These periods of professional or similar activity, although often short and sometimes considered transitory, play a significant role in an individual’s professional career. They represent enriching and educational experiences, often offering a first immersion into the world of work. But these life experiences also allow, depending on what has been agreed, to contribute towards your future retirement.
Internships: a limited contribution
Internships in a company are generally not taken into account in the calculation of retirement rights. In fact, internship compensation is not subject to social security contributions, which means that it does not generate retirement rights. However, if an internship is paid above the Social Security threshold and social security contributions are deducted, then this internship can contribute, in a limited way, to the accumulation of retirement rights.
How is work-study accounting for retirement?
Unlike internships, work-study is a powerful accelerator of retirement rights. As a full-fledged employment contract (apprenticeship contract or professionalization contract), the work-study program implies full social security contributions. Work-study periods are therefore counted as any period of salaried work.
Summer jobs: for an efficient contribution
Summer jobs are treated like any traditional salaried job. Thus, they make it possible to accumulate retirement rights provided that they are declared and subject to social contributions.
Please note: as part of the “long career” system of the pension reform, people who have accumulated at least five quarters of pension contributions before the age of 21 could qualify for early retirement at 63, instead of 64 years as stipulated by current law.