In summary…
A self-employed midwife who stands out €55,000 of profit per year (before social security contributions) for 35 years receives approximately €23,800 gross per year (approximately €1,980 per month) from the Autonomous Pension Fund for Dental Surgeons and Midwives (CARCDSF), including basic pension scheme, supplementary pension scheme, and supplementary old-age benefits. This is 43% of his income. To recover 70 % of his income, approximately €14,700 per year, representing a capital of approximately €257,000 to be built up in 20 years, with an effort of approximately €8,600 per year. The retirement savings plan (PER) deducts at least €4,710 per year and saves €1,413 in tax: the rest goes through life insurance and real estate.
1. The three systems of a self-employed midwife
Self-employed midwives are affiliated with CARCDSF, which manages three mandatory pension schemes. The pensions are cumulative, and each is calculated in the same way: number of points earned × point value. The contributions below are those for 2026, levied on 2025 income.
| Diet | 2026 Membership Fee | Points earned per year | Point value 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic pension scheme for liberals | 8.73 % of the base up to 1 annual Social Security ceiling (PASS, €48,060), then 1.87 % up to 5 PASS (€240,300) | Up to 557 points on the first tranche and 25 on the second, pro rata to the contribution (National Old-Age Insurance Fund for the Liberal Professions, CNAVPL) | €0.6599 |
| Supplementary scheme | Package of €3,210.60 + €11.35 % of the plate between €31,239 (0.65 PASS) and €240,300 (5 PASS) | 6 points for the flat rate, plus points proportional to the contribution (2025 fund memo) | €31.82 |
| Supplementary old-age benefits (PCV) | €780 per year, of which €260 is paid by the midwife and €520 by the primary health insurance funds. | 18 points per year (2025 schedule) | €6.10 for points acquired since 2006 (value for 2025, assumed to be the same for 2026) |
The midwife also contributes to the disability and death benefits scheme., €384 in 2026. It grants access to the supplementary benefits of the fund and does not generate a retirement pension. The PCV (Personalized Care Plan) is the third tier, which many forget to include: the primary health insurance funds pay two-thirds of it. For €260 paid, the midwife acquires 18 points, equivalent to €110 of annual pension per year of contributions.
Since 2026, the reform of the social security contribution base has changed the calculation: contributions are calculated on income without deduction of social security contributions, reduced by a flat-rate allowance of 26 %. CARCDSF indicates that this reform applies to 2026 contributions and modifies their calculation; it does not detail the allowance on its public pages. We apply the allowance to the three contributions that give rise to entitlements, as a calculation assumption. For €55,000 of profit, the base is therefore €40,700.
2. At what age and after how many quarters is the full rate granted?
- Basic scheme : full rate at 67 years old, or as soon as the required period is reached across all schemes. For people born in 1969 and later, the legal retirement age is 64 and the required period is 172 quarters. Each missing quarter deducts 1.25% pension, permanently.
- Supplementary scheme : full rate at 67 years old. Previously, a 1.25% reduction in pension benefits was applied for each missing quarter. From age 62, there is no reduction in case of incapacity for work. For women, the full rate is obtained one year earlier per child, up to a maximum of five years: with two children, it is obtained at age 65.
- PCV For midwives born since 1955, the pension fund table sets the age for full pension entitlement at 67 years old.
- Increase of 10 % For three raised children: it applies to both the basic and supplementary schemes. For PCVs, the fund reserves it for dentists.
In the typical case, a pension contribution period totals 35 years of four quarters each, or 140 quarters, below the required 172: the full pension rate is therefore obtained at age 67. Retiring at age 64 would result in a reduction of 15 % (12 missing quarters × 1.25 %) from the supplementary pension scheme.
