Is there a way to check my French pension contributions?

Reader Question: How can I check how much I have contributed to my French pension?

If you have been paying into a French pension, you should receive a document called the relevé individuel de situation (RIS) every five years from the age of 35.

This shows the different paying-in periods that have been taken into account so far and the number of trimestres (validated quarters) or ‘points’ accrued – the latter are used for the

complementary part of French pension schemes.

If you do not have this to hand, you can request one from your pension body, or otherwise create a personal space online at the lassuranceretraite.fr website to consult it.

A similar summary document called the estimation indicative globale, summarising your career and payments so far and estimating how much pension you should get, is sent at age 55.

It too can be downloaded via your personal space if you are in this age group.

From age 45 onwards, it is also possible to ask for a personalised interview, either over webcam or by telephone, with your retirement caisse to discuss questions about your pension.

Confusingly, there is a second official website that offers many similar functions, at info-retraite.fr.

This also offers a simulator of the amount of pension you will obtain and of your state pension age.