Introduction: The growth of the older population is a worldwide phenomenon resulting from improvements in general living conditions and considerable advances in science and technology. Early retirement, which usually occurs with the aging process, is considered a phenomenon that causes great changes.

Objective: To relate the retirement process to subjective well-being in older people in the municipality of Fortaleza, Ceara, Northeastern Brazil.

Methods: Descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study conducted in Primary Healthcare Centers of the municipality of Fortaleza using questionnaires addressing sociodemographic data and the Sub-scale 2 of the Subjective Well-being Scale.

Results: Participants were 226 people aged 60-89 years, with a mean age of 69 years. Most of them were widowed (95; 42%), retired (159; 70.4%), had an income of up to two minimum wages (193; 85.4%) and had up to five years of study (125; 55.3%). Statistical significance (p< 0.05) was found between being/not being retired and the following variables: I like my life (p=0.036), my life is bad (p=0.017), I am dissatisfied with my life (p=0.032), I consider myself a happy person (p=0.023).

Conclusion: The retirement process did not negatively influence the quality of life of the retirees. This could be evidenced by the positive answers to questions about general aspects of their lives, which revealed positive feelings about retirement.