Retirement: The Right to Information—A Little-Known but Universal Principle
Established by the law of August 21, 2003, and expanded since 2012, the right to retirement information supports every insured person from the early years of their career through retirement. Account statements, preliminary estimates, personalized consultations: what every employee can obtain, and when.
Jordan receives his first individual retirement statement at age 35. The document details, year by year, his entire known career history as recorded by the pension systems. One line catches his attention: a part-time student job he held for six months in 2015 is missing. He logs on to info-retraite.fr, reports the omission, and attaches his pay stubs. Three weeks later, the correction is approved. He has these quarters credited to his account without having to visit a physical service center.
The right to information about retirement was established by the law of August 21, 2003, and was subsequently strengthened effective January 1, 2012. Its purpose is to enable every insured person, regardless of their status, to have a regular and reliable overview of their work history and retirement benefits. Its implementation was entrusted to the Groupement Union Retraite, which today coordinates information from 35 mandatory basic and supplemental pension plans. This right applies throughout a person’s working life, from entering the workforce until retirement.
Retirement information is provided in the form of several documents sent at specific points in a person’s working life. After the first two quarters have been credited, insured individuals receive a general information document about retirement. Starting at age 35, and then every five years until age 50, an individual account statement is made available. It details the entire known career history under the pension plans, year by year. Starting at age 55, this statement is supplemented by a general indicative estimate—also updated every five years—which provides an initial assessment of the future pension amount.
Correct errors directly online at
. This information is not set in stone. Insured individuals can report errors or omissions at any time, such as a missing period of employment or an inconsistency in income. Corrections are made directly through the online retirement account, accessible at info-retraite.fr or via the dedicated app. Before age 55, requests are processed by the relevant pension plan. After that age, a single service centralizes corrections regardless of the pension plan. You can track the progress of your requests online, providing greater transparency regarding the processing of your files.
Starting at age 45, you can request a retirement information session. This session, conducted at the insured person’s request, allows you to discuss your situation, your accrued benefits, and possible options for the remainder of your career with an expert. Specific consultations are also available for those planning to live abroad or going through a divorce or separation, to assess the impact of these situations on their retirement benefits.
The retirement account also provides access to an online estimation service. It allows users to determine possible retirement ages, the number of quarters required, and an estimate of their pension amount. Insured individuals can customize their simulation by including details about their family or work situation, such as part-time work or a period of unemployment. This data is used solely for the simulation and is not shared with the pension plans. The results are for informational purposes only. The final pension amount is disclosed only after the official retirement application has been filed.
