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– According to the government, retirees who receive less than the minimum wage will not lose purchasing power in 2025
Good news for 17 million retirees. While the government was considering a delay in the revaluation of basic pensions as of July 1, 2025, these should ultimately increase in line with inflation from next January 1. But don’t get excited too quickly, because the increase will be limited: “As of January 1, all pensions will be increased by 0.9%, that is to say half of inflation”detailed Laurent Saint-Martin, the Minister of Budget and Public Accounts, this Tuesday, November 12, on the set of 4 Truths on France 2. As a reminder, each year, pensions are increased according to the increase in prices excluding tobacco observed over the last 12 months. For 2025, according to government forecasts, the revaluation should have reached 1.8%.
As of next January 1, your pension will therefore only be increased by half. However, the government has provided an exception for households receiving a pension lower than the minimum wage. “As of July 1, 2025, there will be a catch-up for all pensions which are below the minimum wage level so that there is no loss of purchasing power and that it is the equivalent of a year indexed to full inflation for these retirees”specified Laurent Saint-Martin. So, “44% of retirees will be affected” by “a second retroactive revaluation»announced on TF1, Monday November 11, the boss of the Republican Right group (ex-LR) in the National Assembly, Laurent Wauquiez. Namely all those whose pension does not exceed 1,426.67 euros net per month, i.e. the minimum wage amount since its early revaluation on November 1st.
But by exactly how much will your basic pension increase on January 1st? The answer logically depends on the amount of your pension. “Take for example a retired caregiver who receives 1,000 euros of pension per month. For her, this will represent a gain over the year of 200 euros. If we take a retired trader or craftsman, with a pension of 1,400 euros, this will represent 300 euros of purchasing power gain over the year.gave Laurent Wauquiez as an example.
Budget: what the increase in pensions will cost in 2025
A total gain of 212 euros in 2025 for a net pension of 1,400 euros
Here are two concrete examples to better understand the mechanism. For a retired former private sector employee who receives 1,400 euros net per month (including 980 euros of basic pension and 420 euros of supplementary pension), a first increase of 0.9% – of 8.82 euros (0.9% x 980) per month – will take place on January 1, 2025. Then a second, still 0.9%, will be applied from July 1, this same revaluation being applied retroactively over the first six months of the year. Our retiree’s pension will thus be increased, in total, by 1.8%. The result is a monthly increase of 8.82 euros on January 1st then again of 8.82 euros on July 1st, accompanied by a catch-up of 8.82 euros for the months of January to June inclusive. In total, over the whole year, the revaluation will be 211.68 euros, or 17.64 euros per month. For a civil servant with the same pension of 1,400 euros (1,372 euros basic pension and 28 euros supplementary), the increase will be higher since the weight of the basic pension is much higher. The latter will increase by 296.4 euros over the whole year, i.e. 24.7 euros on average per month in 2025.
Retirement: do you receive a pension higher than the French average?
On the other hand, for a retiree ex-private employee whose pension reaches 2,800 euros net per month (1,400 euros basic pension and 1,400 euros additional), a single increase of 0.9% will be applied on January 1st. It will be limited to 12.6 euros per month throughout the year, or a total gain of 151.2 euros in 2025. For a former civil servant receiving the same pension (including 2,744 euros of basic pension), the increase will be much higher: 24.7 euros per month, or 296.4 euros in 2025.
Can the postponement of the increase in pensions really be eliminated?
