Overview
- The IMSS put temporary rules into effect for new Modalidad 40 registrations on Thursday, October 22, 2026 that cap the base salary used to calculate pensions at the worker’s last registered wage plus up to one UMA.
- New entrants can no longer pay for retroactive months, must enroll through digital channels only, and workers in the independent-worker scheme (Modalidad 10) cannot move directly into Modalidad 40.
- Director Zoé Robledo said the measures respond to detected schemes that used loans and ghost-company registrations to inflate pensions and that the institute has filed 115 complaints linked to those practices.
- Specialists say the combination of the salary cap and steadily rising Modalidad 40 contribution rates through 2030 makes the scheme less attractive for many workers and may push some to private retirement products or other IMSS options.
- The IMSS ordered a six-month financial and actuarial study to assess fiscal costs and recommend changes, while officials stress that existing pensioners and current Modalidad 40 cotizantes will keep their rights and contracted terms.