Retirement pensions: the wide gap between revaluation and freezing of supplementary pensions

Each New Year, retirees wait for two figures: that of the revaluation of their basic pension, and that of their supplementary pension. In 2026, the gap between the two is particularly pronounced. While the basic pension increases slightly, the Agirc-Arrco supplementary pension remains completely frozen for the second consecutive year — an unprecedented situation since the merger of the two schemes in 2019.

Result: for millions of private-sector retirees, the pension increase reported in the media only concerns part of their monthly pension, the other part not increasing by a single cent.

A modest revaluation for the basic pension

According to the official Info Retraite portal, the basic pension paid by mandatory schemes was revalued by 0,9 % on January 1, 2026. This rate, tied to forecast inflation, also applies to survivor’s pensions, solidarity benefits for the elderly and widowhood benefits. Concretely, for a basic pension of 1 000 euros, the increase represents about 9 euros per month.

That is less than the increases of 5,3 % in 2024 and 2,2 % in 2025, two years marked by stronger inflation. The slowdown in prices largely explains this flattening, but it does not change the problem posed by the other component of the pension: the supplementary pension.

The unprecedented freeze on Agirc-Arrco supplementary pensions

The Agirc-Arrco point value, which is used to calculate private-sector supplementary pensions, remains set at 1,4386 euro for 2025 and 2026. The social partners, meeting in a board of directors on October 17, 2025, failed to reach an agreement: the trade unions demanded an increase close to 1 %, aligned with observed inflation, while employers proposed limiting it to 0,2 % in the name of the scheme’s financial balance.

For lack of agreement, no revaluation will take place before new negotiations in autumn 2026 — and this, even though the scheme’s reserves amount to 92,3 billion euros. This situation affects around 14 million retirees, with a stronger impact the larger the share of the supplementary pension in the total pension, which is notably the case for former executives.

Some organizations, such as the CFE-CGC, have publicly called for a catch-up measure to compensate for this absence of revaluation, but no decision has been taken to date.

The 2023 pension reform put on hold

Another change enacted by the 2026 budget: the suspension of the timetable for the 2023 pension reform. The gradual increase in the legal retirement age and in the contribution period is temporarily frozen, without calling the reform into question in the long term. In practice, only retirements taking place from September 1, 2026 are affected by this pause.

Furthermore, for pensions settled since January 1, 2026, the calculation method has changed for mothers: the basic pension is now calculated on the 24 best years of earnings for one child, and 23 best years for two or more children, an adjustment that should improve the pension of some newly retired women.

What this concretely changes for retirees

• The increase announced at the start of the year (+0,9 %) only concerns the “basic” portion of the pension, not the supplementary portion.
• Former private-sector employees, particularly executives, feel the Agirc-Arrco freeze more strongly, as the supplementary pension weighs more heavily in their total pension.
• Payment dates vary depending on the funds: early February for the basic pension of the general scheme, other schedules for Agirc-Arrco and special schemes.
• No change to the legal retirement age is to be expected before September 1, 2026 at the earliest.

To anticipate these developments, it can be useful to take out a supplementary health insurance adapted to a tighter budget, or to review your budget with the help of an advisor in banking and credit management. More broadly, these adjustments are part of the everyday developments covered in our practical life and society section.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the supplementary pension not increase while the basic pension progresses?

They are two distinct schemes, managed separately. The basic pension follows a legal revaluation indexed to inflation, decided by the public authorities, while Agirc-Arrco depends on an agreement between unions and employers, which did not succeed for 2025 and 2026.

Who is most affected by this freeze on supplementary pensions?

Former private-sector employees whose supplementary pension represents a large share of the total pension, notably former executives, are the most strongly affected by the lack of revaluation.

Is the 2023 pension reform cancelled?

No, it is only temporarily suspended for retirements from September 1, 2026. The increase in the legal retirement age and in the contribution period will resume its timetable later, unless a new decision is made.

Sources

• Info Retraite — Revalorisation of the basic pension in 2026
• SeniorActu — Agirc-Arrco: twenty months of freeze, a catch-up capped at 11 € per month
• CFE-CGC — Press release on the freeze of the Agirc-Arrco point