As of September 1, 2025, phased retirement will once again be accessible from the age of 60, marking a major turning point for senior citizens in the Ile-de-France region and throughout France. This change is the direct result of the Accord National Interprofessionnel signed by three social partners: Medef and the CFDT and CFTC trade unions in November 2024, and was made official by two decrees published in the Journal Officiel on July 23, 2025.
This scheme enables people nearing the end of their career to work part-time while receiving a fraction of their pension. In concrete terms, an employee working 60% part-time can receive 40% of his or her pension, while an employee working 50% part-time can receive 50% of his or her pension. The main advantage is that beneficiaries continue to contribute, thereby improving their future entitlement to a full pension.
Prior to this reform, the age of access varied between 60 and 62, depending on the year of birth, with a tendency to shift towards 62 following the pension reform of 2023. From now on, all working people, regardless of their year of birth, will be able to benefit from the scheme from the age of 60.
The conditions of access remain strict but clear. To qualify for phased retirement, you must have completed at least 150 quarters (37.5 years) of pensionable service under all basic schemes. The future retiree must also be engaged in a reduced or part-time activity representing between 40% and 80% of full-time work.
This measure is aimed at a broad public: insured members of all schemes, including private-sector employees, civil servants, the self-employed and the liberal professions. It's a real revolution for the end-of-career scheme in the Paris region, where many working people are looking for solutions to reconcile their professional lives with the transition to retirement.
The employer's agreement is still required, but the rules have been clarified. Refusal must be "motivated", and the employer must justify his refusal by the incompatibility of the requested working hours with the company's economic activity. If no reply is received within 2 months of your request, it is deemed to have been accepted.
You can apply online via the Retirement Insurance website, using the"Request my phased retirement" service. This single application is valid for all pension schemes. It must be made 5 months before the date on which you wish to start your phased retirement.
For working people in the Paris region, this measure offers a breath of fresh air in the face of the constraints of the Paris job market. It allows them to plan the end of their career while preserving their income and continuing to improve their pension entitlements. A considerable advantage in a region where careers are often long and fast-paced.
The scheme is particularly well-suited to work-intensive sectors. It offers an alternative to contractual redundancy or early retirement, enabling a smoother transition to full retirement.
This development is part of a wider initiative to promote the employment of seniors. According to a Drees study, only 25,020 people were benefiting from phased retirement in 2022, a figure that this reform should considerably increase.
The return of phased retirement to the age of 60 therefore represents a major opportunity for working people in the Paris region who wish to adjust the end of their career. Effective from September 1, 2025, this measure will restore flexibility to career paths and meet the expectations of many employees seeking a better balance at the end of their careers.
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