Are you going to lose hundreds of euros with the new calculation of retirement pension tax?

At the end of summer 2025, a question has more than 16 million retirees: will the future reform of the pension tax really cut their purchasing power? Behind a harmless budget announcement hides a major upheaval which could, for some, cost several hundred euros per year. Between concern and misunderstanding, a number of households wonder: who will pay more, who will pay less, and above all … How to avoid unpleasant surprises during the next income declaration? Complete decoding of this tax turn which risks waving more than one family table.

What really changes: Decipher the new tax calculation method on your pensions

Until now, the calculation of retirement pension tax was based on a reassuring mechanism: an automatic reduction in 10 % of the gross amount of all taxable pensions, accompanied by a maximum limit of 4 399 € by tax household in 2024 and a minimum of 450 € by beneficiary. This rule concerned both the basic pensions and the complementary or the food pensions.

But as of next year, radical change: the government provides for the abolition of this proportional reduction to replace it with a fee of € 2,000 per person, per year. For a couple, this will represent, except family particularity, € 4,000 reduction In total, whatever the height of the pensions perceived. The reform will concern the income received in 2025, declared in the spring of 2026.

This is a turning in the tax pension policywith a calculation that will no longer take into account the income differences between small and big pensioners. But then, does this “universal” package really change the game for everyone?

From the 10 % reduction to a fixed package: Understand the mechanics behind the reform

The old system granted everyone a proportional deduction: the higher the pension, the more the reduction rose, within the limit of the ceiling. From now on, the calculation will be not surprising: € 2,000 deduction for all pensions exceeding € 20,000 per yearwhether we are ex-frame or ancient worker … on the one hand, simplicity. On the other, a clear redistribution of tax advantages.

Who is a winner, Who is a loser? Unequally impacted retiree profiles

Winners : retirees whose annual pension is less than € 20,000 will logically see their tax drop (or disappear) thanks to the new reduction. For them, the flat -rate calculation is more generous than 10 %. A few thousand euros in pension can make all the difference.

Losers : As soon as the annual pension crosses the threshold of € 20,000, the calculation becomes unfavorable compared to the old system. Retirees with comfortable income (greater than € 36,000, for example) will suffer a sometimes spectacular increase: a single at this pension level will pay around € 500 more.

When the figures speak: Find out how this new calculation will affect your tax sheet

What to expect concretely at the next statement? It’s time to take out the calculator-or take a look at the table below to see more clearly.

Practical cases: Calculate the difference in euros yourself according to your pension

Here is a simplified table illustrating the difference in allowance, old and new formula, depending on the annual pension level:

In summary, the rocking plays in favor of small pensions, but increases the bill for average and high pensions. Depending on the projections, about 1.4 million retirees will lose financially in passing, while around 1.5 million will win on the contrary a real bowl of air.

Can we limit breakage? The tracks To alleviate the effects of the new package

Impossible to escape the new calculation once voted, but some strategies allow to amortize the shock:

• Split up your pensions : Grouping pensions or differ them will have no effect on the package. The reduction applies generally to taxable pensions per person.
• Review your taxable level : Some devices (PER, donations, home jobs, etc.) may reduce the reference tax income, giving the right to other aids or exemptions.
• Check your withholding rate at source : Better to anticipate the possible increase in the tax to avoid a salty catch -up at the end of the year.

Why so much injustice? Critics and concerns that go up to retirees

For many associations, this reform illustrates a real fracture: how to justify that a retiree having contributed a whole career now sees its tax deduction reduced by a feather? The 10 % reduction existed, originally, to compensate for professional expenses … but pensioners no longer have. Government’s argument: it is no longer justified for inactive retirees, and it is necessary to redistribute to those who need it most.

One million retirees concerned: Why the government assumes this choice

The heart of the reform is social justice. According to Bercy, high pensions are not intended to be fiscally favored, and the abolition of the proportional system makes it possible in particular to finance other measures for the most modest. The state budget hopes, in passing, collect between 4.5 and 5 billion euros per year To support public finances.

Reactions of associations and Calls to review the reform

Unions and representatives of seniors are already increasing the arrests and petitions. The feeling of injustice rises particularly for retirees “of the middle class”, who fear losing between 300 € and more than € 600 each yearwithout suitable room for maneuver. The ball is now in the parliamentary camp, before the final vote of the next finance law in the fall of 2025.

Better prepare for it: All keys to anticipate and adapt your budget

No one likes unpleasant tax surprises. It is therefore better to prepare your declaration now to avoid disappointments. Here is how to limit the impact of the new package on your daily life.

Advice to properly declare your income and avoid unpleasant surprises

Some common sense practices are essential:

• Simulate From its tax sheet with the new lump sum reduction as soon as the online tools are available.
• Study existing tax reduction or tax credit to compensate for a possible increase.
• Keep all supporting documents linked to deductible aids, services or charges, which can lower the note.

Tips and devices to amortize the potential increase in tax

Some ways remain open to temper the tax shock:

• Invest in retirement savings products, whose exit can be Taxation advantageous.
• Find out about the exemption thresholds of the housing tax and the CSG, sometimes triggered by the drop in the abatement.
• Be vigilant about the incidence of this reform on other allowances or aids, often indexed to the reference tax income.

The main thing to remember: What this reform changes for your retirement and your finances

The abolition of the 10 % reduction in favor of a package of € 2,000 upsets the tax landscape of seniors. In short:

• Small pensions win: For less than € 20,000 annually, tax relief is real. The package brings a welcome economy on the tax sheet.
• Average and high pensions pay more: For those who already received the reduction ceiling or a high amount, the increase in the tax may exceed several hundred euros.
• A social impact to monitor: This reform resumes the cards of fiscal solidarity and refers to everyone the need to readjust their budgetary expectations.

The points of vigilance to monitor During your next declaration

Be sure to check your declaration 2026: the amount of the reduction applied, the impact on the reference tax income, and the potential impact on other aids or tax reductions can make all the difference. Also listen to the possible government announcements or adaptations of the text during the passage in front of the Parliament.

The arrival of the tax package on retirement pensions therefore upsets the balance established for decades. If he benefits some, others will undoubtedly have to review their budgetary strategy. The stake? Preserve this purchasing power as much as possible If hardly acquired and remain vigilant in the face of the constant evolution of the rules of the tax game. Will the reform raises a fundamental question: how far will these adjustments go for the next generations of retirees?