How to hire employees in France (2026)

You can register a French company, typically a Société par Actions Simplifiée (SAS) or SASU. This gives you full control over employment, contracts, and the applicable collective bargaining agreement. The process involves registration with the Greffe du Tribunal de Commerce, obtaining a SIRET number, registering with URSSAF as an employer, opening a French bank account, and establishing payroll infrastructure. Expect the full process to take three to six months and cost €15,000-€40,000 before you employ anyone.

This route makes sense when you are building a large, permanent team in France. For smaller teams or market testing, the cost and complexity are hard to justify.

An Employer of Record legally employs workers on your behalf through a compliant French employment structure. You retain full control over the employee’s day-to-day work. The EOR handles contracts, payroll, social security contributions, benefits, and compliance.

In France, most EOR providers operate through portage salarial, a regulated employment framework that provides workers with full statutory rights. Portage salarial arrangements are capped at 36 months. Some providers use their own French entity instead, which avoids this time limit.

This is the fastest route to hiring in France. Most providers can onboard an employee within one to two weeks. For a comparison of providers, see our guide to the best Employer of Record providers in France.

You can work with self-employed professionals (auto-entrepreneurs or freelancers operating through portage salarial). This is appropriate for genuinely independent, project-based work. It is not appropriate for people who work exclusively for your company, follow your schedule, and report into your management structure. France takes misclassification seriously, and reclassification by the authorities means back-payment of social contributions, penalties, and potential criminal liability.

The CDI is France’s standard employment contract and the legal default. It has no fixed end date. It can only be terminated through resignation, mutual agreement (rupture conventionnelle), dismissal for cause, or economic redundancy. Each of these termination routes has specific procedural requirements.

If you are hiring someone for an ongoing role, a CDI is almost always the correct contract type.

The CDD is a fixed-term contract that can only be used in specific, legally defined circumstances. These include replacing an absent employee, a temporary increase in business activity, seasonal work, and certain other situations listed in the Code du Travail. You cannot use a CDD simply because you want a trial period or flexibility.

CDD contracts have strict rules on maximum duration (generally 18 months, including renewals), the number of permitted renewals (two), and mandatory waiting periods between successive CDD contracts for the same position. A CDD that does not meet the legal requirements will be reclassified as a CDI by a labour court.

All French employment contracts must be in writing and in French. They must include the job title, description of duties, salary, working hours, the applicable collective bargaining agreement, probationary period (if any), notice periods, and the workplace location. For CDD contracts, the specific legal grounds justifying the fixed-term arrangement must be stated.

Employer social contributions total approximately 42-45% of gross salary. These cover health and maternity insurance, old-age pension, supplementary pension (AGIRC-ARRCO), unemployment insurance, family allowances, workplace accident insurance, and several smaller levies. The exact rate varies by salary level, company size, and collective bargaining agreement.

The monthly social security ceiling (PMSS) for 2026 is €4,005. Some contributions are capped at this ceiling, while others apply to the full salary.

On top of social contributions, employers must provide mutuelle health insurance (covering at least 50% of the premium), reimburse 50% of the employee’s public transport pass, and comply with any additional requirements from the applicable collective bargaining agreement. Some agreements require meal vouchers (titres-restaurant), 13th-month salary, or enhanced leave entitlements.

The SMIC increased to €12.02 per hour gross on 1 January 2026, equating to €1,823.03 per month for a standard 35-hour workweek. Many collective bargaining agreements set minimum salaries above the SMIC for specific roles and experience levels.

For an employee on a gross annual salary of €60,000, total employer costs typically reach €87,000-€90,000 once you add social contributions, mutuelle, and other mandatory costs. Use the Boundless employment cost calculator to model the full cost at any salary level before making an offer.

France’s legal working week is 35 hours. Hours beyond 35 are overtime, compensated at 125% for hours 36-43 and 150% beyond that. Many companies negotiate different arrangements through collective bargaining agreements, including annualised working time or RTT (Réduction du Temps de Travail) days that give employees additional time off in exchange for slightly longer standard weeks.

Employees are entitled to 25 working days (five weeks) of paid annual leave per year, plus 11 public holidays (13 in Alsace-Moselle). Many collective bargaining agreements provide additional leave beyond this statutory minimum.

Maternity leave in France is 16 weeks (six before the due date, ten after) for the first two children, extending to 26 weeks from the third child. Paternity leave is 25 calendar days plus the three-day birth leave. The LFSS 2026 introduced a new birth leave of one or two months per parent, available from 1 July 2026 for children born or adopted from 1 January 2026. This is taken after existing maternity or paternity leave is exhausted.

Employees on sick leave receive daily allowances from the Sécurité Sociale after a three-day waiting period, typically covering 50% of their daily salary up to a ceiling. Many collective bargaining agreements require the employer to top up sick pay to a higher level, sometimes maintaining full salary for a specified period depending on length of service.

French employees expect a well-rounded benefits package. Common additional benefits include meal vouchers (titres-restaurant, typically split 50-60% employer and 40-50% employee), supplementary health insurance beyond the mandatory mutuelle, and profit-sharing schemes. Companies with 50 or more employees must establish a works council (Comité Social et Économique, or CSE) and may be required to implement profit-sharing (participation) or voluntary profit-sharing (intéressement). For a detailed breakdown, see our guide to employee benefits in France.

Confirm your employment structure (entity, EOR, or contractor). If using an EOR, select your provider. If setting up an entity, complete registration with the Greffe, URSSAF, and your bank before attempting to hire.

Agree on salary, role, start date, and benefits. Factor in the full employer cost (gross salary plus 42-45% social contributions plus mandatory benefits) when setting the budget. A good EOR or payroll advisor will help you model the total cost before you commit.

Prepare a compliant French-language contract that includes all mandatory clauses. If you are using an EOR, the provider drafts the contract. If you have your own entity, work with a French employment lawyer or HR specialist to ensure compliance.

Before the employee starts, file the Déclaration Préalable à l’Embauche (DPAE) with URSSAF. This is a mandatory pre-employment declaration that must be submitted no earlier than eight days and no later than the day before the start date. Register the employee for social security and enrol them in mutuelle health insurance.

Set up payroll, provide the signed contract, and complete any administrative requirements. On the relationship side, introduce them to the team, arrange equipment, and cover your internal onboarding process. If the employee is a non-EU national, ensure their work authorisation is in place before they start.

Each month, process payroll including income tax withholding (prélèvement à la source), employer and employee social contributions, and DSN filing with URSSAF. Issue a compliant French pay slip. Track working time, manage leave entitlements, and stay current with legislative changes. For a full overview of French payroll mechanics, see our guide to payroll in France.