Hi,
Does anyone know, if you are in receipt of a French pension are you allowed to continue to work ? I am in the process of applying for my French pension, I am self-employed and would like to continue working.
Thanks for any input.
Yes, although it may lead to you having to pay income tax which doesn’t increase your pension contributions.
" Les cotisations vieillesse versées dans le cadre de votre activité professionnelle ne vous permettent pas de bénéficier de nouveaux droits à la retraite (sauf si vous avez bénéficié d’une retraite progressive)."
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Thank you Gareth !
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You can put off the french pension for a year or so and continue to work. Carsat are processing my french pension currently for next february but I had put it off for a year so as to gain more money. If you are working, maybe an idea so you don’t end up with the fixed amount they currently offer and still be paying social charges but no increasing your pension.
I was told at a local meeting with an official that if I put off my French pension and did some part time work for my current employer then the pension would increase by a worthwhile amount.
In the event, work didn’t materialise and so I applied for my pension about a year later (having made no further contributions at all) and was amazed that my advised pension doubled. 
Yes, mine has increased by over €100/month more by delaying it for a year.
Thanks for the replies. It is all very interesting but I am 71 now and not sure I want to wait another year, and I might not be around !
There is one more question I have… i went to live and work in Ireland for 7 years before returning to France. Will my pension contributions in Ireland be taken into account by the Frenchdoes anyone know ?
Thanks again
they could be. If you worked in Ireland for 7 years you wont get a pension from them. You may have to get a signature from the irish pension folks with the amount for the French folks.
Did you not inform the french caisse in your application for a pension that you worked elsewhere? I received a list from Carsat of all the UK payments as well as all the french payments but both are paid seperately as is the AGIRC-ARCCO pension I also paid into here.
I have had the impression that local elderly farmers I see herding their sheep etc may be technically retired and that it is their sons who are working ahem.
Yes i did. I am in the process of accessing information from Ireland to give to the French pension authorities. I am just wanting to know if they will actually take it into account, being an EU country and all ?
Well Carsat took my UK pension contributions to be a seperate entity and nothing to do with France so only my french working contributions count.
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But then Great Britain is not an EU member… the Republic of Ireland is, and I have read somewhere that there is a pension agreement between member states ?
State pensions are calculated pro-rata per EU country that you’ve worked in (including the UK).
There’s a useful explanation of how it’s worked out here: State pensions abroad - Your Europe
I’ve just looked at your link & the UK does not seem to be included. Maybe another downside to brexit?
I hope I’m wrong…
Oh, yeah… I’ll let you know in 20 years’ time when my UK state pension can be drawn down if I have to do it all myself now.
All UK citizens are still included in the EU Social security co-ordination rules by the Trade and Cooperation agreement - whilst not the full ‘brexit’ rights, it is the TCA which allows. e.g. S1 entitlement for future Uk citizens who retire to an EU country.
So hopefully no need to worry…?
The agreement can be downloaded here
it’s fascinating reading, however here’s the the bullet point summary on SS co-ord
- On social security coordination, the agreement aims at ensuring a number of rights of EU citizens and UK nationals. This concerns EU citizens working in, travelling or moving to the UK and to UK nationals working in, travelling or moving to the EU after 1st January 2021.