PENSION INCREASE. The National Assembly has validated the revaluation of retirement pensions by 4%. For who ? What gain each month? And the add-ons? We take stock.
[Mis à jour le 26 juillet 2022 à 08h08] The amount of retirement pensions will increase in 2022. The verdict is in, the deputies voted in favor of the revaluation of pensions in the National Assembly, the different political groups have come to an agreement. The increase in pensions will be around 4% and should intervene at August 1, 2022with retroactive effect to July, 1st. The July pension being paid in August. Small problem, the Parliament has not yet ratified this decision. De facto, the increase in pensions could be postponed until September 2022. The delays in discussions concerning the purchasing power bill and the update of the computer systems managing the payment of pensions, in particular, could come to stop a machine well oiled. The increase in pensions is a measure aimed at giving a boost to the purchasing power of pensioners in an extremely tense economic climate, with inflation continuing to rise in recent months (5.8% in June over one year ), putting a strain on the wallets of the most modest, and of our elders. Good to know, the increase only concerns basic pensions. For them, the 4% increase should represent a net gain of 45 euros monthly for a pension of 1 200 eurosnot insignificant, especially given the rise in energy, food and fuel prices.
And the supplementary pensions in all this (Agirc Arrco or Ircantec)? Managed by the social partners, supplementary pensions will not benefit from the 4% increase! Here, no official figure has yet been released, but they should still benefit from a revaluation in the month ofnext october. For the complementary Agirc Arrco, the social partners will meet on October 6, 2022 during a board of directors to formalize the service value of the point, and therefore, the increase in supplementary pensions from 1 November 2022. Last year, the negotiations initiated by the social partners led to an amendment to the 2019 agreement. less 0,5 point instead of 0.2 points to determine the development of supplementary retirement pensions in relation to the level of inflation.
The successive increases in the amount of retirement pensions (1% in January 2022 et 4% in July 2022) represent a cumulative increase of about 60 euros for a retirement pension equal to 1 200 euros according to Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne who gave this figure during an interview with France Bleu on June 7, 2022.
Be careful, however, it is not the exact amount that will be displayed on your total pension since remember that this increase only concerns basic retirement pensions, excluding supplementary ones. However, the average in France for basic pensions is 704 euros according to the statement of the National Pension Insurance Fund, the CNAV. If we take this figure, the 4% gain expected this summer represents an increase of 28 euros per month. For a pension of 1,200 euros, the increase amounts to 45 euros per month.
The 4% increase results from the inflation that has been affecting France for several months. It is therefore an “alignment” with inflation to help combat the loss of purchasing power. However, this decision is a significant development compared to the policy deployed by governments in recent years. For 10 years, retirement pensions were no longer indexed to inflation despite its inclusion in the Social Security Code, resulting in a loss of purchasing power of more than 10% in 10 years according to the orientation council of retreats. However, this 4% increase should not completely satisfy several pensioner unions who were demanding an increase of at least 4.5%, with retroactive effect from January 1.
The increase in pensions is effective from Friday July 1, 2022. De facto, the very first visible increase in retirement pensions will be visible during the first payment, the following month, namely the August 9, 2022, a date announced by the Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt in early June. “We want this indexation to inflation to be valid for pensions in July. Under the general scheme, the pension for July is paid on August 9”, he explained then. A retroactive effect to July 1 should be applied. Please note that the late start of the purchasing power bill due to heated discussions on the subject could delay the payment of this pension increase. For the time being, nothing is certain yet, but the first payment could finally take place during the month of September. A hard blow for the many beneficiaries.
The rules for increasing supplementary pensions (Agirc-Arrco, for example) differ from those for basic pensions. These supplementary pensions are calculated from the number of points acquired during the career, to which a value of the point is multiplied. Then, the social partners decide on a possible revaluation of the value of this point.
Generally, these pensions are increased every year on November 1st. In 2021, the value of the Agirc-Arrco point was revalued by 1%. It therefore went from 1.2714 euros to 1.2841 euros. Regarding these supplementary pensions, the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire was clear: “It is up to the social partners to upgrade supplementary pensions. We will increase the basic pensions.” So, a little more patience to know the next revaluation of the index point! But in all likelihood, the rise in supplementary pensions is expected to be announced in early October 2022.
The overall retirement pension for civil servants consists mainly of the basic pension. A supplementary scheme, the “additional public service pension (RAFP)” also exists, but is not affected by the revaluation of retirement pensions. The increase in retirement pensions for civil servants should therefore be the same as for other employees.