3. Calculation based on €55,000 of profit over 35 years
The base amount of €40,700 remains below the Social Security ceiling: the basic contribution is €3,553 on the first bracket (maximum €4,196) and €761 on the second (maximum €4,494). Points are awarded based on the contribution: 471.7 points out of 557 and 4.2 points out of 25. The supplementary contribution is a proportional amount of €1,074 (11.35% of €9,461), which is added to the fixed amount.
| Diet | Calculation | Gross annual pension |
|---|---|---|
| Base | (471.7 + 4.2) points × 35 years × €0.6599 = 16,658 points | €10,992 |
| Complementary | (6 + 2.0) points × 35 years = 280 points × €31.82 | €8,917 |
| PCV | 18 points × 35 years = 630 points × €6.10 | €3,843 |
| Total | €1,979 per month | €23,753 |
Typical case
Situation. A self-employed, contracted midwife in Lyon, established at age 32, is now 47, single, and childless. Her annual income is €55,000, stable, before social security contributions; the basis for her contributions is this income less a 26% allowance (%). She will retire at 67, after 35 years of contributions. The 2026 values are fixed for her entire career, and the amounts are in constant euros.
Issue. She relies on the CARCDSF for most of her standard of living. The calculation gives €23,753 gross per year, or 43.2% Of her benefits: €10,992 from the basic pension scheme, €8,917 from the supplementary pension scheme, and €3,843 from the PCV (Personalized Compensation for Voluntary Dependence). For this, she will contribute approximately €8,859 per year in 2026 to these three schemes (basic pension €4,314, supplementary pension €4,284, PCV €260), representing 16.1% of her benefits, plus €384 for disability and death benefits. Without the PCV, whose 2026 point value is not available, the pension would be €19,910.
Strategy. She aims for 70% of her income, or €38,500 per year. There is a shortfall. €14,747 per year for 25 years of retirement (from age 67 to 92). At a return of 3 % during retirement, this cash flow requires a capital of €256,799 at age 67. To reach that goal in 20 years with a return of 4.% per year, she must save €8,624 per year, That's €719 per month (15.7% of her profit). These two returns are calculation assumptions, not promises. She pays the minimum amount into a retirement savings plan (PER) and invests the rest in life insurance.
Result. She pours €4,710 per year on his PER: this is 10 % of the 2025 Social Security ceiling (€47,100), the minimum deduction limit for a payment in 2026 (BOI-IR-BASE-20-50-20). His 2025 taxable income is at most €45,757 (€55,000 less CARCDSF contributions, not including other social security contributions): 10 % of this amount remains below €4,710, therefore the minimum applies. This taxable income is between €34,289 and €84,577: the payment falls entirely within the 30 % bracket of the 2026 tax scale (Law No. 2026-103, Article 4), and the tax decreases from €6,831 to €5,418. €1,413 of savings. The actual effort is €3,297. The PER covers 55% of the annual effort; it invests the remaining €3,914 in life insurance. Unused rights are carried forward for five years.
This calculation is an order of magnitude. It freezes the 2026 values, applies the 26% % allowance to the three contributions, uses the 2025 point value (€6.10) for the supplementary pension scheme, and assumes the same point value for the proportional portion of the supplementary scheme as in 2025 (flat-rate contribution ÷ 6 points, i.e., €535.10 in 2026). It does not take into account inflation, any potential increase for three children, or the purchase of additional quarters. It simply states the following: CARCDSF does not replace your standard of living.
4. What the PER allows you to deduct
The retirement savings plan is deductible from taxable income up to a certain limit. For a self-employed midwife, this limit is the higher of 10 % of the taxable profit of the previous year (capped up to 8 PASS) and 10 % of the PASS of the previous year. This benefit is calculated after deduction of social security contributions. For a payment in 2026, this results in a minimum of €4,710 and a maximum of €37,680 (BOFiP, BOI-IR-BASE-20-50-20). The minimum for 2027 will be €4,806 (10 % of the 2026 PASS). Details of the mechanism are available on our page. PER deduction limit.
For the midwife in the typical case, the ceiling of €4,710 covers 55 % of the annual effort of €8,624. The individual PER is the starting tool; it is not enough on its own. In retirement, his pensions of €23,753 leave €5,826 of margin before reaching the threshold of €29,579 where the scale goes from 11 % to 30 %: withdrawals from the PER are first taxed at a rate lower than that of the tax saving at the time of payment.
