144,000 new retirement applications were filed in the first eight months of 2026, up from 128,756 a year earlier, putting this year on track for the biggest retirement wave since EFKA was created.
14,000 applications arrived in August alone versus 11,881 last August, reinforcing expectations that filings will accelerate further in the final four months.
216,000 to 225,000 applications could be submitted by year-end, based on the usual late-year surge in retirement claims.
Workers are rushing to exit despite low expected pension income, driven by fears that retirement age limits could rise and that extra years on the job will not materially boost benefits.