Executive PER 2026: optimized retirement and taxation

Updated March 2026 - The Retirement Savings Plan (PER) has become the essential tax optimization tool for business leaders. Deductible from taxable income, flexible upon exit, it combines preparation for retirement and immediate reduction in income tax. Complete instructions for use.

Created by the PACTE law of 2019, the Retirement Savings Plan unified and replaced the old systems:

• ▸The PERP (Popular Retirement Savings Plan)
• ▸The Madelin contract (dedicated to self-employed workers)
• ▸The PERCO (Collective Retirement Savings Plan)
• ▸The Article 83 contract (mandatory collective retirement)

Today, the PER exists in two main forms for managers:

• ▸PER individual (PERin): subscribed personally with a bank, insurance company or broker
• ▸PER collective (PERCOL): set up in the company for employees and similar managers

The principle

Voluntary payments into an individual PER are deductible from taxable income of the year of payment. The tax saving is directly proportional to your marginal tax bracket (TMI):

The higher your TMI, the more profitable the PER. This is why it is particularly suitable for managers whose income exceeds €85,000 per year.

2026 deduction limits

For SASU (Single-member simplified joint-stock company) presidents and salaried managers (e.g. salaried employees):

The annual deduction ceiling is 10% of net taxable remuneration, within the limit of 10% of 8 times the Annual Social Security Ceiling (PASS 2026: €46,368).

• ▸Maximum ceiling: 10% × 8 × €46,368 = €37,094 per year
• ▸Minimum ceiling: 10% × PASS = €4,637

For TNS ”” EURL (Single-member limited liability company) managers, individual entrepreneurs (Madelin regime):

Self-employed workers benefit from an increased ceiling:

• ▸10% of taxable profit, within the limit of 10% of 8 PASS (€37,094)
• ▸+ 15% of the fraction of the profit between 1 PASS and 8 PASS

Hayot Expertise Advice: A TNS manager declaring €80,000 in profit can deduct up to approximately €14,900 in PER payments (10% × €80,000 + 15% × (€80,000 ”“ €46,368)) and save up to €6,100 in tax at the TMI 41%. This is a substantial advantage that many leaders underutilize. Consult our guide SASU vs EURL to see how this lever works depending on your status.

Individual PER (PERin)

• ▸Open freely on a personal basis
• ▸Compartment 1: voluntary payments deductible from income
• ▸Capital or annuity withdrawal on the retirement date
• ▸Early release possible for: purchase of main residence, disability, death of spouse or partner, end of unemployment rights, over-indebtedness, judicial liquidation

Collective PER set up in the company

• ▸Accessible to employees and spouse-collaborator
• ▸Fueled by profit-sharing, participation or matching contributions from the employer
• ▸The employer's contribution is deductible from company expenses within certain limits
• ▸Amounts from employee savings are exempt from IR for the beneficiary

The combination of individual PER + collective PER can be very powerful for managers of SARL or SAS wishing to optimize their overall remuneration. To go further, read our analysis of dividends versus manager's salary.

Focus payments on high-income years

The PER is particularly effective in years with exceptional income: sale of assets, extraordinary dividends, good business year. The goal is to time payments to coincide with your peak IMR.

Concrete example: A SASU manager carries out a partial sale which generates €120,000 in additional income in 2026, placing him at an IMR of 45%. By paying €37,094 into his PER, he saves 37,094 × 45% = €16,692 in tax ”” while building up his retirement savings.

Use ceilings from unused years

The PER ceiling is carryable over the previous three years. If you have not saturated your ceiling in 2023, 2024 and 2025, you can make a larger payment in 2026 by accumulating the unused ceilings. The amount of the available ceilings appears on your tax notice.

This strategy is ideally combined with reflection on the optimization of your structure, in particular via a patrimonial holding for managers wishing to manage their flows at several levels.

👉 Discover our support in managing the manager's assets

At legal retirement age

• ▸Capital outflow: the fraction corresponding to the payments is subject to IR (progressive scale); capital gains are subject to social security contributions (17.2%). It is possible to split withdrawals to smooth out taxation.
• ▸Exiting an annuity: the annuity is taxed under the IR after a 10% reduction (retirement pension scheme), with social security contributions on the fraction representing capital gains.

Early release for main residence

• ▸The paid-up capital is taxed with IR on the fraction of deductible payments
• ▸Capital gains are subject to social security contributions (17.2%)
• ▸No penalty for this case of unblocking, which is an important advantage of the PER compared to the old PERP

The individual PER taken out in the form of an insurance contract makes it possible to designate beneficiaries in the event of death before liquidation. In the event of death before age 70, the amounts transferred benefit from favorable taxation (deduction of €152,500 per beneficiary, as for life insurance).

Integrated into an overall wealth strategy - for example via a [holding] structure (/blog/holding-optimisation-fiscale) - the PER can contribute to the transfer of the manager's assets under optimized tax conditions.

The PER is one of the most powerful tax tools available to French leaders. The key to its effectiveness lies in the payment strategy, the choice of vehicle (individual or collective) and the optimal time to invest. Improper use””payments that are too small, too early, or poorly calibrated””can miss out on considerable tax savings.

📞 Would you like to simulate your tax savings with the PER? Our experts analyze your personal tax situation and your business structure to offer you a tailor-made payment strategy. Make an appointment with an expert

(Reference sources for this file: PACTE Law No. 2019-486, Official Bulletin of Public Finances (Bofip), General Tax Code ”” article 163 quatervicies)