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PENSIONS

Working in France: How does ‘phased retirement’ work?

Did you know that in France you have the option of 'phased retirement' in which you work part time and claim part of your pension? Here's how it works.

Published: 24 August 2023 15:12 CEST
Working in France: How does 'phased retirement' work?
A retired couple walk hand-in-hand along the beach in France (Photo by DENIS CHARLET / AFP)

This option is not only available to those with French nationality, but also to foreigners who have worked in France, and is set to be expanded so that more groups – including self-employed people – can benefit from it.

Who can qualify for phased retirement?

On a general level, you must be; old enough, have contributed a certain number of quarters to the French pension system, and be employed with one or more salaried activities (although from September 1st certain groups of self-employed workers can also qualify).

Part time – The first step is to ask your boss if you can drop down to part-time hours. As part of the expansion of the scheme, from September 1st bosses have two months to reply in writing to your request – if they don’t reply that is taken as an agreement. If they refuse, they will also have to justify why you working part time would damage the company.

To qualify for the phased retirement, your new hours must be between 40 percent and 80 percent of full-time hours.

Minimum career length – The next requirement is that you must have contributed at least 150 quarters (trimestres) to your pension – so in other words you must have worked for at least 37.5 years. Those who have ‘blended careers’ – ie they have worked in France and at least one other country usually get their pensions calculated on a pro rata basis, but should check their individual pension status to see if they qualify. 

Minimum age – And finally the last condition is age related: you must be within two years of the minimum retirement age. Previously, this meant workers over the age of 60 would qualify, as they were just two years short of 62.

However, French pension reform means that in the coming years the retirement age will gradually increase to 64 between September 2023 and 2030. Anyone born after 1973 will have to wait until 64 to fully retire, whereas the situation is a bit different for those born between 1960 and 1972. You can find out your estimated retirement age by looking at The Local’s table.

In terms of which types of careers qualify, previously phased retirement was only available to salaried employees, tradespeople (artisans) and retailers. However, from September 1st that will be extended to civil servants, lawyers and self-employed people who work in ‘professions libéreaux‘ such as journalists.

How long can I have a phased retirement?

Technically, you can stay on a phased retirement plan for as long as you meet the part-time working conditions. Each year, you will need to provide continued proof of your work status by responding to a questionnaire sent by the French government.

Those who fail to respond will see their phased pension suspended.

Once you are ready to retire fully, you can send in a request for ‘retraite personelle‘ to your caisse régionale. 

How much of my pension will I get?

It depends on how much you are working and how much your personal pension rate is valued at.

For someone who continues work at 80 percent of their previous full-time schedule, then they would benefit from 20 percent of what their pension pay-out would be.

In order to calculate what your pension pay-out would be, you can try using this French government simulator.

READ MORE: EXPLAINED: The website to help you calculate your French pension

Things to consider before deciding on phased retirement

If you have worked outside of France for part of your career, keep in mind that the phased retirement allocation is based on the amount that you would get from your French pension. This guide will help you calculate a pension for a blended career.

READ MORE: Pensions: What should I expect if I worked in both France and a non-EU country?

You will also want to consider the time that would be involved in requesting a new contract for part-time work, as well as the drop in income you might be taking on. For some workers, the portion of your monthly income made up by the phased-pension allocation will be less than what you would earn on a full-time salary. 

Workers should also consider the fact that applying for phased retirement prior to the minimum retirement age will mean that they contribute less overall to their total pension, which would decrease its value in the long-term.

In some cases, you may be able to ask to continue contributing to your pension at a full-time value while working part time, but you will need your employer to agree to this. 

What are the steps to apply?

The first step is to get your work contract changed to reflect your part-time schedule.

The next step is to gather the necessary documents: proof of your civil status, your RIB, a copy of your last two tax returns, a copy of your part-time contract, a certificate from your employer specifying how many hours count as full-time in your company. For foreigners, you will need to include your titre de séjour. 

You must send your application, which includes filling out this form, to l’Assurance Retraite. You can do so online or by mail.

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READER QUESTION

Can I work on a laptop in a French café?

As cafés in Spain launch a crackdown on remote workers who hog tables for hours without buying anything, what's the etiquette over working from a café in France?

Published: 16 May 2024 16:30 CEST
Can I work on a laptop in a French café?

Reader question: I’m visiting France shortly and I will need to do some work while I’m there – is it socially acceptable to go to a café and use my laptop there?

Over the border in Spain, cafés in Valencia, Barcelona and Santiago are reportedly ‘on a war footing’ against laptop-users, with some cutting the wifi during peak hours or just banning them altogether.

