Building your retirement file can seem like a Sisyphean rock. As a reminder, your retirement account contains multiple information specific to your past or present professional life, but also to your future life. In addition to your personal information, your procedures and any payments and savings, you will find the heart of your file: your career statement. As its name suggests, this bulletin lists the rights acquired within the different pension plansyear after year.
This summary report is essential to determine your retirement age, as well as your rights. However, it is possible that anomalies or omissions have occurred in your statement. Missing quarters, incorrect period or absence of points… according to a report from the Court of Auditors on the 2021 financial year, one in seven files would include “at least one error of financial significance“. Don’t panic, it is possible both to avoid and spot the unfortunate mistakes in your career path. During an exchange with Current wifePhilippe Bainville, expert in Retirement Insurance and Fanny Guillou-Marre, specialist for Agirc-Arrco, provide several tips.
Retirement file: advice from Retirement Insurance to understand your career record
In order to identify possible inconsistencies in your retirement file, Retirement Insurance “constantly advises policyholders toobtain their career report and consult it for free on the sites that make it available“, explains Philippe Bainville. Among the sites in question are the Info-Retraite site which brings together information relating to the different retirement plans, the site lassuranceretraite.fr and the website agirc-arrco.fr. Furthermore, be aware that the pension funds to which you contribute can all give you your career record.
Retirement Insurance underlines the importance of knowing the role of this basic document, “which determines when you can retire and with what amount“. Thus, the career record must be “the closest reflection of your career“. The basic pension fund encourages its policyholders to discuss with it and explain all the situations in which they found themselves: summer job, military service, activity abroad, period of detention, etc. Certain life events life can also bring an increase in the duration of retirement insurance, such as the birth of a child or the education of a disabled child. In the same vein, a period of compensated or uncompensated unemployment can validate quarters.
“You give us all of the information and we will be able to see if you are in a particular situation which gives rise to rights, or to note with you an anomaly or a bad recording“, sums up the expert. “The idea is to let us know what seems abnormal to you. Possibly, we will see if we can update it and we will explain how. But only you know your career, and that’s an important point“, insists the expert, who specifies that”Above all, we must not leave quarters aside.“
Example of inconsistency that may appear on a career record
In order to illustrate his points and better guide policyholders, Philippe Bainville continues with an example. A person who was employed throughout 2003, but who does not see anything on their career record in 2003, is abnormal. “This verification work, we can guide you telling you ‘it’s strange in 2003 there’s nothing’. And there, you are going to tell us that you were an employee. You will provide the pay slips and we will update them“, explains the specialist from the National Retirement Insurance Fund. Only, conversely, “if you don’t specify it, we’ll leave it there“. Another example: in the case where you specified that you were active in Spain, “we will take the steps for you with the Spanish fund“, he adds.
Complete an incomplete career according to Agirc-Arrco
In turn, the supplementary pension for private sector employees, Agirc-Arrco, provides its tips for pinpointing possible anomalies that may slip into a retirement file. “The first piece of advice I give is to download your career report. You know your career best“, explains Fanny Guillou-Marre. Following her momentum, the expert gives another helping hand: watch the variation of points.
Even though information about pension plans has greatly improved in recent years, it happens that your pension fund is not not up to date with all the events of your career. “This may concern a person who has experienced a long period of illness for a year for example, and for whom we have not received the information from the third party organization. Our role will then be to complete, request supporting documents“, she continues. Fanny Guillou-Marre emphasizes that “this work is carried out meticulously by Agirc-Arrco advisors“.”This is important work to do, look from one year to the next“, she adds.
While some people recalculate the points accumulated throughout their career, this is not given to everyone. “You have to at least look the presence of employers, check the years and that no element is missing. As to points calculationwe must start by looking the variation of points from one year to the next. For example, if there is a big variation, it is often not normal. You must then contact your fund“, indicates the expert.
Examples of errors highlighted by Agirc-Arrco
In order to guide policyholders in observing their career record, Fanny Guillou-Marre cites an example: “A period where there is no point at all while we were an employee, that should be a wake-up call.“The specialist continues by illustrating this time an error which concerns the variation of points:”If for two years we have done exactly the same activity without changing position and we notice a big variation in points over two identical periodsthis is not normal, you have to ask yourself the question.“
The main points to remember to prepare your retirement file as best as possible
The two experts from Retirement Insurance and Agirc-Arrco end by providing general recommendations to best orchestrate your retirement file. “If you want a successful and easy retirement, you must anticipate the completion of your retirement file. This is one of our leitmotifs in 2024, anticipation“, launches Philippe Bainville. The general scheme specialist urges beneficiaries not to wait until the last minute, but, conversely, to “take the lead“. As for the question of when to look into your retirement file, the expert answers: “the idea is not to wait for the weeks preceding, but to do it a few years before“. Retirement Insurance advises starting active preparation for retirement from the age of 55.
Retirement Insurance and Agirc-Arrco receive by appointment, by telephone or in an agency, people who need information in preparing for their retirement and help in their procedures. This support is free, fully covered by the two pension plans. At Agirc-Arrco, these interviews are offered to all ages.
To conclude, Retirement Insurance reminds: “There are many things that make up, more than a career, a life, and which can bring additional rights but we must have the information. The people involved know their careers and lives best. We can guide, but we will not be able to complete.“
Source :
Certification of the accounts of the general social security system, Financial year 2021 – Court of Auditors