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Invalidity pension in France: the conditions, the category, the 2026 amount and the documents for the CPAM file

By the AlphaDeep legal editorial teamPublished Drafted with AI assistance, references last checked: our method

An employee in France whose capacity to work or earn is cut by at least two thirds, by an illness or accident that is not work-related, can get an invalidity pension after 12 months of affiliation (Social Security Code, articles L341-1 and R341-2). It is 30% of the average annual pay of the 10 best years in category 1, 50% in categories 2 and 3, between €338.31 and €2,002.50 a month in 2026.

Go to the tool: the exhibit list

Julie by AlphaDeep is an AI legal assistant for French law: it researches official references to help answer your questions (Légifrance, case law, service-public), analyses your documents and drafts your letters, for individuals and professionals alike.

General legal information with official references and dated checks. It is not personalised advice: for a decision that commits you, have your situation checked by a qualified professional.

What amount, and which documents for your file?

Give your category, your average annual pay over the 10 best years, your situation and the date that opens your deadline: the exhibit list estimates the gross pension, lists the documents for form S4150 and dates your claim or your appeal. The example: category 2, €28,000 average annual pay, condition stabilised on 15 June 2026.

The category given or expected

Gross, up to the Social Security ceiling

Your situation

Fictional example · the pension and the file

Estimated pension of €1,166.67 gross a month in category 2.

Category rate
50%
Calculated amount
€1,166.67 a month
Base pension 2026
€1,166.67 a month
Estimated gross total
€1,166.67 a month
Claim to the CPAM by
15 June 2027
Documents for form S41500 of 3 exhibits in the file · 3 to obtain
No.ExhibitWhat it provesStatus
01Form S4150, dated and signed, or the online claimThe pension claim sent to the CPAMTo obtain
02Latest tax notice or tax-return statementYour incomeTo obtain
03Identity documentYour civil statusTo obtain

Gross estimate, before CSG, CRDS and income tax; it decides neither the right to a pension, which the CPAM assesses, nor any reduction for earnings.

How do you claim the pension, and from which fund?

The CPAM can act on its own; otherwise the claim is yours to make, within 12 months.

  1. Document 1

    The CPAM’s own initiative

    Once the condition is stabilised, the fund notifies the end of the daily sick pay and can decide by itself to award the pension (article R341-8).

  2. Document 2

    Your claim

    Otherwise, online from the ameli account or with form S4150, within 12 months of the consolidation, the medical finding, the stabilisation or the end of the daily sick pay (article R341-8).

  3. Document 3

    The decision

    The fund decides after the medical service’s opinion, sets the category and notifies its decision (article R341-9); with no answer within 2 months, the claim is refused (sheet F672).

  4. Document 4

    The appeal

    A medical challenge first goes to the medical amicable appeal board (CMRA), within 2 months of notification (article L142-4; sheet F2499).

Summary card: French invalidity pension; capacity cut by at least two thirds, 12 months of affiliation; 30% of average annual pay in category 1, 50% in categories 2 and 3; between €338.31 and €2,002.50 a month in 2026; claim within 12 months.
French invalidity pension: the conditions, the amount and the file.

Who can receive an invalidity pension in France?

An employee whose invalidity cuts the capacity to work or earn by at least two thirds, meaning they can no longer earn more than a third of their previous pay (Social Security Code, articles L341-1 and R341-2).

They need 12 months of affiliation and, over the 12 months before the stoppage, 600 hours of work or contributions on at least 2,030 times the hourly minimum wage (article R313-5). A work accident or an occupational disease leads to an annuity, not to this pension.

Sources: CSS L341-1 · CSS R341-2 · CSS R313-5

How is the category decided?

Category 1: able to do paid work; category 2: wholly unable to work in any occupation; category 3: unable to work, and needing another person’s help for the ordinary acts of life (article L341-4).

The fund decides it after the medical service’s opinion (article R341-9). Category 2 does not bar work, but earnings can reduce the pension.

Sources: CSS L341-4 · CSS R341-9 · ameli, earnings

What happens to the pension at retirement age?

If you no longer work, it ends at 62 and gives way to a retirement pension for unfitness for work (article L341-15). The switch is not automatic: ameli advises claiming that pension 4 months ahead.

