Social Progress: CNSS Pension Starting at 600 DH
They were seasonal laborers, workers declared for only a few years… but their fragmented employment history kept them on the margins of the retirement system. Now, with just 1,320 days of contributions, they can finally qualify for a CNSS pension.
This social breakthrough has been widely welcomed, yet it also highlights the technical fragilities of a system facing long-term structural imbalance. The implementing decree of Law No. 02-24, approved on April 3, 2025, formalizes one of the key commitments of the April 2022 social dialogue: reducing the contribution threshold required to access a minimum old-age pension from 3,240 days to 1,320. This reform formally acknowledges short or intermittent careers common in informal employment and precarious segments of the economy.
Until now, workers needed ten years of contributions to qualify for a CNSS pension. From now on, just under five years will suffice. The Ministry of Finance estimates that around 34,949 insured individuals could benefit from this measure, which applies retroactively as of January 1, 2023.
The decree introduces a new minimum pension scale based on the duration of contributions: from 600 dirhams for those with between 1,320 and 1,704 days, up to 1,000 dirhams for those with 2,857 days or more. The 1,000 dirham threshold remains the minimum pension for all retirees under the regime.
Beneficiaries have 24 months from the publication of the decree in the Official Bulletin to submit their request preferably through the online portal macnss.ma or the CNSS mobile application. After this period, pensions will only be disbursed starting from the date of the request.
This extension also applies retroactively to survivor pensions, provided the deceased insured person had accumulated at least 1,320 days of contributions. Eligible dependents (spouses, dependent children, or those with disabilities) may also submit claims within the same time frame.
Meanwhile, insured individuals who do not meet the minimum threshold can request a full refund of their contributions both employee and employer shares plus accrued interest. This measure represents notable progress in rights management. On the other hand, individuals who reached the legal retirement age before January 1, 2023, along with their beneficiaries, remain excluded from the decree’s scope.
Khadija MASMOUDI
