Following the rejection of the motion of censure against the government of Elisabeth Borne, the pension reform is adopted. Here is how to reach the 172 quarters – except in special cases – which will be expected from now on to receive a full pension.
From September 1, 2023, the legal retirement age should normally be gradually raised by three months per year to reach 64 in 2030. 43 years of contributions, i.e. 172 quartersfor a full rate pension.
How is a quarter of retirement calculated?
To acquire a quarter, the remuneration is taken into account before the nature of the contract or the number of hours worked. To validate a quarter, you must receive in the year a salary subject to contributions representing 150 times the amount of the gross hourly minimum wage on 1 January. An amount that therefore changes from year to year. In 2022, leaving, from 1690.50 euros gross earned – 1297 euros net, just below the Smic – you validate a quarter. This amount is just over 6,300 euros gross for four quarters.
| year of birth | Legal starting age | Before the reform | After the reform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 62 years old | 167 quarters | 167 quarters 41 years, 9 months |
| January1961 August 1961 | 62 years old | 168 quarters | 168 quarters 42 years old |
| September 1961 december 1961 | 62 years and 3 months | 168 quarters 42 years old | 169 quarters 42 years, 3 months |
| 1962 | 62 years and 6 months | 168 quarters 42 years old | 169 quarters 42 years, 3 months |
| 1963 | 62 years and 9 months | 168 quarters 42 years old | 170 quarters 42 years, 6 months |
| 1964 | 63 years old | 169 quarters 42 years and 3 months | 171 quarters 42 years, 9 months |
| 1965 | 63 years and 3 months | 169 quarters 42 years and 3 months | 172 quarters |
| 1966 | 63 years and 6 months | 169 quarters 42 years and 3 months | 172 quarters 43 years |
| 1967 | 63 years and 9 months | 170 quarters 42 years and 6 months | 172 quarters 43 years |
| 1968 | 64 years old | 170 quarters 42 years and 6 months | 172 quarters 43 years |
| 1969 | 64 years old | 170 quarters 42 years and 6 months | 172 quarters 43 years |
| 1970 | 64 years old | 171 quarters 42 years and 9 months | 172 quarters 43 years |
| 1971 | 64 years old | 171 quarters 42 years and 9 months | 172 quarters 43 years |
| 1972 | 64 years old | 171 quarters 42 years and 9 months | 172 quarters 43 years |
| 1973 | 64 years old | 172 quarters 43 years | 172 quarters 43 years |
Source: Matignon
But in certain situations and/or employment, you have the possibility of validating quarters without remunerated activity or – even better – opening the right to an increase in quarters.
Maternity and education of children
The birth or adoption of a child entitles you to additional quarters. For employees in the general scheme, each child entitles the mother to four additional trimesters to which are added four quarters for the education of the children. These can be used by both mother and father. In the public service, the total number of these quarters is limited to 2 per child against 8 in the private sector.
Why increase? The additional quarters of maternity and education are not non-contributed and valid periods, but indeed additional quarters which are added to your overall duration of insurance: These quarters are allocated by only one of your affiliation schemes for each of your children. They are not affected by calendar years, they are added to the total insurance period, we read on LAssuranceRetraite.fr. What about periods of maternity leave? You do not contribute but they can allow you to validate quarters of the calendar year concerned.
The new law confirms this system and offers a 5% premium for those who – despite a sufficient number of quarters at age 63 – will work one more year. The text of the law specifies that the premium is 1.25% per additional quarter.
Parental leave can also give rise to a quarter for each 90-day period, but this cannot be combined with the quarters presented above.
Volunteer firefighters
This pension reform provides that three quarters are acquired after ten years of service. Then, an additional term must be granted every 5 years. A decree could specify the different levels.
Internship and summer jobs
Jobs held during studies or during summer holidays are taken into account when counting the number of quarters in the new law. It will simply be necessary to enter the remuneration criteria which make it possible to validate a quarter, i.e. 1297 euros net in 2022.
On the other hand, if your salary subject to contributions is lower than the ceilings above, you contribute without acquiring pension rights for this period. Insufficient periods of contributions to validate a quarter will open as today right to the redemption of quarters.
Retirement: buying back quarters, is it useful and how much?
Trimesters for caregivers
According to the law, an old-age insurance for carers will see the light of day and will allow more carers to be validated for quarters so as not to lose any pension rights in such a situation. This new device should benefit 40,000 new people.
Currently, caregivers can benefit from a quarterly increase per period of 30 months, up to a limit of 8 quarters. This increase can be combined with terms for children.
Sick leave and unemployment benefits
The law does not change the effect of a long illness or a period of unemployment on the calculation of the retirement pension.
Sick leave of less than 60 consecutive days have no impact on the calculation of your retirement pension since you continue to contribute.
Prolonged sick leave, on the other hand, has an effect: one quarter is granted for each period of 60 days compensated, within the limit of 4 quarters per calendar year.
periods of unemployment count towards your retirement. Before 1980, all periods of involuntary unemployment are assimilated to periods of insurance and count for your retirement, whether they have been compensated or not, we read on the CNAV website.
After 1980, periods of compensated unemployment are assimilated to periods of insurance and count towards your retirement (at the rate of 1 quarter for every 50 days of compensated unemployment, within the limit of 4 quarters per year). Uncompensated periods of unemployment may be taken into account, but under conditions.
To know. The social security allowances paid in the event of a long sick leave are not taken into account in the calculation of the annual salary on which the amount of the pension is calculated.
TUCs integrated into the retirement system
Works of collective utility (TUC) are now integrated into the system and make it possible to save quarters. The TUC was an assisted contract created in France in 1984 under the government of Laurent Fabius, and repealed in 1990 with the introduction of the Solidarity Employment Contract (CES).
Long career: a different count
Employees who started working early can always retire early:
- those who started working between the ages of 20 and 21 will be able to leave one year earlier than the legal age, 63;
- those who started before age 20 will have the option of retiring two years earlier, at age 62;
- those who started before the age of 18 will be able to exercise their rights four years earlier, that is to say 60 years;
- those who started before the age of 16 will be able to finish their career six years earlier, ie 58 years.
Clearly the legal age is advanced if you can prove 43 years of contributions… or 172 quarters.
But beware, for the counting of quarters, the rules are more restrictive than for reaching the full rate.
Long career: what the final text of the pension reform would change