By Benjamin Roure L'Hermitte
France has no single minimum pension, but two safety nets. The minimum contributif tops up the basic pension of those entitled to the full rate: up to €756.29 a month in 2026, €903.93 with at least 120 contributed quarters. The ASPA, the old-age solidarity allowance, tops up the income of the least well-off to €1,043.59 a month for a single person. This guide, for people retiring under the French system, explains both minimums, what the supplementary pension pays at the minimum wage and how to estimate a pension after ten years of work.
- Minimum contributif 2026: €756.29 gross a month, €903.93 with at least 120 contributed quarters, reduced for an incomplete career.
- ASPA 2026: up to €1,043.59 a month for a single person and €1,620.18 for a couple, means-tested.
- One quarter is credited for €1,803 of contributory earnings in 2026, four for €7,212.
- At the minimum wage, a year of work earns about 68 Agirc-Arrco points, a little over €8 a month of supplementary pension.
A French private-sector employee's pension has two tiers: the basic pension, paid by the Assurance retraite, and the Agirc-Arrco supplementary pension, based on points. The minimums only apply to the first, and the ASPA comes last, when all pensions added together remain too low.
The amounts quoted are those published by the Assurance retraite, Agirc-Arrco and service-public.fr for 2026. They are gross, before social charges, and give an order of magnitude: only the career statement gives the exact figure.
TL;DRIn 2026, the minimum contributif guarantees a basic pension of €756.29 gross a month, €903.93 with 120 contributed quarters, for a full career at the full rate, and less for an incomplete career. The ASPA tops up income to €1,043.59 a month for a single person, generally from age 65, and can be recovered from an estate above €108,585.14. A quarter is credited for €1,803 of earnings. At the minimum wage, each year worked adds about €8 a month of supplementary pension.
Is there a minimum pension in France?
Not as an amount guaranteed to everyone. Two mechanisms act as a floor. The minimum contributif is a top-up of the basic pension, reserved for those who retire at the full rate. The ASPA, or old-age minimum, is a means-tested allowance that brings total income up to a ceiling. The first depends on the career, the second on resources.
| Minimum contributif | ASPA | |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | Top-up of the basic pension | Solidarity allowance |
| Main condition | Retiring at the full rate | Resources below the ceiling, usually age 65 |
| Maximum in 2026 | €756.29 a month, €903.93 with 120 contributed quarters | €1,043.59 a month single, €1,620.18 as a couple |
| Recovered from the estate | No | Yes, if the net estate exceeds €108,585.14 |
The minimum contributif in 2026
The minimum contributif raises the basic pension of someone who has reached the full rate but earned low wages. Since January 1, 2026, it is €9,075.50 a year, or €756.29 a month. It rises to €903.93 a month for those with at least 120 quarters actually contributed, excluding credited periods such as unemployment or sickness.
These amounts assume a full career: with fewer quarters than required, the minimum is reduced in proportion. It is also capped: if all personal pensions, basic and supplementary, exceed €1,444.89 a month since June 2026, the minimum contributif is cut by the difference. Basic pensions were raised by 0.9% on January 1, 2026.
The ASPA, the old-age minimum
The old-age solidarity allowance tops up resources to the ceiling: €1,043.59 a month for a single person and €1,620.18 for a couple in 2026. It is generally claimed from age 65, earlier in case of incapacity for work or disability, and requires stable residence in France. It is differential: a single person receiving €700 of pensions can get up to €343.59 of ASPA.
The sums paid are recovered after death from the estate if the net estate reaches €108,585.14 in mainland France in 2026, and only on the part above that threshold.
Supplementary pension at the minimum wage: how much?
The Agirc-Arrco supplementary pension works with points. Each year, salary buys points: on earnings up to the social security ceiling, 6.20% of salary is used for the calculation, divided by the purchase price of a point, €20.1877 in 2026. At retirement, each point pays its service value, €1.4587 a year since November 1, 2026.
| At the minimum wage, 2026 values | Agirc-Arrco points | Gross supplementary pension |
|---|---|---|
| One year of work | about 68 | about €99 a year, €8 a month |
| 10 years | about 676 | about €82 a month |
| 43 years | about 2,905 | about €353 a month |
Orders of magnitude for a minimum wage of about €22,000 gross a year, at constant 2026 values: the purchase price and the point value change every year, and periods such as paid unemployment or sickness also earn points.
Earning pension quarters at the minimum wage
Quarters depend on earnings, not on time worked. In 2026, a quarter is credited for each €1,803 of contributory earnings, 150 times the hourly minimum wage of January 1, up to four a year: €7,212 is enough for a full year. At the minimum wage, that is about 600 hours: part-time work of around twelve hours a week is enough to earn all four quarters of the year.
« I worked 10 years in France: how much pension? »
The basic pension is calculated as: average annual salary of the best 25 years × rate × quarters earned ÷ required duration. At the full rate of 50%, reached at 67 whatever the career length, ten years at the minimum wage give about €22,000 × 50% × 40 ÷ 170 = €2,588 a year, or €216 a month. The supplementary pension adds about €82 a month: close to €300 gross a month in total.
If it is the only income, the ASPA can top it up to €1,043.59 a month for a single person living in France. For a personal estimate, the M@rel simulator on info-retraite.fr starts from the actual career statement.
Building extra retirement income
Minimums prevent poverty; they do not maintain living standards. To add to them, the French retirement savings plan (PER) lets you deduct contributions from taxable income, and a budget kept over time frees up the savings: see the 50/30/20 rule. The compound interest calculator shows what regular contributions become over twenty or thirty years. To aim for financial independence before retirement age, see our FIRE guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum pension in France in 2026?
There is no single amount. The minimum contributif brings the basic pension to €756.29 gross a month, €903.93 with 120 contributed quarters, for a full career at the full rate. The ASPA tops up resources to €1,043.59 a month for a single person.
How much supplementary pension does a minimum-wage worker get?
About €8 gross a month per year worked at 2026 values, or about €353 a month for a 43-year career at the minimum wage, on top of the basic pension.
How much do you need to earn to credit a quarter in 2026?
€1,803 of contributory earnings, 150 times the hourly minimum wage of January 1, 2026. Four quarters, the annual maximum, require €7,212.
I worked 10 years in France: how much will I get?
At the minimum wage and full rate, about €216 a month of basic pension and €82 of supplementary pension, close to €300 gross. The ASPA can top it up if resources stay below the ceiling.
Is the ASPA recovered from the estate?
Yes, after death, if the net estate reaches €108,585.14 in mainland France in 2026, and only on the part above that threshold.
Who qualifies for the increased minimum contributif?
People at the full rate with at least 120 quarters actually contributed. It is worth €903.93 gross a month in 2026 for a full career.