Retirement: Two New Measures for Mothers Take Effect on September 1

French mothers are gaining two new retirement advantages from September 1, under measures adopted in the 2026 Social Security budget.

The first changes how pensions are calculated. Parents with credited quarters for one child will have their reference salary based on their 24 best career years. For parents with two or more children, the calculation will use the 23 best years, compared with 25 years previously.

By removing one or two lower-earning years from the average, the measure can raise the reference salary and the final pension. The government says it will improve pension payments for more than one woman in two.

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to better take into account the effects of parenthood on professional careers

The second measure applies to the long-career retirement scheme. Until now, additional quarters awarded for children could help mothers reach the number needed for a full pension but could not count toward early retirement under the scheme. From September 1, up to two of those quarters can be treated as credited contribution periods.

The Labour Ministry said the change would allow more women who began working at a young age to retire early while better reflecting the interruptions and working patterns associated with parenthood. It said women continue to receive lower pensions than men because of more frequent career breaks, part-time work and persistent pay gaps.

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to better recognize the impact of parenthood on careers, improve women’s pensions and make the long-career scheme fairer