Fortunately in France, things are a little more relaxed – although this will depend on exactly where you are and how busy the café is. 

First things first – there are no local or national laws about laptop use in cafés (which you might think is a given but France does love to legislate) so the rules are up to the individual café owner and their staff. 

Culturally, however, there is something of a tradition of working in French cafés – famous writers from Victor Hugo to Ernest Hemmingway wrote novels while loitering in cafés, philosophers from Voltaire to Jean-Paul Sartre held discussion groups in Paris cafés and poverty-stricken artists have attempted to pay for their drinks with paintings (usually unsuccessfully).

In more modern times it’s completely normal for work-related meetings to be held in cafés while in cities where people tend to live in small apartments it’s common for social groups such as book clubs to meet in cafés.

But how does this all relate to opening up your laptop and getting down to work?

Well is varies, but there are a few things to think about;

Location – working on a laptop is undoubtedly more common in cities than it is in smaller places and in areas like the Paris or Bordeaux businesses districts it is a common site to see people typing away, perhaps in between business meetings that they have lined up in the café. 

Café size/occupation – take a look around you, is the café busy with people waiting for tables? Is it a tiny place with only space for a few tables? In these cases you’re less likely to be welcome to loiter for hours. If, however, things are quiet and there are plenty of tables it probably won’t be a problem to spend a few hours catching up with work 

Time of day – while this may vary in smaller towns, most city cafés are open all day – catering for the breakfast crowd, then into morning coffee, lunch and leading into the apéro hour and dinner.

Naturally cafés get busier at lunchtime (12 noon to 2pm) and when apéro starts (usually about 6pm) so you’re likely to be less welcome to take up a table for long periods during these times. If you’ve been there all morning and the server pointedly starts adding cutlery to your table, it’s probably a sign that they want the table back for the lunch-time busy period. You could of course order lunch yourself. 

Type of café – not all cafés are created equal and there are many different types. While most places have no problem with people working there, in recent years some Paris cafés have decided to impose limits on laptop use.

One of those is the Fringe café in the trendy Marais district. Owner Jeff told The Local: “I’m not against laptops, but I am against the minority of users who will sit down for four or five hours, with the cheapest drink. That’s not respectful to the space, so the decision came about because of those few who do that. We call them squatters.”

However this view is far from universal. Nix Audon, a server at Café de la Poste, said: “We evolve with the times, we even offer wifi for free. People can come, relax, and do what they need to.”

Before Nix worked at Café de la Poste, he was a customer. “I would come here every day after work just to relax. For me, café culture is about being able to chill, and sit for however long you want. Cafés are a huge part of social life for Parisians and café culture is intended to be inclusive of everyone, including those who want to sit and work on their laptops.”

While this isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, we’ve noticed that most of the places that do have laptop bans are more ‘coffee shops’ in the American style (think loads of different coffee types with elaborate alternative milk options and big slabs of cake) than traditional French cafés (oat milk is for baby oats but the wine selection is excellent).

Do you need to order something? Yes, absolutely, it is only polite to order something if you intend to take up a table for long periods and no that thing cannot be tap water (which is free in French bars, restaurants and cafés).

How much you need to order depends on how long you want to stay – but staying all day and ordering a single espresso (roughly €2) would definitely be regarded as pushing your luck.

That said, French cafés mostly have a ‘no hurry’ policy and you’re unlikely to be rushed out as soon as you have finished your drink unless the café is very busy and you’re in a very touristy area. Lingering over a single coffee while you people-watch and/or think great thoughts is definitely part of France’s traditional culture.

Just ask – of course, you can just ask if it’s OK to work there. The places that don’t appreciate laptop users usually have a sign up to that effect, sometimes just covering a specific time like asking people not to use laptops at weekends or in the evening.

But if you’re unsure, just ask your server 

J’aimerais travailler sur mon ordinateur pendant quelques heures, si c’est possible ? – I’d like to work on my laptop for a couple of hours, if that’s OK?

Je peux utiliser un ordinateur portable ici ? – Is it OK to use a laptop here?

Alternatives – if you want to do more than a couple of hours of work, you might look for a more formal solution. France has a variety of options for people who need a work space, with the most popular being ‘un co-working‘ – a shared workspace where you pay for your time by the hour or the day.

Many of the larger and more business-orientated hotels also offer work spaces and meeting spaces.

Meanwhile in the larger cities there is the trend of ‘un co-homing‘ where people open up their apartments – for a fee – to people who need a space to work, plus a little social interaction.

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