click on “Sign in with gov.br”
3. Inform the CPF and go to “Continue”; then enter your password and click “Login”
4. In the search, write “consigned”; the option “Blocking and unlocking a loan benefit” will appear; click on it
5. On the next page, click “Next”
6. Fill in the requested data, send a photo of an official document and click “Next”

For those who requested the transfer of the benefit from one bank to another, there is also a block of up to 60 days.

Check the rules

• Banks and finance companies are prohibited from offering payroll-deductible credit for six months (180 days) from the date of granting the retirement, pension or BPC
• The rule prohibits any active marketing activity, commercial offer, proposal, advertising aimed at a specific beneficiary or any type of activity that tries to convince the INSS beneficiary to take out the loan.

Block

• After granting, the benefit remains blocked for three months (90 days) for contracting a payroll loan
• Unlocking is done online, over the internet, on the My INSS app or website
• To authorize the loan, the beneficiary or its legal representative will inform the data and send documents to the institute

unlock

• Unlocking the loan will only be possible after a period of 90 days after granting
• For those who requested a transfer of the benefit from one bank to another, the payroll is also blocked and can only be released after 60 days (two months)

Credit is not automatic

• The insured who unblocks the loan account will not be obliged to take the credit immediately.

Precautions when taking out the loan

The INSS payroll loan is, today, the cheapest credit. Interest is limited by Social Security, and the maximum rate is 2.14% per month for payroll-deductible personal loans and 3.06% for payroll-deductible credit cards. It is possible to commit up to 40% of income to credit: 35% to a personal loan and 5% to a card. The debt payment can be made in up to 84 installments (seven years).

For lawyer Roberto de Carvalho Santos, from Ieprev (Institute of Social Security Studies), the rules of normative instruction are positive, because they protect the insured against fraud, harassment and indebtedness. “This is not going to end fraud, but it does go a long way toward preventing fraud and harassment,” he says.

Financial educator Cíntia Senna, from Dsop, advises citizens to be careful when taking out a loan. “Consigned credit or any other credit is not the problem. It is an interesting instrument, and it does have a more attractive interest rate, but much of this indebtedness of the elderly today is due to the ‘ease’ of contracting and the lack of knowledge about how it works,” he says.

Public civil action asks for the blocking of the payroll in all benefits

A public civil action proposed by the Instituto Defesa Coletiva, from Minas Gerais, seeks, in court, to block all benefits to payroll-deductible loans, preventing fraud, leaking of names and data and indebtedness.

According to the lawyer Lillian Jorge Salgado, responsible for the action, which was proposed in 2021, the measure is based on the increase in the number of frauds involving the consigned in the pandemic. According to her, an injunction on June 10 obliges the INSS to block.

In a note, the institute reported that this Thursday’s regulations are not linked to collective action. “The publication of this IN was already scheduled for a few weeks.”

Dataprev (a technology company of the federal government) says that it is unaware of the “alleged data leak” and “has presented a defense” in the public civil action. “The company is responsible for storing confidentially and securely information of millions of Brazilians in social security, labor and assistance systems”, states the text.

Febraban (Brazilian Federation of Banks) reported that “it does not condone practices that disrespect consumer rights and understands that any initiative and regulation that strengthens and encourages good practices is positive for the improvement of the sector”.

In 2020, the federation and ABBC (Brazilian Association of Banks) started the Self-Regulation of Payroll Credit, a set of measures aimed at improving supply and contracting and prohibiting harassment, among other objectives. From its creation until March of this year, more than 900 sanctions were applied against banking correspondents.