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Lexique


A
Active category

Public-sector positions

Automatic full rate

Once the member has reached a certain age, his/her pension is calculated at the maximum rate regardless of the number of quarters s/he has accrued. This age ranges from 65 to 67 (as determined by year of birth) under most of France'spensions schemes. The age of automatic full-rate entitlement is sometimes referred to as the "rate reduction exemption age".

Average yearly income

Under the basic schemes for self-employed workers (except for private-practice professionals): the amount of earned income that is used to calculette the menber's basic retirement pension (the 10to 25 best years of his/her career).

B
Basic pension

The first level of compulsory pension coverage.

C
Calendar months

From the first day to the last day of the month.

Calendar quarter

Calendar quarter refers to the periods of 3 consecutive months beginning on January 1st, April 1st, July 1st, and October 1st  of each year.

Ceiling

A cap on a member's wages, income or compensation.

Chômage partiel

Le chômage partiel (également appelé "activité partielle") est un dispositif mis en place pour permettre à l'employeur en difficulté de faire prendre en charge par l'État tout ou partie du coût de la rémunération de ses salariés. Vous êtes concerné(e) si :

  • vous êtes salarié(e) de droit privé ;
  • êtes titulaire d'un contrat de travail de droit français ;
  • et avez subi une baisse de rémunération due à la fermeture temporaire de l'établissement ou à la réduction de l'horaire de travail en-dessous de la durée légale de travail.

 

Les personnes qui ont été arrêtées car elles étaient en situation de vulnérabilité (personnes fragiles) ou parce qu’elles ont gardé leurs enfants sont également concernées par ce dispositif.

Claim

When a pension is calculated and approved for payment.

CONTRIBUTION BASIS

A monetary amount that is the basis for calculating your contributions. It is determined by your earned income (wages, perks, etc.), on which a cap may apply.

Contributory minimum

The minimum amount for a retirement pension. it only applies if the member's retirement pension is calculated at the full rate (the maximum rate at which the pension can be calculated). This minimum

amount can either be reduced, if the member's career is incomplete or increased, if certain requirements are met.

D
Discount

Rate reduction (decrease) applied tothe amount of the member's retirement pension.

E
Early retirement on the basis of a long career

A program that allows members who began their career (working life) before the age of 20 to retire early, before reaching statutory retirement age.

Equivalent periods

Periods that did not results in the payment of contributions but count toward the member's basic pension rate.

Expatriate employee

"Expatriate employee" status applies to salaried workers :

  • Who go abroad to work,
  • And who have opted for "expatriate" rather than "posted worker" status.

The employee will need to join the compulsory retirement pension scheme in the country of employment. S/he will no longer be required to pay French pension contributions but can pay voluntary contributions to the French scheme, either individually or through his/her employer, by joining the "Caisse des Français de l'Etranger" (CFE).

F
Fonctionnaires titulaires

Personnes recrutées par concours (sauf cas dérogatoires, notamment en catégorie C) et titularisées dans un grade pour occuper un emploi permanent de l’administration, d’un établissement public à caractère administratif.

Les fonctionnaires titulaires appartiennent à des corps regroupés en catégories, d’après leur niveau de concours de recrutement.

FranceConnect

FranceConnect est un dispositif de l'État qui permet vous connecter à toutes les administrations en ligne avec les identifiants d’une administration dont vous êtes déjà utilisateur (Impots.gouv.fr, Ameli.fr, IDN La Poste, MSA.fr…). Vous n’avez plus besoin de mémoriser des identifiants pour chaque site internet. Vous êtes informés par e-mail à chaque connexion et vos données personnelles ne sont pas stockées. Rendez-vous sur le site de FranceConnect pour plus d’informations.

Full career

Personal and work-related circumstances resulting in entitlement to a retirement pension with no discount.

Full rate

The full rate is the maximum rate at which the member's pension can be calculated. The number of quarters that is required for the full rate is determined by your year of birth and ranges from 162 quarters for members born prior to 1951 to 172 quarters for those born in 1973 or later.

G
General increase

An inflation-based increase in pension amounts or point values.

General scheme

The pension scheme for private-sector salaried workers, public-sector workers other than civil servants, and artist authors. At the national level, the general scheme is administered by "L'Assurance retraite".

Guaranteed minimum

The minimum retirement pension amount for civil servants.

L
Lenght of contributions

Length of insurance resulting in the payment of contributions by the member. Quarters accrued in this way are also taken into acount when the member's contributory minimum and pension rate increase are calculated.

Lenght of insurance

All of the quarters accrued under a pension scheme. It used to calculete the member's basic retirement pension.

Length of compensation

Length of compensation includes all of the periods of compensation in the member's electrical and gas industry pension (IEG). It is stated in quarters.

M
Majoration temporaire

Augmentation de 10%, 20%, ou 30% de la retraite Agirc-Arrco appliquée pendant un an. Pour en savoir plus sur ce dispositif, consultez cette page du site de l’Agirc-Arrco.

Matching

A company's optional contribution to a retirement saving plan, e.g. "Perco" ("Plan d'épargne pour la retraite collectif" / group retirement savings plan).

Minimum benefits

Aspa and ASI have replaced the former minimum old-age benefit programs.

Minoration

Décote (diminution) appliquée définitivement au montant de la retraite.

Minoration temporaire

Diminution de 10% de la retraite Agirc-Arrco appliquée pendant 3 ans. Pour en savoir plus sur ce dispositif, consultez cette page du site de l’Agirc-Arrco.