If you still work, the retirement pension is only awarded on your express request; the invalidity pension continues until then, at the latest until 67 (article L341-16).

Sources: CSS L341-15 · CSS L341-16 · ameli, retirement

What amount for each category in 2026?

The pension is based on the average annual pay of the 10 most favourable calendar years, within monthly limits.

Invalidity pension of a general-scheme employee in France: rates and gross monthly amounts for 2026, Social Security Code and ameli
CategorySituationRateMonthly minimumMonthly maximum
1Able to do paid work30%€338.31€1,201.50
2Wholly unable to work in any occupation50%€338.31€2,002.50
3Unable to work, and needing another person’s help50% and the third-person supplement€338.31 + €1,298.44€2,002.50 + €1,298.44

Under 10 years of insurance: the average covers the years completed since affiliation (article R341-4). Gross amounts, before social levies.

Sources: ameli, 2026 amounts · CSS R341-4 · CSS R341-5 · CSS R341-6

What do employees on an invalidity pension ask?

What is the deadline to claim the pension?

Within 12 months of the consolidation, the medical finding of invalidity, the stabilisation of the condition or the end of the daily sick pay (Social Security Code, article R341-8).

How do I challenge the category or a refusal?

For a medical assessment or category, appeal to the CMRA; for administrative conditions such as affiliation or contributions, appeal to the CRA. The prior appeal is filed within 2 months of notification. Read the notice, particularly for mixed grounds (article L142-4; sheets F2499 and F2500).

Is the invalidity pension the same as the AAH?

No: the invalidity pension is a Social Security benefit tied to your contributions; the AAH is a solidarity allowance, granted after a decision of the MDPH.

Can you work while receiving an invalidity pension?

Yes: the category does not bar it, but the CPAM compares the pension plus earnings with a comparison salary; above it, the pension is cut by half of the excess (ameli).

What does article R341-2 of the Social Security Code say?

The two-thirds threshold that opens the right to the pension.

Pour l’application des dispositions de l’article L. 341-1 : 1°) l’invalidité que présente l’assuré doit réduire au moins des 2/3 sa capacité de travail ou de gain ; 2°) le salaire de référence ne doit pas être supérieur au tiers de la rémunération mentionnée audit article.

Social Security Code (Code de la sécurité sociale), article R341-2 (in French)Version in force on 27 September 2026 (in force since 1 April 2022)Read the article on Légifrance (in French)

In English, briefly (our summary, not an official translation): For article L341-1 to apply, the invalidity must reduce the insured person’s capacity to work or earn by at least two thirds, and their reference pay must not exceed a third of the pay mentioned in that article. Our note: article L341-1 refers to the pay earned in their occupation before the work stoppage followed by invalidity, or before the medical finding of invalidity.

Which guides should you read before filing?

Which texts does the invalidity pension rest on?

  1. Social Security Code, article L341-1 (right to a pension)Légifrance
  2. Social Security Code, article R341-2 (two-thirds reduction)Légifrance
  3. Social Security Code, article R341-4 (30% of average annual pay)Légifrance
  4. Social Security Code, article L341-4 (the three categories)Légifrance
  5. Social Security Code, article R313-5 (affiliation and hours)Légifrance
  6. Social Security Code, article R341-5 (50% in category 2)Légifrance
  7. Social Security Code, article R341-6 (third-person help)Légifrance
  8. Social Security Code, article R341-8 (claim within 12 months)Légifrance
  9. Social Security Code, article R341-9 (the fund’s decision)Légifrance
  10. Social Security Code, article L341-15 (switch to retirement)Légifrance
  11. Social Security Code, article L341-16 (work at retirement age)Légifrance
  12. Service Public F2500 (administrative CRA appeal)Service Public
  13. Social Security Code, article L142-4 (prior appeal)Légifrance
  14. Social Security Code, article L341-2 (qualifying conditions)Légifrance
  15. The amount of your invalidity pension (2026 amounts, in French)ameli · updated on 31 March 2026
  16. From invalidity to retirement (in French)ameli
  17. Social Security invalidity pension (sheet F672)Service-public.fr · checked on 1 April 2026
  18. Complaint against an invalidity decision (sheet F2499)Service-public.fr · checked on 15 September 2026
  19. Why can the invalidity pension amount change? (in French)ameli

Texts cited last checked: 27 September 2026