More than 900,000 files processed in 2026, or 70,000 more than last year: the number of retirements jumped with the suspension of the Borne reform

The French have benefited from the suspension of pension reform: Retirement Insurance estimates that it will have processed an “exceptional” number of 905,000 departure files at the end of 2026, or 70,000 more than in 2025, indicates its general director in an interview with Les Échos published on Wednesday.

Voted last year in the Social Security budget, the emblematic "suspension" of the Borne reform of 2023 results in a time delay in its implementation: it suspends until January 2028 the progression towards a legal retirement age of 64, as well as the increase in the number of quarters to contribute to start at full rate. Thus, the generation born in 1964 was able to leave at 62 years and 9 months (like the previous one) instead of the 63 years provided for by the reform, i.e. from October 2026 instead of the beginning of 2027. Five generations of workers thus gain a few months.

This change has had its effects: the National Old Age Insurance Fund (Cnav, basic scheme for private and self-employed employees) has seen - as anticipated - the number of departure requests increase "very sharply" this year, observed the new director Paul Bazin. Great success for progressive retirement The services were less expecting the “extremely strong success” of progressive retirement: Retirement Insurance recorded 46,000 allocations from January to September compared to 22.

000 last year at the same time, he said. Progressive retirement allows, from the age of 60 and 150 quarters of contributions, to work part-time, while benefiting from part of your retirement pension, in proportion to the time not worked. Having remained marginal for a long time, the system was strengthened by the Borne reform of 2023, which notably made it binding for the employer: the latter can no longer oppose an employee's request for progressive retirement, except for legitimate reasons.

Despite this large number of files, the processing time "has not deteriorated" and "more than 95% of policyholders" are receiving their pension on time, said Paul Bazin.

Machine-translated from French