International career and pension rights
International mobility has a direct impact on employees’ pension rights. Employers must understand the applicable rules to inform their employees and anticipate the consequences of a career spent in France and in several other countries.
In a nutshell
- Retirement is a major concern for international employees; employers must anticipate and explain the applicable rules.
- Retirement in France is based on a basic state pension and a mandatory supplementary pension.
- Periods of time worked abroad may be taken into account depending on the country and applicable agreements.
- Within the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, a mechanism for combining insurance periods applies. Outside the EU, the rules depend on the existence and content of bilateral social security agreements.
- A specific application must be submitted to claim entitlement to a pension related to an international career.
How does retirement work in France?
In France, for private sector employees, the basic pension is paid by the general social security system. The legal retirement age is set at 62 years and 9 months for people born on or after January 1, 1969. From 2028, the legal retirement age is set to be gradually raised to 64.
- The amount of the pension
The pension is calculated based on the average annual income, calculated over the 25 best years, as well as the number of quarters accrued during the person’s career.
- Quarters
The following are considered validated quarters:
- Quarters from contributions (professional activity).
- Quarters treated as equivalent (illness, maternity, work-related accident, unemployment, etc.).
- Certain quarters related to the birth or education of children.
Only periods actually affiliated with the French social security system accrue pension rights under that system.
- Full pension
To qualify for a full pension, a minimum number of quarters from contributions is required, depending on the year of birth:
- From 1964 to March 1965: 170 validated quarters.
- From April to December 1965: 171 validated quarters.
- From 1966 onwards: 172 validated quarters.
Once a person reaches the age of 67, the full pension is automatically granted, even if they have not accrued the required number of quarters. If someone does not have the required number of quarters, they may face a reduction in their pension.
All employees also contribute to a mandatory supplementary pension scheme, managed by Agirc-Arrco (General Association of Retirement Institutions for Executives and the Association for Employees’ Complementary Pension Schemes).
- Contributions paidenableemployees to accrue additional pension points.
- The total number of points accumulated is converted into a pension upon retirement.
- This pension is added to the basic pension.
When an employee has worked in several different countries, the rules for calculating the pension may differ.
For more information on supplementary pensions, visit the Agirc-Arrco website.
Retirement, how does it work ?
What happens to your retirement after an international career?
When a career path includes periods of work abroad, the calculation of pension benefits depends on:
- French law
- European regulations
- Social security agreements concluded between France and other countries.
Employers and employees must anticipate the impact of international mobility on retirement.
Special case: Secondment
During a secondment abroad, employees generally remain affiliated with the social security system of their country of origin. Secondment periods are taken into account within this system, and not in that of the host country. When an employee is seconded to France from abroad, they remain affiliated with the system of their country of origin and do not contribute to the French system during the period in question.
What pension benefits are available after a career in the European Union, the EEA or Switzerland?
EU and EEA member states, as well as Switzerland, operate a mechanism for coordinating their pension systems.
An employee who has worked in France and in one or more other member states can claim all periods of employment in these countries to establish their pension rights.
Note:
A period of employment in France entitles the employee to pension rights in France, even if they end their career in another European country. There is no loss of rights in the event of intra-European mobility: each country retains responsibility for periods of employment within its territory.
This mechanism allows for the addition of periods worked in different countries and verifies whether the eligibility requirements are met.
The periods worked in each country are added together to determine if the employee has accumulated the required insurance period to qualify for a retirement pension.
Each country then performs its own calculation:
- It calculates the pension amount according to its own legislation.
- It takes into account, where applicable, all periods completed in other countries to verify eligibility requirements.
- It then pays only the portion corresponding to the periods actually worked within its territory.
The employee therefore receives several separate pensions, one for each country concerned, calculated according to the specific legislation of each country.
What pension benefits are available after a career in the EU and a non-EU country?
When an employee has worked in both an EU member state, an EEA country or Switzerland, and in a country with a bilateral agreement with France, the calculation method most favorable to the insured person is applied, provided that the applicable agreements allow it.
Depending on the chosen calculation method, certain periods worked abroad may not be taken into account in the same way. This choice can have consequences for the retirement age and the amount of pension benefits.
Some bilateral agreements allow for the inclusion of periods worked in a third country. However, this is only possible if that country has a separate social security agreement with each of the two signatory states that provide for it.
What pension benefits are available after a career outside the EU, the EEA or Switzerland?
When a career has taken place in France and in one or more countries outside the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, pension rights depend on whether a bilateral social security agreement exists between France and the country in question.
When a bilateral agreement covers old age, three mechanisms may apply, depending on the agreement signed:
1.Separate calculation of pensions
Each country calculates the pension solely based on periods worked within its territory, without coordination with other countries and according to its national legislation. Competent bodies do not take into account insurance periods accrued in another country. This mechanism is applicable when the bilateral social security agreement provides for and covers retirement and old age (e.g. the United States or Algeria).
2.Comparing two calculations
The amount is determined by comparing the calculation based on totalization/pro-rata calculation of insurance periods with the separate calculation. The higher amount is then retained.
This mechanism is applicable when the bilateral social security agreement provides for and covers retirement and old age (e.g. Brazil or Canada).
3.The right to choose
The insured person can choose between:
- Combining insurance periods (see above).
- Calculating pensions separately (see above).
This mechanism applies if the employee has worked in two countries that have signed an agreement providing for the right to choose and if they make their choice within the time limit stipulated by the agreement (e.g. Israel, Mali, etc.).
Each country calculates pensions independently, without taking into account periods worked in the other country.
This can lead to fragmented career and partial pension entitlements in each country.
Key actor: CLEISS
The Centre for European and International Liaison on Social Security (CLEISS) is the French body responsible for coordinating social security schemes with other countries. It simplifies procedures for insured individuals and guarantees the continuity of their rights during international mobility.
How to claim your pension following an international career?
Securing an international retirement is not an automatic process. The application must be submitted by the employee:
- To the pension provider of their country of residence.
- Alternatively, to the pension provider of the last country in which the employee worked.
What steps need to be taken?
- List all periods of employment in France and abroad (specific dates, employers, countries involved).
- Identify the European regulations or conventions applicable to each period.
- Verify the eligibility requirements in each country (legal retirement age, required contribution period, etc.).
- Understand the rules for calculating benefits for eligible periods.
- Submit applications to the relevant organizations.
Planning ahead is particularly recommended when someone has spent their career working in several countries.
Documents to be provided
It is recommended that you keep all supporting documents relating to periods of employment abroad (employment contracts, payslips, certificates of affiliation or secondment, career records).
Employers contribute to the safeguarding of the employee’s career path by maintaining social records and issuing the necessary certificates upon request.
Understanding how pensions are calculated abroad
At a glance
This page explains the impact of an international career on pension rights and the rules applicable to employees who have worked in France and abroad. It is based on institutional sources such as CLEISS, L’Assurance retraite, European regulations, social security agreements and Business France. It presents information covering the French pension system, the coordination of pension rights within the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, bilateral social security agreements, secondment and pension claim procedures after an international career. It uses the example of an international employee who has worked in several countries and seeks to understand how their pension rights are calculated and claimed.