How can I check my French pension contributions?

The easiest way to see what you have contributed to a French pension, and an estimate of what you would be entitled to at retirement age, is to create an account at the site lassuranceretraite.fr.

You will need your French social security number and you are asked to sign in with the FranceConnect service. 

This requires your log-ins from one of the following: impots.gouv.fr, ameli.fr, the MSA, L’Identité Numérique la Poste, yris.eu or the France Identité app. If you live in France and have paid into a pension, you should already have, or be able to obtain, one of these.

Read more: How do French financial products compare to those in UK and US?

Once you are logged into your personal space at lassuranceretraite.fr you can click Estimer le montant de ma retraite, to obtain the number of trimestres (quarters) that you have paid in for, and an estimate.

Note that if you are self-employed, then you will be eligible both for a ‘basic’ part (retraite de base) and a complementary part, with the latter calculated according to a number of ‘points’ you have built up through your social security payments.