Hire in France compliantly. Navigate employer social charges of 25-45% above gross, the 35-hour workweek, over 700 binding collective agreements and a termination process where every step is legally prescribed.
Capital
Paris
Language
French
Average Salary
€3,750
Payroll Cycle
Monthly
Employer Cost
25-45%
Paid Leave
25 days
Public Holidays
11 days
Tax Rates
11-45%
In-depth guides on specific topics for employers hiring in France. Each guide is independently researched and updated for 2026.
This guide breaks down France's minimum wage system for 2026, covering the current statutory hourly rate (SMIC), collective bargaining agreements, employer social security obligations, compliance requirements under the French Labour Code, penalties for underpayment, and how minimum wage compares to living costs across major French cities.
Read ArticleMaternity leave in France is mandatory for all employees, with a standard duration of 16 weeks for a first or second child (6 weeks prenatal, 10 weeks postnatal), extending up to 46 weeks for triplets or more. Leave is paid through the Social Security system (CPAM) at up to €104.02 per day in 2026, calculated from the employee's average gross salary over the last three months with a 21% flat deduction. The employer is not legally required to pay during leave, but many collective bargaining agreements require a salary top-up to maintain full pay. Dismissal is absolutely prohibited during maternity leave and for 10 weeks after the employee returns. From July 2026, a new supplementary birth leave (congé supplémentaire de naissance) adds up to two months of additional paid leave per parent at 70% of net salary for the first month and 60% for the second.
Read ArticleThe EU Inc proposal lets founders incorporate across Europe in 48 hours for under €100. That is a genuine breakthrough for corporate law. But it does not harmonise employment law, payroll, social security, or termination rules. This editorial breaks down what EU Inc means for every segment of the global hiring industry: EOR providers, multi-country payroll platforms, PEOs, staffing agencies, immigration firms, and employment law advisors. Includes a 5-country comparison table proving the employment layer stays exactly the same regardless of how you incorporate. The winners are not who you think.
Read Article
We independently rank EOR providers based on their actual performance in France. The Best EOR in France guide evaluates providers across pricing transparency, local entity ownership, onboarding speed, in-country support and contract compliance.
France has some of the highest employer social charges in Europe. The EOR you choose needs genuine local expertise to navigate the Code du Travail, mandatory collective agreements and the complexities of French payroll. Providers with their own SAS or SARL in France consistently handle these better than those using third-party partners.
When you hire in France, the 35-hour workweek, mandatory collective agreements and some of Europe's highest employer social charges create a cost and compliance burden that requires genuine local expertise. Every figure below can be modified upward by the applicable convention collective.
|
Topic |
Value |
Note |
|
Minimum Wage (SMIC) |
€12.02/hour |
From January 2026 (€1,823/month gross for 35 hours/week). Indexed annually to inflation. |
|
Probation Period |
2-4 months |
Renewable once. 2 months for workers/employees, 3 months for technicians, 4 months for cadres. |
|
Standard Working Hours |
35 hours/week |
Legal maximum 48 hours/week, 44 hours averaged over 12 weeks. Overtime at 125-150%. |
|
Paid Annual Leave |
25 days minimum |
2.5 working days per month worked. Many collective agreements add extra days (RTT) to compensate for working beyond 35 hours. |
|
Notice Period |
1-3 months |
1 month for workers, 2 months for technicians, 3 months for cadres. Collective agreements can extend. |
|
13th Salary |
Not statutory |
Common in practice. Many collective agreements require a “13eme mois” or equivalent year-end bonus. |
|
Sick Leave |
3-day waiting period |
Social Security pays 50% of daily wage from day 4. Many collective agreements require employer top-up to full salary. |
|
Maternity Leave |
16-26 weeks |
16 weeks for first two children, 26 weeks from third child. New Additional Birth Leave (1-2 months per parent) from July 2026. |
Good to Know: France’s RTT (Reduction du Temps de Travail) system gives many employees additional days off beyond the 25-day minimum. When a company’s internal working hours exceed 35/week (commonly 37 or 39 hours), employees accrue RTT days to compensate, typically 8-12 extra days per year. Cadres on forfait jours agreements work up to 218 days per year instead of tracking hours, but must respect 11 hours of daily rest and 35 hours of weekly rest. The mutuelle (complementary health insurance) is mandatory: employers must provide it and pay at least 50% of the premium. Most collective agreements require higher employer contributions. Meal vouchers (titres-restaurant) are not mandatory but are near-universal, with the employer contributing 50-60% of the face value (tax-exempt up to €7.18/day in 2026). The rupture conventionnelle (mutual termination) is the most common way to end employment in France, used in over 500,000 cases per year. From 2026, the employer surcharge on these payments is 40%.
