Any employee meeting the following criteria can qualify for an old-age pension :

• Age requirement : must be at least 60 years old (or 55 years old for specific professions, including miners, road transport drivers, and workers in glassworks and lead foundries).
• End of employment : must cease all professional salaried activities subject to social security systems.
• Minimum contribution period : Must have contributed for at least 40 quarters (10 years), with quarterly salaries equal to or exceeding two-thirds of the minimum wage (SMIG).

 Exceptions:
If the contribution period is between 60 and 118 months, the insured individual meeting the other conditions is eligible for a proportional pension based on their contributions. If the contribution period is less than 60 months, the insured individual is entitled to a one-time payment instead of a pension.

Documents to present :

• Pension application form completed and signed by the employee and their employer.
• Salary certificate completed by the employee's employers.
• Birth certificate issued within the last three months.
• Any document proving the employee’s activity or registration with other Tunisian or foreign social security funds (pay slips, contribution payment receipts, employment contract, etc.).
• A photocopy of the National Identity Card (CIN).

Amount of the retirement pension :

The pension amount depends on two variables :

• The reference salary.
• The total contribution period. 

1- If the employee has contributed for a period exceeding 10 years (120 quarters)::

In this case, the calculation is as follows :

The pension amount equals 40% of the reference salary for the first 40 quarters of contributions, increased by 0.5% for each additional quarter, without exceeding 80% of the said salary.

The reference salary is calculated as the average of the wages earned during the last 10 years, adjusted and capped at 6 times the minimum wage (SMIG).

For example, if the employee contributed for a period of 25 years, the calculation would be as follows :

• Determine the reference salary: This is the average salary over the last 10 years of contributions. Let's assume it is 1000 DT.
• Calculate the percentage allowed based on the contribution period :
  -For the first 10 years of contributions, the employee is entitled to 40%.
  -For the remaining 15 years, 0.5% is added for each quarter of contribution. This means 15 years = 60 quarters, and 60 quarters × 0.5% = 30%.
  -Therefore, the total pension multiplier is 40% + 30% = 70% (as 70% is below the maximum allowed, which is 80%).
• Calculate the gross pension : The gross pension will be : 1000 DT (reference salary) × 70% (multiplier) = 700 DT per month after the age of 60.  
• Calculate the net pension:
  -A withholding tax of 25% is applied: 700 DT × 0.25 = 175 DT.
  -The net pension will be: 700 DT - 175 DT = 525 DT.

2- If the employee contributed for a period between 5 years (60 months) and 9.833 years (118 months) :

In this case, the employee is entitled to a pension proportional to the duration of contributions. This pension is calculated based on the pension the insured would have received if they had completed the minimum 120-month requirement, prorated to the total months of contributions relative to the required number of months for obtaining the retirement pension.

Using the example of our employee with a reference salary of 1000 DT and assuming they contributed for only 8 years (i.e., 72 months) : The pension will be calculated as follows :

Reference salary × 40% (minimum retirement rate) × (months of contributions / total months required) = 1000 DT × 40% × (72 / 120) = 320 DT

Thus, the monthly pension will be 320 DT.

In this case, the employee is only entitled to a one-time payment (not a pension). The amount of this payment equals the deductions made from the insured’s salary as employee contributions to the pension scheme.

This means that the CNSS will reimburse the employee all amounts it received from their salary during the contribution period.