Pension amount of private sector employee

Verified 01 January 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Would you like to know the amount of your future pension and how it is calculated? We present the general rules for calculating the retirement pension of the Social Security Retirement Insurance.

It is very difficult to calculate one's own retirement pension. On the other hand, you can estimate the amount of your retirement on the official Info-Retraite website in your retirement account using the service My Retirement Estimate.

This service allows you to see the estimated amounts of your various basic and supplementary retirement pensions.

You can see the total amount of your pensions, gross and net before taxes.

You can:

  • Either consult an estimate generated automatically from the information known to your pension funds (quick estimate)
  • Either make a personalized estimate by changing your starting age, adding missing periods and future changes (children, new status, expatriation, gradual retirement, job-retirement accumulation, etc.).

Info Retirement - My retirement account

The amount of your retirement pension from the Retirement Insurance is calculated as follows:

Average annual income x Pension rate x (Your duration of insurance with Retirement Insurance / Duration of insurance to obtain a full rate pension)

We detail these different parameters that are taken into account to calculate your retirement.

Average annual income

Your average annual income is average gross wages on which you have contributed to the Pension Insurance during the 25 years the most advantageous ones of your career.

If you have worked under 25 yearsHowever, your average annual income is equal to the average of your gross wages during these years of work.

FYI  

Your income for the year in which you retire is not taken into account.

All elements of remuneration (basic salary, bonuses, overtime) and daily maternity allowances are taken into account for the calculation of the average annual income.

The amounts in francs are converted into euros and rounded to the nearest euro cent.

Your annual income is revalued by applying the revaluation coefficients in effect at the time of your retirement.

Before revaluation, income received from 2005 onwards is limited to social security ceiling.

Duration of pension insurance

The duration of pension insurance is the total number of quarters retained by the pension funds.

The duration of insurance retained by the Pension Insurance includes the following periods:

  • Periods during which you have contributed to Retirement Insurance (insurance quarters). The salary to validate 1 quarter is upgraded every year
  • Periods of interruption of activity which are treated as insurance quarters (periods of sickness, long-term sickness or accident at work, maternity leave, periods during which you received a disability pension, periods of unemployment, periods of short-time work from 1er March 2020, national duty periods)
  • The periods of employment for which the Pension Insurance does not have proof of your contributions but validated on the basis of the evidence you provide, generally your pay slips (periods validated by presumption)
  • Insurance quarters granted free of charge, in particular for child.

Reminder

A year can only have 4 quarters.

Your pension insurance term is on your career statement.

You can view and download your career statement on the official Info-Retraite website, in your retirement accountusing the service My career / See my career :

Info Retirement - My retirement account

Duration of pension insurance required to obtain a full pension

The length of insurance required to obtain a full pension varies according to your date of birth :

Tableau - Number of insurance quarters required to qualify for a full pension

You were born:

You can retire from:

Number of quarters required to have the full rate

Between 1er January 1958 and December 31, 1960

62 years

167 (41 years 9 months)

Between 1er January 1961 and August 31, 1961

62 years

168 (42 years old)

Between 1er September 1961 and December 31, 1961

62 years and 3 months

169 (42 years 3 months)

1962

62 years and 6 months

169 (42 years 3 months)

Between 1er January 1963 and March 31, 1965

62 years and 9 months

170 (42 years 6 months)

Between 1er April 1965 and December 31, 1965

63 years

171 (42 years 9 months)

1966

63 years and 3 months

172 (43 years old)

1967

63 years and 6 months

172 (43 years old)

1968

63 years and 9 months

172 (43 years old)

From 1er January 1969

64 years

172 (43 years old)

Rates used to calculate the retirement pension

The rate applied to your average annual income is 50% if you are entitled to a full pension. This is especially the case if you fill in one of the following 2 conditions :

  • You're retiring before age 67 with the required number of quarters, all plans combined, to be entitled to a full pension
  • Or you retire at age 67, regardless of your number of quarters, all plans combined

However, if you retire before the age of 67 without having the required number of quarters to be entitled to a full pension, all plans combined, the 50% is reduced by 0.625% by missing quarters up to 20 quarters.

This reduction is called the haircut.

Example :

If you were born in 1964, you are entitled to a full pension (calculated on the basis of 50% your average annual income) from 62 years and 9 months if you have 170 quarters or at 67 years regardless of your number of quarters.

