The retirement system for civil servants is based on mechanisms distinct from the private sector, both in the calculation of pensions and in solidarity measures. Understanding these specifics allows one to anticipate the actual amount of their pension and optimize the timing of retirement.
Progressive retirement for civil servants: a system operational since September 2025
Progressive retirement in the public service only came into effect on September 1, 2025. This delay compared to the private sector, where the system has existed for a long time, creates significant ignorance among the concerned agents.
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To benefit from it, three cumulative conditions apply: being at least 60 years old, having at least 150 quarters across all schemes, and working part-time between 50% and 90%. The portion of the pension paid corresponds to the non-worked fraction.
We observe that this mechanism particularly interests category B and C agents nearing the end of their careers, whose indexed pay progresses little. Combining a portion of the pension with part-time pay can smooth the transition without a sudden loss of income. A detailed point on the retirement of civil servants on Impact Patrimoine allows for measuring the impact of this system according to each statutory situation.
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Pension calculation: indexed pay, length of service, and liquidation rate
The calculation of the base pension for civil servants differs radically from that of private sector employees. The pension is calculated based on the gross indexed pay of the last six months, rather than on the best 25 years as in the general scheme. This rule benefits agents whose indexed pay scale progresses at the end of their careers but penalizes those whose pay stagnates.
The liquidation formula combines three parameters: the reference indexed pay, a liquidation rate capped at 75%, and a prorating coefficient related to the length of service. For generations born from the late 1970s onwards, the required insurance duration for the full rate is set at 172 quarters, or 43 years.
Discount and bonus: often underestimated levers
Retiring before having accumulated all the required quarters results in a discount of 1.25% for each missing quarter, up to a limit of 20 quarters. Conversely, each quarter contributed beyond the required duration generates a bonus of 1.25%.
The bonus is not capped. An agent who extends their activity by eight quarters beyond the full rate improves their pension by 10%. We recommend accurately simulating the net gain from the bonus against the opportunity cost of remaining active.
RAFP and Ircantec: the complementary schemes that agents overlook
Civil servants are required to contribute to the additional public service pension scheme (RAFP), based on bonuses and allowances up to 20% of the gross indexed pay. This points-based scheme produces modest pensions but is the only means of accounting for bonuses in the pension calculation.
- The RAFP applies to all three public services (State, territorial, hospital) and is paid out as a lifelong annuity beyond a certain points threshold, or as a lump sum below that.
- The Ircantec covers public law contractual agents. A contractual agent who becomes a permanent employee retains their acquired Ircantec rights before their permanent status, creating a hybrid retirement path that requires precise reconstruction.
- The RAFP contribution rates remain low compared to the Agirc-Arrco of the private sector, which explains the gap in complementary pensions between the two schemes.
Employment-retirement accumulation for civil servants after the 2023 reform
The rules for employment-retirement accumulation have been profoundly revised. Before the legal age, the pension is reduced based on employment income. Between the legal age and 67, the accumulation is capped and may lead to the suspension of the pension if all pensions have not been liquidated.
A major change concerns the creation of a “second pension”: contributions made under a full employment-retirement accumulation now open up additional rights. This mechanism breaks with the old system where contributions made after liquidation were lost.
Annual pension revaluation
Pensions for civil servants are revalued on January 1 of each year, based on the average change in consumer prices excluding tobacco. This indexing to inflation, rather than to salaries, gradually erodes the purchasing power of retirees compared to active workers.
- The revaluation applies uniformly to pensions from the SRE (State civil servants) and the CNRACL (territorial and hospital workers).
- The RAFP follows its own revaluation rules, distinct from those of the base pension.
- In periods of low inflation, the gap between pension revaluation and the progression of the indexed point can reach several points over a decade.
The retirement of civil servants is not limited to a departure age and a replacement rate. Between the now accessible progressive retirement, the calculation based on the last six months, the complementary RAFP and Ircantec, and the new accumulation rules, each parameter deserves individualized analysis. Agents who anticipate these decisions several years before their departure are the ones who truly optimize their pension.