Social Security disability pension: categories 1, 2 and 3, calculation and displayed amounts

Disability benefits are paid by Social Security to insured individuals whose capacity for work or earnings is reduced by at least two-thirds (66 %) as a result of an accident or illness of non-occupational origin. There are three categories. The benefit is calculated based on the average annual salary of the 10 best years, at a rate of 30 % in category 1, 50 % in category 2, and 50 % plus 40 % in category 3.

This page deals with pensions as described in the information sheet on service-public.gouv.fr (verified on April 1, 2026). It does not provide CSG, CRDS, or Casa rates, nor the 10% % allowance on pensions, the supplementary disability allowance, or the situation of a non-resident insured person. The amounts in euros in the table below are reproduced exactly as displayed: the information sheet does not indicate the year of application.

The conditions for eligibility

Two conditions are added to the capacity reduction of at least 2/3.

The numerical example illustrating these conditions on the sheet relates to the periods of 2024 and 2025. It does not provide a threshold to be used for your application.

The process: who requests it, and within what timeframe?

The health insurance fund (CPAM or MSA) may offer the pension. If they don't, you can apply for it directly yourself.

The application must be made no later than 12 months after one of these dates, depending on your situation:

• the healing of the injury; ;
• the medical assessment of disability; ;
• stabilization of the state of health; ;
• the expiry of the legal period for awarding daily allowances (maximum 3 years); ;
• the date on which the fund stopped granting you daily sickness benefits.

The pension fund will respond by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt within two months. This period begins from the date you submitted your application or the date your fund informed you by mail of your disability status. If you do not receive a response within this timeframe, your application will be rejected. After a rejection, you may reapply within 12 months of the rejection or appeal your fund's decision. The pension's effective date is the date the medical advisor assessed your disability status. The fund pays the pension monthly, in arrears.

The three categories and the calculation

The pension is calculated on the basis of an average annual salary, obtained from your 10 best years of salary.

The amounts displayed on the form

The document includes a table of minimum and maximum monthly amounts. Here it is, exactly as it is written.

Two points to note. First, the table does not specify a year. Second, the information sheet indicates that the calculation is based on salaries subject to contributions, up to the Social Security ceiling. The year these amounts apply should be verified with the official source. Before making any decisions, contact your social security office to confirm the amounts in effect on the date relevant to you.

Until when, and with what income?

At the legal retirement age for incapacity, which the information sheet sets at 62, the disability pension is replaced by the retirement pension for incapacity. If you are working, you continue to receive the disability pension until you apply for the retirement pension, and you can combine your earned income with it after age 62 and up to age 67. If you are unemployed at that age, the information sheet provides for continued pension payments for up to six months after the legal retirement age, upon request and under the conditions it specifies.

The combinations described in the fact sheets on service-public.gouv.fr:

• With a salary This is possible within certain limits. According to fact sheet F15973, the pension and salary are added together and compared to a threshold. This threshold is set, at the insured's discretion, either at the average salary of the last year of employment before becoming disabled (capped at 1.5 times the annual Social Security ceiling, i.e., €72,090 according to the fact sheet), or at the average annual salary of the 10 best years of employment before becoming disabled. Above the threshold, the pension is reduced by half the amount by which it exceeds the threshold. The rules differ depending on employment status (employee, self-employed); only the case of an employee is described here.
• With unemployment benefits (ARE) In category 1, the pension can be fully combined with other benefits. In category 2 or 3, it can be combined if you were already receiving it along with the wages that qualified you for unemployment benefits (ARE). Otherwise, the ARE is reduced by the amount of the pension.
• With a pension plan : the combination is possible without restriction with an annuity paid under a pension contract.

Taxes

The information sheet lists income tax, social security contributions (CSG and CRDS), and the Casa tax among the deductions that affect the pension. It does not provide any rates for these deductions, nor does this page. The supplement for assistance from a third party is not subject to any deductions.

On the income tax return (see the practical guide IR 2026, income 2025), pensions, allowances, and disability benefits are declared on lines 1AZ to 1DZ. Benefits and annuities paid for work-related accidents or occupational diseases fall under a separate category and are among the amounts that do not need to be declared.

When the situation changes

Your pension is reviewed if your health condition changes. If your condition improves and your income exceeds 50% of the normal salary earned by a worker in your category (as per form F14946), the pension fund will terminate your pension if it deems the improvement permanent, and suspend it if it does not. If your condition worsens, you must notify your pension fund of the change with a recent medical certificate. The new amount is payable from the date the worsening condition is recognized. According to form F14946, your entitlement to the pension is reviewed annually.

Numerical example (fictitious profile)

Situation. An employee has an average annual salary of €33,600 over their 10 best years, or €2,800 per month. Their earning capacity is reduced by at least two-thirds. In this example, they meet the eligibility and activity requirements.

Issue. He wants to know the approximate pension amount according to category, and the difference with his average salary.

Strategy. The firm reviews his income and existing insurance coverage with him. Since the benefits from a assurance-vie policy can be combined with his pension without restriction, the review focuses on the terms of his policy.

Result. The rates on the form applied to €2,800 per month:

The same calculation applies to three average monthly salaries:

All these results remain within the minimum and maximum ranges shown in the table displayed on the form. The third category is not calculated: the form does not provide the amount of the supplement for assistance from a third party. This profile is fictitious. The average annual salary is converted to a monthly figure by dividing by 12, a choice made for this example. The amounts are monthly, before deductions, and illustrate the mechanism. They do not replicate the calculations made by the social security fund and do not indicate any results specific to your situation.

What changes depending on your situation

• Your disability category, and its possible review.
• Your average annual salary over the 10 best years.
• Your health insurance scheme: CPAM or MSA.
• Your membership and activity conditions at the time of the work interruption.
• Your other income: salary, unemployment benefits, pension.
• The date on which you submit your application.

This page does not indicate whether you are entitled to a pension or its amount. This is determined based on your individual case and by your pension fund. No outcome is guaranteed.