The new rules for phased retirement have been clarified
The phased retirement program allows insured individuals, under certain conditions, to apply for their retirement pension and receive a portion of it while continuing to work part-time, thereby ensuring a smooth transition from work to retirement.
To make it more attractive, Article 26 of the April 14, 2023, law on pension reform relaxes the eligibility requirements by, first, expanding the scope of beneficiaries (employees not subject to minimum working hours, self-employed professionals, and civil servants), second, by limiting the employer’s ability to refuse the request (the employer is normally required to respond to the employee’s request within two months), and finally, by allowing the employee to request an exemption from the minimum part-time work requirement.
Two decrees published in the Official Journal on August 11 specify the new rules for implementing the program. The age at which eligibility for a phased retirement begins has been set at the statutory retirement age minus two years. Given the gradual increase in the statutory retirement age—by an additional three months per generation for those born on or after September 1, 1961—the age at which eligibility for a phased retirement begins will follow the same schedule.
