Business · Employer of record
Employer of record in France
Employing someone in France through an employer of record: employer charges, the SMIC after its June 2026 rise, 5 weeks' leave, the 35-hour week, probation, notice, severance and the French-language contract rule.
Checked on 16 October 2026. The headline rules for a standard employee, from official sources where they opened and law firm, PwC or specialist publisher guides where they didn't; each line names its source. Sectors, collective agreements and contracts can change them. This is general information, not legal advice.
Know this first
- Hiring directly without a French base means registering with Urssaf's foreign companies service; with an employer of record, the provider is the employer.
- The employer must offer collective top-up health cover (a mutuelle), with some exceptions.
- Sector collective agreements often improve on the law for probation, notice, severance, bonuses and sick pay, so find out which one applies.
Sources: Urssaf, foreign companies service, Code du travail numérique, health cover, January 2026
Employing someone in France
- Employer costs on top of salary
- Roughly 42% to 45% for a non-manager paid below the social security ceiling at a firm with 11 to 49 staff, by our sum of the official 2026 rates: about 39.6% in contributions, plus training, transport, accident and health-cover costs that vary by employer. Lower pay costs less because of reduced rates. Several contributions stop at the ceiling (PASS), €4,005 a month or €48,060 a year in 2026. Managers (cadres) add a small APEC levy. CLEISS, French contribution rates at 1 January 2026, Éditions Tissot, payroll changes, January 2026
- Minimum wage
- The SMIC is €12.31 an hour gross, €1,867.02 a month for 35 hours, from 1 June 2026. It was €12.02 and €1,823.03 from 1 January. French government, SMIC from 1 June 2026, French government, SMIC from 1 January 2026
- Holiday
- 2.5 working days (counting Saturdays) per month worked: 5 weeks a year. 11 public holidays, which can be worked or taken off; pay rules differ for 1 May. Code du travail numérique, paid leave, Code du travail, art. L3133-1, Code du travail numérique, public holidays
- Working hours
- The legal full-time week is 35 hours. The limits are 48 hours in any week, 44 on average over 12 weeks, and 10 a day unless an exception applies. Service-public.fr, working hours (2016 copy)
- Probation
- For permanent contracts: 2 months for workers and employees, 3 for supervisors and technicians, 4 for managers (cadres). It can be renewed once, only if a sector agreement allows it, up to 4, 6 or 8 months in total. Code du travail, art. L1221-19, Code du travail, art. L1221-21
- Notice from the employer
- 1 month with 6 months' to 2 years' service, 2 months after 2 years; none for gross misconduct. A collective agreement, the contract or local custom can give more. Code du travail, art. L1234-1
- Severance
- After 8 months' service: a quarter of a month's pay per year for the first 10 years, and a third of a month's pay per year after that, with part years counted by whole months. The collective agreement applies if it gives more. Code du travail, art. R1234-2, Code du travail, art. R1234-1, Code du travail numérique, length of service, July 2026
- Extra pay the law requires
- We found no legal requirement for a 13th month or holiday bonus. Collective agreements often add bonuses, so check the one that applies to the job. Code du travail numérique, monthly pay
- Contract
- A written contract must be in French, with a translation into the employee's language if they ask. A permanent full-time contract doesn't have to be written, but fixed-term and part-time contracts do. Code du travail, art. L1221-3, Code du travail numérique, written contracts, May 2026
- Payroll and tax
- Paid monthly. The employer withholds income tax at the rate the tax office sends, and declares it each month with social contributions through the DSN. Code du travail numérique, monthly pay, impots.gouv.fr, withholding at source
- Sick pay
- Social security pays daily benefits. After a year's service the employer tops them up to 90% and then 66% of gross pay, for periods that grow with service. Code du travail numérique, sick pay
Providers and what they say about France
What each provider's own website says about France, in order of its published starting price. None of them publishes a separate price for France; the starting prices are worldwide or regional (Papaya quotes EUR 650 in Europe), and what you pay is set by quote.
| Provider | Covers France? | What it says | Starting price a month | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skuad | Yes, on its own site | Listed in its coverage list | From USD 199 | Go to Skuad |
| Pebl (formerly Velocity Global) | Has its own page for it | - | USD 399 | Go to Pebl (formerly Velocity Global) |
| Multiplier | Has its own page for it | - | From USD 459 (annual), USD 499 monthly | Go to Multiplier |
| Deel | Yes, on its own site | Says it has its own entity | From USD 599 | Go to Deel |
| Remote | Yes, on its own site | Says it has its own entity | From USD 599 | Go to Remote |
| G-P (Globalization Partners) | Not stated | - | From USD 599 | Go to G-P (Globalization Partners) |
| Atlas HXM | Yes, on its own site | - | From USD 599 | Go to Atlas HXM |
| Papaya Global | Not stated | - | From USD 650 (EUR 650 in Europe) | Go to Papaya Global |
| Oyster | Not stated | - | From USD 699 | Go to Oyster |
| Rippling | Not stated | Says 80 countries, with no list | Quote only | Go to Rippling |
Coverage is each company's own claim, from its country pages and coverage lists; we haven't checked how each one employs there. Ask whether it uses its own company or a partner in France.
Other countries
Employer costs, leave, notice, severance and the catches, with the providers that cover each one.
United KingdomIrelandGermanyNetherlandsSwedenSwitzerlandBelgiumSpainPortugalItalyPolandRomaniaCanadaAustraliaSingaporeJapanIndiaPhilippinesSouth AfricaMexicoBrazilColombiaChileArgentina
All 25 countries side by side: employer cost at your salary, holiday, notice and redundancy pay