 

Multiple pension claimant

A retiree who is drawing a pension from several schemes.

Multiple-scheme member

An individual who is a member of more than one pension scheme

O
Old-age minimum ("Minimum viellesse")

Please see "Minimum benefits".

P
Pension bonuses

Quarters added on to your account

Pension estimate

Beginning at age 45, you can get an estimate of your future retirement pension that is based on a variety of criteria (hypothetical career paths, age at retirement, etc.). The estimates you are given are based on the actual information on your career that your pension schemes currently have.

To get an estimate, please log in to your pension account ("My age at retirement and amount" section).

section).

Under 45 ? You can estimate your retirement pension using the M@rel estimation tool, which is available at any age. Please see the definition of "Pension estimate".

Pension estimate

A service that you can use to estimate your pension at any age based on the information available to your pension schemes. Once you have obtained your initial result in a few clicks, you can run an estimate based on various scenarios for your career and your personal life: a new career, an expatriate position, number of children, etc.

To use the M@rel estimation tool, please log in to your pension account.

Point

A counting unit used by most of France's supplementary pension schemes in order to determine member's pension entitlements.

Post-retirement work

You may be able to work while drawing the full amount of your pension. However, several requirements apply. If they are not met, you can still work while drawing your pension, but an income cap will apply.

Purchase

The opportunity to accrue eligible quarters by paying the applicable contributions. Examples include years of higher education enrollment, incomplete years, employment abroad, etc.

Q
Quarter

The opportunity to accrue eligible quarters by paying the applicable contributions. Examples include years of higher education enrollment, incomplete years, employment abroad, etc.

Quarters of contributions

Under the basic schemes for salaried and self-employed workers: the length of insurance on the basis of which compulsory or voluntary contributions were paid. 4 quarters (maximum) credited to the member's account = one calendar year credited toward the member's pension. Please also refer to "Lenght of contributions.

R
Rate

The rate at which a member's pension is calculated (the payment rate) is the percentage that is applied :

  • To the member's average yearly earnings or income under the basic pension schemes.
  • Or to a civil servant's index-based salary.
Rate increase

A permanent add-on (increase) factor that is applied to the member's pensions.

Readjustement

Update.

RELEVE DE CARRIERE / RELEVE DE “SITUATION INDIVIDUELLE" (employment record / pension status record)

A document that lists the pension entitlements that the member has accrued under all schemes combined. It is sent every 5 years beginning at age 35.

To view your "relevé de carrière", please log in to your pension account.

Replacement rate

The percentage of the member's most recent earning that his/her retirement pension (basic and supplementary) comes to.

Retirement pension

A (retirement) pension is the combination of social security benefits that an individual receives beyond a certain age and up to his/her death, on the basis of his/her (or his/her spouse's) contribtions to one or more olde-age insurane schemes.contributions to one or more old-age insurance schemes.

revenu annuel moyen (RAM)

Dans les régimes de base des non-salariés (sauf professions libérales) : montant des revenus professionnels qui servent au calcul de la retraite de base (10 à 25 meilleures années de la carrière). 

RIGHT TO INFORMATION

Each member shall be regularly provided with free, personal information on his/her pension entitlements that takes account of all of the pensions schemes to which s/he has belonged.

S
SPECIAL SCHEMES

Pension schemes covering certain types of public-sector or public-utility sector employees. Examples: civil servants, SNCF workers, RATP employees, etc.

SUPPLEMENTARY RETIREMENT PENSION

The second level of compulsory pension coverage, which is a supplement to the basic pension. Example: the Ircantec pension for non-civil servant public-sector workers, or Agirc Arrco for salaried workers in industry, retail, services, and agriculture.

SURVIVOR'S RETIREMENT PENSION

A retirement pension that is paid to the deIeased member's spouse and/or ex-spouse, with eligibility requirements under most of the schemes (age, no remarriage, income, etc.)

T
Top-up

An increase applied to the amount of a pension, generally due to the member's personal circumstances, e.g. the 10% pension top-up for members with three or more children.

TOTAL LENGTH OF INSURANCE

The total number of quarters accrued under all of the schemes to which the member has paid contributions. This is used to calculate the member's pensions rate (please also refer to the definition of the quarter of contributions).

TREATED AS

"Treated as" periods or quarters are periods off work which count toward a retirement pension : medical leave, maternity leave, paid unemployment, military service, etc.

TREATED-AS QUARTERS

Please refer to the definition of "Treated as".

V
Valeur du point

Dans la plupart des régimes de retraite complémentaire et les régimes des professionnels libéraux, les droits à la retraite sont exprimés en points. Pour chaque cotisation versée, vous cumulez des points. Au moment de prendre votre retraite, le total de vos points est multiplié par la valeur du point à la date de votre départ.

Exemple : à la fin de sa carrière, Pierre totalise 6 000 points. À son départ à la retraite, la valeur d’un point de retraite a été fixée à 1 €. Pierre va donc percevoir 500 € bruts de retraite complémentaire mensuelle (6 000 points X 1 € = 6000 € de retraite complémentaire annuelle brute, soit 6000 / 12  = 500 € de retraite complémentaire mensuelle brute).

Y
YEAR OF PENSIONABLE EMPLOYMENT

A quarters-based pension calculation that is based on pensionable income. One year = 4 quarters of pensionable employment. This calculation method is different from the one that is used by the points-based schemes, which calculate pensions on the basis of points accrued each year as a result of the payment of contributions.