No retiree can receive a pension greater than a certain amount in 2025.
In 2024, nearly 900,000 workers ended their professional career to retire. And regardless of their profession or sector of activity, all employees and civil servants ask themselves the same question before stopping working: what will be the amount of their pension once retired? According to retirement insurance data, the average pension of retirees in France is 1,626 euros gross per month, or 1,512 euros net monthly after social security contributions and payment of taxes. This sum brings together basic retirement as well as additional retirement.
If the question of the amount of the retirement pension is also worrying, it is because the answer is not obvious to find. Indeed, the calculation of the pension depends on multiple factors: the starting age, the duration of contribution, the number of children, but also the status of the professional.
For civil servants, the pension is calculated on the basis of the last six months’ salary. Private employees see their retirement calculated over the best 25 years of their career. A crucial element remains unknown by most of the assets that are preparing to retire: the amount of their pension is capped.
14 million retirees are already affected by this ceiling. These are former employees in the private sector. For them, the amount of the basic pension paid by social security cannot exceed a certain level. Even if they pocketed a significant salary during their career. However, this cap does not concern additional retirement.
The pension paid by retirement and occupational health insurance funds (CARSAT) or the National Old Age Insurance Fund (CNAV) cannot exceed 50% of the annual social security ceiling (PASS). In 2025, a revaluation of 1.6 % of the pass brought the latter to 47,100 euros gross annual, or 3,925 euros monthly. Consequently, the maximum basic pension for new retirees amounts, in 2025, to 1,962.50 euros gross per month. In 2024, the basic pension ceiling was set at 1,932 euros gross monthly.
For comparison, in 2018, the annual pass was 39,732 euros, 3,311 euros monthly. Thus, the maximum basic pension for new retirees was 1,655.5 euros gross per month. Private employees nevertheless benefit from Agirc-Arrco additional retirement, the average amount of which is 514 euros.
In addition, increases in retirement pension can also be added, such as 10% for parents of three or more children.
