Is it possible to receive a French pension and hold an S1?
This is a common situation for people who have worked both in France and in the UK
Without an S1, social charges can be applied to UK pensions
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Reader Question: We are retirees who have lived in France for 22 years and carried out self-employment (micro-entreprise) work for 11 of these. We now receive both French and UK pensions and were told we were in the French system, so did not need an S1. However, without an S1 we face social charges on our UK pensions – costing more than our French pensions. Can someone in the French system and receiving a French pension still hold an S1? And if France is covering our healthcare, should we still be paying these charges on UK pensions?
This is, unfortunately, a common situation for people who have worked both in France and in the UK or an EU state.
In France, an exemption exists for French social charges on foreign pension income, but only if the person is not considered a burden on French state healthcare.
Read more: What are the pros and cons of holding an S1 form for healthcare in France?
The main way to show ‘not being a burden’ is via an S1, which is proof that another country is responsible for paying for your health cover in France.
Social charges on pensions are at variable rates depending on income level, from 4.3% to 9.1%. It is true that in some cases an exemption from these on foreign pension income, if substantial, can be worth more than a small French pension from a partial career in France.
Importantly, no, it is not possible to obtain an S1 if you are receiving a state pension from the country where you live.
One option, if the French pension caisse allows it, is to not claim the French pension in the first place, or to renounce it.
Cnav, the national body in charge of state pensions for most people having worked in the private sector in France, has previously told us that people can effectively ‘renounce’ a pension by not claiming it.
It added that you can ask for annulment in a two-month period of claiming it by writing to the Commission de recours amiable of your pension body and you would have to pay back any money already received.
You can also write at a later date to ‘renounce’ it and, if you do, you cannot later change your mind, and your payments will stop, Cnav said.
