High-value pensions are often associated with long careers, above-average pay and contributions made to different schemes. In some legal professions, the responsibility required and the discounts accumulated over several decades can translate into a fairly comfortable retirement. This is the case of Didier, a Frenchman who has already retired at 77 years old.
In an interview with , the retiree, currently 77 years old, worked for more than three decades as a huissier de justice, a profession today called commissaire de justice in France. He retired at the age of 65 and receives a gross monthly pension of 4,205 euros, a value much higher than the French average and resulting from contributions made throughout his career to two different schemes.
According to him, the retiree decided to continue working beyond the legal age because he truly liked the profession. In 2023, the average pension for retirees residing in France was 1,666 euros gross per month, with the highest values found mainly among former special regime workers, self-employed professionals and state public administration employees.
A career in the service of Justice
After studying Private Law, Didier began working as an employee, later moving into freelance activity through a company. As a public and ministerial official, he performed functions at the center of the French legal system, in a regulated profession subject to the taking of an oath.
For more than 30 years, he made contributions to the National Old Age Insurance Fund for Liberal Professions, known by the acronym CNAVPL, responsible for the basic pension. In parallel, it paid for CAVOM, the fund responsible for the complementary retirement of ministerial officers, public officers and judicial companies.
The two regimes work through a points system. Contributions paid throughout your career are converted into points, taking into account the amount collected and the respective acquisition value, which is updated regularly. At the time of retirement, the accumulated number and the value assigned to each point help determine the final pension.
Decision to retire and enjoy life
Giving up professional activity was not an immediate choice for Didier, who remained satisfied with his work. “I retired at 65, that is, later than the legal limit, because I really liked my work. At the end of my career, they made me realize that I should give space to younger people. That’s why I passed the baton to my associates,” he said.
During his active life, he received approximately 5,900 euros gross per month, an income that allowed him to build considerable real estate assets. He currently owns a house in Paris and a large holiday residence in Sologne, where he spends much of his time with his wife.
A demanding and lacking profession
Despite attractive remuneration, the profession continues to attract fewer candidates than the sector needs. According to data presented by Le Figaro, between 100 and 120 new graduates arrive on the market every year, when between 150 and 180 would be needed to meet needs and replace retiring professionals.
Didier’s high pension is not a direct result of this lack of professionals, but of the income obtained and contributions made over more than three decades.
The commissaire de justice assumes specific legal functions, including the execution of court decisions and the preparation of records, and is subject to specific professional and ethical rules.
An example of stability and dedication
Didier’s trajectory shows how a long career in a regulated liberal profession, accompanied by high remuneration and regular contributions, can lead to a pension well above average. In his case, the retirement of 4,205 euros gross combines the basic CNAVPL pension with the complementary CAVOM benefit.
The decision to work until age 65 also increased the contribution period and allowed her to achieve a full pension. After handing over the activity to his former associates, the retiree began to divide his time between Paris and Sologne, equally benefiting from the assets he managed to acquire during his career.
How does it work in Portugal?
In Portugal, the comparison with Didier must be made through two different professions. The enforcement agent is a liberal professional regulated by the Order of Solicitors and Execution Agents and, as a rule, contributes to the Lawyers and Solicitors Pension Fund (CPAS), while the bailiff is a Public Administration worker who works in the courts.
In , the pension depends on the conventional earnings recorded throughout the contributory career and the number of completed years of contributions. The general formula considers a rate of 2% for each completed year, but it may also involve updating remunerations and applying the sustainability factor, so only the individual history allows the correct value to be determined.
Bailiff
In the case of bailiffs, workers registered with the Caixa Geral de Aposentações until December 31, 2005 remain covered by this regime until their professional relationship is definitively terminated. Anyone who entered the Public Administration after January 1, 2006, became, as a rule, integrated into the General Social Security Regime.
In the General Regime, the annual pension formation rate varies between 2% and 2.3%, depending on the years of deductions and the value of the reference remuneration, up to a limit of 40 relevant years.
In a purely illustrative calculation, 30 years of discounts on a reference salary of 2,000 euros would correspond to a theoretical value between 1,200 and 1,380 euros; with a reference of R$2,500, the range would be R$1,500 to R$1,725, before any adjustments, bonuses or penalties.
In general terms, Portuguese pensions will tend to be below the 4,205 gross euros received by Didier. The French amount results from a career of over 30 years, a salary close to 5,900 gross monthly euros and the accumulation of a basic pension with a supplementary scheme, conditions that cannot be directly compared with a public or liberal career in Portugal.
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