5. Where to allocate the remaining effort
- Assurance-vie : savings available at any time, with reduced taxation after eight years, useful for inheritance.
- Rental property : supplementary income, with the status of non-professional furnished rental provider to limit taxes on rental income.
- Shares in real estate investment companies : exposure to real estate without management, see our dedicated page.
- Quarters and points : the pension fund's career statement, accessible in the member area, gives your actual points and replaces any average.
Frequently asked questions
At what age does a self-employed midwife receive her full pension?
The retirement age is 67 for all three pension schemes. For the basic scheme, the full pension rate is also obtained earlier if the required number of quarters is met (172 quarters for those born in 1969 and later). Each missing quarter permanently reduces the pension by 1.25%. For the supplementary scheme, women advance the full pension rate by one year per child, up to a maximum of five years.
How much will CARCDSF retirement contributions cost in 2026 for a midwife?
For a profit of €55,000 and assuming a 26% tax allowance (%), the annual cost is approximately €8,859: €4,314 for the basic pension scheme, €3,211 as a lump sum and €1,074 as a proportional contribution for the supplementary pension scheme, and €260 for supplementary old-age benefits. The disability and death benefits scheme (€384 in 2026) is additional and does not generate a retirement pension.
Are there supplementary old-age benefits available for midwives?
Yes. They cost €780 per year, of which €260 is paid by the midwife and €520 by the primary health insurance funds, and they accrue 18 points per year. In the case studied, this scheme pays out approximately €3,843 per year, based on the 2025 point value assumed for this purpose.
Is the PER sufficient to bridge the gap?
No. With €55,000 in profit, the deduction limit is at least €4,710 per year, while the required contribution is approximately €8,624 per year. The PER (Retirement Savings Plan) can be combined with life insurance and real estate.
Our position
We start with your pension statement, not an average. Using this statement, we calculate the difference between your pension and your current income, then we build the PER (Retirement Savings Plan), life insurance, and real estate combination that minimizes your tax burden. We do not draft legal documents or provide legal or accounting advice: for matters such as the operating structure, accounting, or a transfer of assets, we refer you to your accountant or lawyer. We receive commissions on contracts purchased through our firm.
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Alexis Sagnier, financial and real estate investment advisor, insurance broker, AMF certified. ORIAS 13003497. Updated on 28/10/2026.
Official sources consulted
- CARCDSF, "Amount of contributions" (2026 contributions of the three schemes, PCV and disability-death of midwives): carcdsf.fr
- CARCDSF, "What pension schemes make up my retirement?" (2026 point values for the basic and supplementary schemes): carcdsf.fr
- CARCDSF, "At what age should you claim your benefits?" (age, quarters, reduction, increase): carcdsf.fr
- CARCDSF, table of the full PCV rate for midwives: carcdsf.fr
- CARCDSF, midwives' handbook 2025 (points acquired per year, value of the PCV point): carcdsf.fr
- CARCDSF, midwives' handbook 2024 (meaning of PCV point categories, value of points acquired since 2006 at €6.10): carcdsf.fr
- CARCDSF, "Income Declaration" (reform of the social security contribution base applicable to 2026 contributions): carcdsf.fr
- National Old-Age Insurance Fund for the Liberal Professions, 2025 Statistical Collection (557 and 25 points, points proportional to the contribution, rate 8.73 % and 1.87 %): cnavpl.fr
- Service-Public.fr Entrepreneurship, news on the reform of the social security contribution base (base without deduction of contributions, allowance of 26 %): entreprendre.service-public.gouv.fr
- impots.gouv.fr, "The reform of the social security contribution base" (contracted practitioners concerned): impots.gouv.fr
- BOFiP, BOI-IR-BASE-20-50-20, limits on deduction of retirement savings contributions (taxable profit of year N-1, floor of 10 % of the PASS, carry-forward over five years): bofip.impots.gouv.fr
- Law No. 2026-103 on finance for 2026, article 4 (income tax scale); annual ceiling of Social Security 2026: €48,060.
