French Pension

"Planning for retirement in France can feel complex, especially if you’re used to the systems in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, etc

The French pension system has its own rules, timelines, and online tools that may seem unfamiliar at first.

Our aim is to simplify the process for English speakers by guiding you through how to check your pension contributions, understand your retirement age and entitlements, and use the official simulators to get a clear picture of your future income in France."

How to check your career record and pension rights

Main tool: Info-retraite.fr

On Info-retraite.fr you can create an account (via FranceConnect or using your French Social Security number).
You will get access to:
- Your career statement (all quarters contributed, pension schemes, etc.)
- Personalized simulators that estimate your retirement age and pension amount, under different scenarios (children, long career, progressive retirement, etc.).
The simulator already includes the latest French pension reform rules (legal age, required contribution periods, early retirement for long careers, etc.).

Website: info-retraite.fr

Secondary tool: L’Assurance Retraite (lassuranceretraite.fr)

Also accessible via FranceConnect or with your Social Security number.
In the section “Estimate my pension”, you can:
- See the total number of quarters contributed
- Estimate your basic and complementary pension amounts

Website: lassuranceretraite.fr

When and how to trigger your pension

You can check your pension rights at any time once you have started working and contributing.
Your pension is not automatic: you need to formally apply for it when you decide to retire.
The request can be submitted online via info-retraite.fr or lassuranceretraite.fr.

When can you retire?

The legal retirement age in France is currently between 62 and 64, depending on your year of birth (recent reforms have gradually raised it).
To receive a full pension (taux plein), you must have contributed the required number of quarters.
If you don’t have enough quarters, your pension is reduced (a “discount” applies).
At age 67, you are automatically entitled to a full pension, regardless of the number of quarters.

How your French pension is made up

Your pension has two main parts

Basic pension (from Social Security):
- Calculated based on the number of quarters contributed and the average salary of your best 25 years (for employees).

Complementary pension (Agirc-Arrco):
- Based on a points system. Each year, contributions earn you points.
- Your pension = total points × value of the point (updated yearly).

Special cases

Long careers, disability, or hardship jobs may allow earlier retirement.
If you have worked in other EU/EEA countries or Switzerland, your working periods can be added together to calculate retirement rights.
If you have international contributions, France applies agreements to count them in your pension calculation.

Practical info

The estimation is free and can be updated anytime as your career evolves.
Keep your career record up to date — sometimes employers forget to declare quarters.
Pension payments only start once you apply, they don’t start automatically.
You can get a retirement information meeting with your pension fund if needed.

This is a Step by Step Guide if you need one....

Step 1: Go to the official portal

Open info-retraite.fr
This is the official French government pension website (safe and free).

Step 2: Log in

Click “Mon compte retraite” (My Pension Account) at the top right.
You have two options to log in:
1. Via FranceConnect (recommended if you already have a French tax, Ameli, or La Poste account).
2. With your Social Security number + password (if you already created an account).

💡 If you’re logging in for the first time, it’s easiest to use FranceConnect.

Step 3: Access your career record

Once logged in, go to “Mon relevé de carrière” (My Career Record).
You’ll see:
- The number of quarters validated
- The different pension schemes you’ve contributed to
- A detailed list of your annual salaries and contributions

✅ Check carefully for missing years or incorrect data (sometimes employers forget to report).

Step 4: Run a pension simulation

In the menu, select “Estimer ma retraite” (Estimate my Pension).
The simulator allows you to:
- Enter different scenarios (e.g., stop working earlier, change of income, working abroad, etc.)
- See your earliest possible retirement age
- Get an estimate of your monthly pension at different ages (legal age, full pension age, 67 years, etc.)

👉 You’ll get both your basic pension and your Agirc-Arrco complementary pension (if you are/were a private sector employee).

Step 5: Save or download your estimate

The simulator generates a PDF report of your pension estimate.
You can download it for your records.

Important things to remember

Checking is free and you can do it anytime.
Your rights are built automatically with your salary contributions.
But the pension will not be paid automatically: you’ll need to apply online when the time comes.
If you see errors in your career record, you can request a correction via your account.

✨ That’s it! In about 10 minutes you can see your pension entitlement estimate.

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