Pension Increase: The 2025-2026 Calendar Worth Knowing

 

Every year, retirees eagerly await the announcement of pension increases. While the increase has already been confirmed for 2025, the period until 2026 remains uncertain. Should we fear a “white year,” as former Prime Minister François Bayrou predicted before his government fell?

Since taking office in September 2025, new Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has been struggling to regain control of a tight budget. He has already reversed several unpopular decisions but remains cautious about pensions. Seniors are wondering: will their pensions actually increase in 2026, or are they at risk of being frozen?

November 2025: Revaluation of the Agirc-Arrco supplementary pension

From November 1, 2025, nearly 14 million private-sector retirees will see their Agirc-Arrco supplementary pension increase.
This increase is in line with inflation (excluding tobacco) as published by INSEE, but with a discount of 0.4 percentage points to maintain the system’s financial balance. With inflation estimated at around 1%, the increase is expected to be between 0.6% and 0.8%.

This means that the supplementary pension of €1,300 per month will be increased by approximately €8 to €10, or €95 to €125 per year. The first increase will take effect on November 3, 2025. This will be in addition to the increase in the basic pension that already took effect in January 2025 (+2.2%).

2026: a year still unclear Continue on next page ️ ️  

There are several scenarios for 2026. During the Bayrou government, a “white year” project was planned: basic pensions were not revalued in order to save several billion euros.

Since the political transition, this idea has not been confirmed but is still being debated. If the current inflation-indexed rule remains in effect, a moderate increase of around 1.2% could take effect in January 2026, which would affect February payments.
Final decisions will be made in the fall of 2026, when votes on the budget and the Social Security Financing Act will be held.

A concrete example of influence

Let’s assume that a pensioner receives a basic pension of €1,000 and a supplementary pension of €600, i.e. €1,600 per month.

• January 2025: +2.2% to the basic pension = approx. +€22 per month or €264 per year.
• November 2025: +0.6 to +0.8% surcharge = +€3.60 to +€4.80 per month or €43 to €58 per year.

In 2025, this retiree would earn around €310–€320 more.
In 2026, a 1.2% increase in the basic pension would mean an increase of around €12 per month, or €144 per year. However, if another “tax-free year” were to occur, this increase would disappear.

Vigilance points