Agirc-Arrco pensions in 2026: point freeze, reduction end and CSG

Private-sector pensioners are awaiting the next decision on their supplementary pension, while several factors are already changing their real income.

For many former employees, the pension paid each month is shaped as much by the value of the point as by social security deductions. The situation remains unusual in 2026: the state pension was increased in January, while the Agirc-Arrco supplementary pension is still calculated using a point value unchanged since November 2024. Fresh negotiations are expected in the autumn.

A point value unchanged since November 2024

The Agirc-Arrco service value of a point remains €1.4386. This figure is used to convert the points built up over a working life into the amount of supplementary pension due.

The calculation is straightforward in principle. Someone holding 10,000 points receives €14,386 a year in supplementary pension before deductions. When the point value does not rise, this gross amount stays the same, even as everyday prices increase.

Since November 2024, the lack of an increase in the point value has kept the gross supplementary pension at the same level for the pensioners concerned.

This stability is often referred to as a blank year. It does not result from an automatic measure set out in law. The social partners, which run the scheme, must agree on any change to the point value. In the absence of a joint decision, the previous value remains in force.

For pensioners whose supplementary pension accounts for a substantial share of their income, the impact is quickly felt. Essential spending does not stand still: health insurance, energy, home insurance and food may take up a greater proportion of an unchanged budget.

1 November 2026 is the date to watch

The next usual review date is 1 November 2026. Trade unions and employers’ organisations will then have to negotiate a possible increase. At present, no final percentage can be stated.

It is therefore important to treat simulations already giving an exact amount with caution. They are based on assumptions, sometimes on forecast inflation, and do not constitute an official decision. The supplementary scheme follows its own financial rules and timetable.

The state pension does not follow the same timetable

The state pension rose by 0.9% on 1 January 2026. This increase applies in particular to pensions paid by the state pension authority. It does not automatically apply to the Agirc-Arrco portion.

Both payments may reach the same bank account, which can sometimes create confusion. However, they are governed by separate mechanisms:

• the state pension changes under a legal rule linked to inflation excluding tobacco;
• the supplementary pension depends on decisions made by the social partners;
• the state pension is uprated in January;
• the supplementary pension is usually considered for implementation on 1 November.

To understand how their income is actually changing, pensioners need to consider their pension as a whole. A 0.9% increase to the state pension element does not necessarily offset a freeze in the supplementary pension, particularly where the latter accounts for half, or even more, of total retirement income.

The reduction has ended for new retirements

The most noticeable reform for people drawing their pension in 2026 concerns the temporary solidarity coefficient. Long known as the Agirc-Arrco reduction, this mechanism cut the supplementary pension by 10% for three years for some people who retired as soon as they met the requirements for a full-rate pension.

This reduction no longer applies to pensions taking effect from 1 April 2024. A private-sector employee retiring in 2026 therefore does not face this temporary cut to their supplementary pension.

For a retirement taking effect in 2026, the Agirc-Arrco pension is paid without the temporary 10% reduction that existed before April 2024.

Its removal materially changes retirement planning. Before 2024, some employees chose to work for an additional year to avoid the reduction. That decision can now be based on other considerations: income levels, fatigue at work, insurance record, personal plans or a future uplift to the state pension.

Earlier pensioners will not be reimbursed

The abolition has no retrospective effect. People who were subject to the solidarity coefficient before April 2024 receive neither reimbursement nor an adjustment. The three years during which their pension was reduced remain recorded as such.

This difference in treatment may be hard for affected pensioners to understand. It is due to the reform’s effective date: the new rules do not rewrite pensions that have already been awarded.

Working longer can still qualify pensioners for a bonus

Ending the reduction does not mean that every mechanism linked to delaying retirement has disappeared. An employee who continues working beyond the point at which they can claim a full-rate state pension may receive a temporary increase to their supplementary pension.

Additional years worked	Temporary increase	Bonus duration
Two years	10%	One year
Three years	20%	One year
Four years	30%	One year

This bonus should not be confused with the state pension uplift. The uplift permanently increases the state pension when an insured person remains in work after reaching the legal retirement age and completing all required quarters. The Agirc-Arrco bonus, by contrast, lasts for only one year.

The CSG rate can alter the amount paid

The gross pension tells only part of the story. The amount actually received also depends on social security deductions. In 2026, the rate of the general social contribution, known as CSG, depends on the reference taxable income shown on the tax assessment notice.

There are four possible situations for pensioners:

• a complete CSG exemption for those on the lowest incomes;
• a reduced rate set at 3.8%;
• a middle rate of 6.6%;
• a standard rate of 8.3%.

Crossing a threshold can have a noticeable effect. With the same gross pension, a pensioner may receive several tens of euros less each month if their reference taxable income moves them into a different band. This reduction can occur even when the point value has not fallen.

A sensible check before the November payment

It is useful to keep the latest tax assessment notice and compare the CSG rate shown on pension statements. Where there is an unexpected difference, pensioners can check the information used by the pension funds and ask for an explanation.

Company directors treated as employees should also keep an eye on their contributions. Reform of the social contribution base for self-employed people does not directly change the entitlements of standard employees, but it may affect the contribution levels of certain business owners and, in time, the supplementary points they earn.

With the point value frozen, the reduction removed for new retirements and the sometimes subtle impact of CSG, pension statements deserve to be read line by line. This is often where the gap emerges between the stated amount and the sum genuinely available each month.