  • You're retiring before age 67 with 170 quarters all validated with the Pension Insurance. If your annual income is €38,400 (3,200 x 12), your annual retirement is €38,400  x 50% x (170 / 170) = €19,200, or a gross monthly pension of €1,600
  • You're retiring before age 67 with 170 quarters, 120 of which were validated with the Pension Insurance and 50 validated with another pension fund. If your annual income is €38,400, your annual retirement is €38,400  x 50% x (120 / 170) = €13,552.94, or a gross monthly pension of €1,129.41. The 50 quarters validated with another pension fund entitles you to a 2e retirement pension calculated according to the rules applicable by the pension fund concerned
  • You're retiring at age 67 with 158 quarters all validated with the Pension Insurance. If your annual income is €38,400, your annual retirement is €38,400 x 50% x (158 / 170) = €17,844.71, or a gross monthly pension of €1,487.06
  • You're retiring at age 67 with 158 quarters, 120 of which were validated with the Pension Insurance and 38 validated with another pension fund. If your annual income is €38,400, your annual retirement is €38,400 x 50% x (120 / 170) = €13,552.94, or a gross monthly pension of €1,129.41. The 38 quarters validated with another pension fund entitles you to a 2e retirement pension calculated according to the rules applicable by the pension fund concerned
  • You're retiring at age 65 with 158 quarters all validated with the Pension Insurance. If your annual income is €38,400, your annual retirement is €38,400 x 45% x (158 / 170) = €16,060.24, or a gross monthly pension of €1,338.35
  • You're retiring at age 65 with 158 quarters, 120 of which were validated with the Pension Insurance and 38 validated with another pension fund. If your annual income is €38,400, your annual retirement is €38,400 x 45% x (120 / 170) = €12,197.65, or a gross monthly pension of €1,016.47. The 38 quarters validated with another pension fund entitles you to a 2e retirement pension calculated according to the rules applicable by the pension fund concerned.

In some cases, the amount of your retirement pension may not be less than a minimum amount, called contributory minimum.

What are the conditions to qualify for the minimum contribution?

You are entitled to the minimum contribution if you meet the following conditions:

  • You benefit from a Retirement full rate pension insurance
  • You have applied for all your pensions from all the basic and supplementary schemes, in France and in the foreigners, to which you have rights
  • The total amount of these pensions shall not exceed €1,410.89

The minimum contribution is automatically granted to you if you meet these conditions to benefit from them.

What is the amount of the minimum contribution?

There are 3 scenarios:

  • 1er case: you are retiring before age 67 by having the number of quarters required to qualify for a full pension and all these quarters are paid in, the amount of your pension cannot be less than €10,847.22 gross per year, or €903.94 gross per month
  • 2e case: you are retiring before age 67 by having the number of quarters required to qualify for a full pension but not all of those quarters are paid into.
    • If you have less than 120 contributory quarters, the amount of your pension may not be less than €9,075.50 gross per year, or €756.29 gross per month
    • If you have more than 120 contributory quarters, the amount of €756.29 Gross per month is increased based on your number of quarters contributed compared to your total number of quarters.

    For example, if you were born in 1964 and retire before age 67 with the 170 quarters required to qualify for a full pension but only 135 quarters contributed, your pension cannot be less than €756.29 + [(€903.94 - €756.29) x 135 / 170] = €873.54 gross per month
  • 3e case: you are retiring at age 67 without having the required number of quarters to be entitled to a full pension before age 67, the amount of €756.29 gross per month is reduced based on your number of quarters compared to the number of quarters required to qualify for a full pension before age 67
    For example, if you were born in 1964 and retire at age 67 with only 140 quarters, your pension cannot be less than €756.29 x 140 / 170 = €622.83 gross per month

The payment of the minimum contribution cannot result in bringing the total of your retirement pensions beyond €1,410.89 gross per month.

In case of overtaking, the minimum contribution shall be reduced so that this amount is not exceeded.

The amount of your retirement pension paid by the Retirement Insurance cannot exceed 50% of the applicable social security ceiling the year you retired.

So if you retire in 2026, your retirement cannot exceed €2,002.50 gross per month.

However, you can exceed this maximum amount if you benefit from a overcoat.

Your retirement pension is subject to the following contributions, unless exempted:

Your retirement pension is upgraded to 1er January of each year according to the average change in consumer prices excluding tobacco.

Who can help me?

Find who can answer your questions in your region

  • For any additional information

    Retirement insurance - 39 60

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