Statutory notice period
The minimum notice an employer must give. Contracts and collective agreements can lengthen it and only rarely shorten it, and the tenure bands are where cross-border assumptions usually go wrong.
Employer notice for indefinite contracts under the Labour Code, floors only; collective agreements, the contract and local custom apply where more favourable. No notice is owed on dismissal for serious misconduct.
| Service | Employer notice |
|---|---|
| Under 6 months of service | set by collective agreement or custom |
| 6 months to under 2 years | 1 month |
| 2 years or more | 2 months |
Source: Article L1234-1, Code du travail, Légifrance, Direction de l'information légale et administrative. Checked on 2026-07-27.
Minimum paid annual leave
The statutory floor for paid holiday. The counting basis matters as much as the number, since some laws count a six-day week and others count working days or calendar weeks.
30 working days per year, counted on a six-day week, equivalent to 25 days on a five-day week, accruing at 2.5 days per month.
Jours ouvrables count Monday to Saturday. Public holidays sit outside the entitlement.
Source: Article L3141-3, Code du travail, Légifrance, Direction de l'information légale et administrative. Checked on 2026-07-27.
Probation limit
The longest trial period the law allows an employer to agree, together with the notice that applies while it runs.
| Group | Initial maximum | With renewal |
|---|---|---|
| Manual and clerical employees | 2 months | 4 months |
| Supervisors and technicians | 3 months | 6 months |
| Managerial staff (cadres) | 4 months | 8 months |
Notice while it runs: on the employer's side, from 24 hours' warning in the first week of presence up to 1 month after 3 months.
Applies only if agreed in the contract. Renewal, once, is possible only where an extended branch agreement provides for it.
Source: Section 4 : Période d'essai, articles L1221-19 à L1221-26, Code du travail, Légifrance, Direction de l'information légale et administrative. Checked on 2026-07-27.
Employer social contributions
What the employer pays on top of gross salary into statutory schemes. Some countries charge a percentage of pay, others charge flat amounts, and a single headline rate hides caps, regional rules and industry-rated items.
Figures apply for 2026.
| Scheme | Rate, per cent of pay | Charged on |
|---|---|---|
| Health, maternity, invalidity and death insuranceA reduced rate of 7 applies for employers eligible for the general reduction, on pay up to a frozen multiple of the minimum wage. | 13 | the whole salary, with no ceiling |
| Solidarity autonomy contribution (CSA) | 0.3 | the whole salary, with no ceiling |
| Old-age insurance, capped share | 8.55 | pay up to 4,005 EUR per month |
| Old-age insurance, uncapped shareRaised at the start of 2026. | 2.11 | the whole salary, with no ceiling |
| Family allowancesA reduced rate of 3.45 applies for employers eligible for the general reduction, on pay up to a frozen multiple of the minimum wage. | 5.25 | the whole salary, with no ceiling |
| Unemployment insurance | 4 | pay up to 16,020 EUR per month |
| Wage guarantee scheme (AGS) | 0.25 | pay up to 16,020 EUR per month |
| Complementary pension, Agirc-Arrco, band one | 4.72 | pay up to 4,005 EUR per month |
| General equilibrium contribution (CEG), band one | 1.29 | pay up to 4,005 EUR per month |
| Complementary pension, Agirc-Arrco, band twoApplies only to the slice of pay above the ceiling. | 12.95 | pay between 4,005 and 32,040 EUR per month |
| General equilibrium contribution (CEG), band two | 1.62 | pay between 4,005 and 32,040 EUR per month |
| Workplace accident insuranceThe rate is set per employer by activity and size. | varies | the whole salary |
| Housing fund (Fnal)0.10 up to the monthly ceiling below fifty employees; 0.50 on the whole salary at fifty or more. | varies | |
| Sum of the shares aboveEmployer shares that apply from the first euro of a typical salary up to the monthly ceiling, at standard rates, before reduced-rate bands, the general degressive reduction and the variable items above. | 39.47 |
The general degressive reduction cuts the employer bill substantially on pay below three times the minimum wage. Training and apprenticeship levies, the transport levy, the dialogue-social micro-levy, the equilibrium contributions above four ceilings and the Apec contribution for managerial staff are further employer costs not shown.
Source: Taux de cotisations de sécurité sociale et de chômage en France, au 1er janvier 2026, Cleiss, Centre des liaisons européennes et internationales de sécurité sociale; Ce qu'il faut savoir au 1er janvier 2026, Urssaf. Checked on 2026-07-27.