To enjoy a peaceful end of working life and obtain a full pension, an accumulation of quarters is essential, according to the regulations in place. However, it is not uncommon to get lost between the definitions of quarters of pension contributed, validated or assimilated. Differences remain between these appellations and it is necessary to dwell on them.

The recent pension reform raises questions around the essential issue of the quarters to be accumulated. It now provides for a contribution to 43 years from 2027, instead of 2035, to benefit from a retirement without a discount, i.e. 172 quarters. To calculate the total number of quarters validated, it is thus necessary to add the quarters assessed and the quarters assimilated. By combining these two types of quarters, you obtain your number of valid quarters for the estimation of your retirement pension.

The quarter contributed represents any quarter having allowed a payment of contributions, calculated on income from activities. These are the quarters that have seen pension contributions deducted from income before being paid to pension funds. In the case of assimilated quarters, these did not allow a contribution, but they were however validated. They correspond to quarters allocated during periods of unemployment, maternity, illness, but also during military service. They can also be obtained for high-level athletes or during professional training courses.