When you hire in France, total employer social charges of 25-45% make it one of the most expensive markets in Europe. The wide range exists because significant reductions (allegements Fillon) apply to salaries below 1.6x SMIC, making lower-paid roles substantially cheaper as a percentage of gross than cadre-level positions.
| Employer Contributions | |
| Contribution | Employer Rate |
| Health Insurance (Assurance Maladie) | 7.0-13.0% |
| Old-Age Pension (Assurance Vieillesse) | 8.55% + 2.02% |
| Family Allowances (Allocations Familiales) | 3.45-5.25% |
| Unemployment Insurance (Assurance Chomage) | 4.05% |
| Supplementary Pension (AGIRC-ARRCO) | 4.72% + 12.95% |
| Accident Insurance (AT/MP) | 0.9-6.0% |
| Other Levies (CSA, FNAL, transport) | 2-4% |
| Total Employer Cost | ~25 – 45% |
| Employee Taxes | |
| Tax / Contribution | Employee Rate |
| Income Tax (Impot sur le revenu) | 0% to 45% |
| CSG (Contribution Sociale Generalisee) | 9.2% |
| CRDS (Contribution de la Dette Sociale) | 0.5% |
| Old-Age Pension (employee share) | 6.9% + 0.4% |
| Supplementary Pension (AGIRC-ARRCO) | 3.15% + 8.64% |
| Unemployment (employee share) | 0% |
| Long-term Care (employee share) | 0.13% |
Total employer cost in France typically runs 1.25x to 1.45x of gross salary, making it one of the most expensive hiring markets in Europe. For a €50,000 gross salary, budget approximately €62,000 to €72,000 in total employer cost. The wide range depends on salary level (reductions apply below certain SMIC thresholds), industry-specific accident insurance rates, and collective agreement obligations.
France has 11 public holidays observed nationwide. Alsace-Moselle (Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, Moselle) observes 2 additional holidays.
|
Date |
Holiday |
|
January 1 |
New Year’s Day (Jour de l’An) |
|
April 6 |
Easter Monday (Lundi de Paques) |
|
May 1 |
Labour Day (Fete du Travail) |
|
May 8 |
Victory in Europe Day (Victoire 1945) |
|
May 14 |
Ascension Day (Ascension) |
|
May 25 |
Whit Monday (Lundi de Pentecote) |
|
July 14 |
Bastille Day (Fete Nationale) |
|
August 15 |
Assumption of Mary (Assomption) |
|
November 1 |
All Saints’ Day (Toussaint) |
|
November 11 |
Armistice Day (Armistice 1918) |
|
December 25 |
Christmas Day (Noel) |
Good to Know: May 1 (Labour Day) is the only French public holiday where employers are legally required to give a paid day off. All other holidays are observed in practice but employers can technically require work (except where the collective agreement says otherwise). In 2026, Ascension Day (May 14, Thursday) creates a popular pont (bridge day) where many employees take Friday May 15 off. August 15 falls on a Saturday, meaning employees lose that holiday. Alsace-Moselle observes two additional holidays: Good Friday (April 3) and St Stephen’s Day (December 26). The Journee de Solidarite (Solidarity Day, usually Whit Monday) requires employees to work one extra unpaid day per year to fund elderly care, though many companies absorb this cost.
Use the Employsome EOR Comparison Tool to filter providers by France coverage, pricing, entity type and supported services. Over 130 EOR providers compared side by side.
