Choosing your retirement date is not just a question of organization or a symbolic deadline. She has a concrete tax impact : last year of salary, end-of-career bonus and first pensions sometimes overlap in the same fiscal year. As a result, your tax liability can increase significantly if your already high income is combined with an exceptional amount. Valérie Batigne, president of Sapiendo Retraite, recalls that “ if your bonus is high, it is recommended to retire at the start of the year as long as you earn less money than during the period of activity over a fiscal year. Because if your premium is included in a fairly high tax bracket, you risk reaching the maximum bracket “.
The stakes are all the more important as the starting bonus is not an income like any other. It is considered a exceptional incomewith specific tax rules which sometimes make it possible to reduce the bill.
End of career bonus: an exceptional income to master
Unlike usual income, such as salaries received in the context of a professional activity, exceptional income is that which you are not likely to receive each year. “ The end-of-career bonus is taxed according to the exceptional income methodpoints out Valérie Batigne. It is possible to spread it out if it is important. » This income is considered exceptional both in its nature and in its amount. This spread allows smooth taxation over several years and to avoid a sudden rise in the upper brackets. In this case, request, when making your income tax return, taxation according to the quotient system.
To benefit from it, you must enter the total of this exceptional income in box 0XX of declaration no. 2042 C, without integrating it into the other income declared, specifying the nature and details of the income concerned. Another solution is also possible: leave at the start of the year allows this bonus to be integrated into a tax year where your retirement pensions, often lower than your last salary, keep your overall taxable income at a lower level.
Pay attention to the combination of employment and retirement from 2027
There is also another particular point concerning this date for retirees wishing to work after their departure: from next year, new rules for combining employment and retirement will add an additional criterion in the choice of the ideal moment. Accumulation will always be possible, but “ combining retirement and employment will become less interesting before 67 years old », explains Valérie Batigne. An activity income ceiling should be set around 7,000 euros per year (decree pending). In the event of excess, the pension would be reduced by half of the surplus. Example: an activity generating 10,000 euros creates an excess of 3,000 euros, resulting in a withholding of 1,500 euros.
On the other hand, after 67 yearsaccumulation will become free again. “ This is a point on which we must be vigilant, whatever the status, from January 1, 2027 “, she insists. One more reason to choose your retirement date carefully for those planning to extend their activity.
