Buying Additional Pension Quarters involves voluntarily paying contributions for periods during which you did not contribute, so that these periods are included in the calculation of your retirement.

It is important to note that the European Union does not provide a uniform mechanism for buying additional pension quarters in the Greater Region. Each EU member state has its own national rules.

However, it is worth noting that purchased periods are recorded in your career statement and are therefore recognized abroad.

Buying Additional Quarters in France

In France, buying additional quarters allows you to voluntarily pay contributions for uncovered periods so that they are included in the calculation of your pension.

Conditions

To be able to buy additional pension quarters, you must meet the following conditions:

  • Be between 20 and 67 years old.
    • Exception for internship periods: you must be at least 25 years old and not exceed December 31 of the year you turn 30.
  • Not have yet applied for a pension with the French Pension Insurance (Assurance Retraite).

Specific conditions may apply depending on the type of periods you wish to buy:

  • To buy and validate your years of study, the Assurance Retraite must be the first pension fund to which you contributed after your studies.
  • For buying internship periods, the request must be submitted within 2 years following the end of each internship period.

Eligible Periods

Mandatory internships in a company
These conditions must be met:

  • The internship must have been part of higher education studies (university, technical school, grande école, or preparatory class).
  • It must have started after March 14, 2015.
  • A tripartite agreement must have been signed between the educational institution, the host organization, and you.
  • The internship must have been carried out within the same organization (company, public administration, parliamentary or advisory assembly, association, etc.).
  • Its duration must be at least 2 months, consecutive or not, within the same academic year.
  • The internship must have been paid a stipend.
  • Any 2-month period, consecutive or not, counts as one validated quarter.

Note: You can buy a maximum of 2 quarters per internship.

Years of higher education
These study periods must have led to the award of a diploma.
Admission to a grande école or preparatory class is considered equivalent to a diploma, regardless of the country where the institution is located, as long as it is in the European Union or Switzerland.

The cost of buying quarters depends on the option you choose, your age (whether over or under 40), and your income over the past 12 months.

Incomplete years
These are calendar years in which your professional activity did not allow you to validate 4 quarters (i.e., one full year).

To determine if you have incomplete years, you can consult your career statement. In general, to simulate the cost of buying additional quarters, it is recommended to use this simulator: Simulate the cost of buying additional quarters.

How to Apply

The cost of buying additional quarters depends on the option you choose, your age (whether over or under 40), and your income over the past 12 months.

The purchase amount is set at €471 per quarter.

Your CARSAT will indicate whether the conditions for buying quarters are met. Note that no response within 2 months is considered a rejection of your request. If your request is accepted, your CARSAT will send you:

  1. A document called “Evaluation de versement pour la retraite” showing the amount to pay.
  2. A regularized career statement.
  3. A form called “Confirmation of a payment request”.

Any period of 90 consecutive days is considered equal to one quarter, so each year can include only 4 quarters.

Note: There is a global limit of 12 quarters (except for internship periods, where you can buy a maximum of 2 quarters).