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Leave in France
Maternity, paternity, and parental leave in France
Adoption leave in France
Other leave in France
Public holidays in France
Protect your employees and your business
Leave and time off in France
Employees in France have the right to time off work in various circumstances. For example, all employees are entitled to at least five weeks of paid vacation every year. This is the case for full-time, part-time, permanent, and fixed-term employees. Employees are also entitled to time off if they become too sick to work. In France, this is paid through the social security system and not by the employer.
Understanding the complexities of unpaid and paid leave in France is an important part of preparing to hire French employees. In this section, we’ll take you through the rules that apply to annual leave, sick leave, maternity, paternity, and parental leave. We’ll also discuss public holidays and some other types of paid leave in France you might come across as an employer.
Leave in France
In most countries, employees are entitled to a certain amount of time off each year to go on holiday or simply recharge. Here’s how that system works in France.
Annual leave in France
All employees in France are entitled to paid annual leave each year, whether they are employed on a CDI (permanent contract) or CDD (fixed-term contract) and whether they work full-time or part-time hours. Full-time employees accrue leave at the rate of 2.5 working days per month, amounting to a total of five weeks’ leave (Saturdays are counted as working days). When an employee’s leave entitlement is a fraction, it should be rounded up to the nearest whole day.
Accruing and using annual leave in France
Employees accrue annual leave from 1 June of one year to 31 May of the next year, unless their collective bargaining agreement says otherwise. They must take their ‘main’ period of leave between 1 May and 31 October. This main leave must be a minimum of two weeks and can be up to four weeks. It’s typically taken in July or (more commonly) August.
If an employee chooses not to take all of their main leave (four weeks out of the total five weeks) during this period, they are entitled to additional leave. If they take 3–5 days of their main leave outside of the 1 May to 31 October period, they are entitled to one additional working day of leave. If they take six or more days outside of the main period, they are entitled to two days of additional leave. Many collective bargaining agreements have specific rules for splitting leave in this way.
Additional annual leave in France
Annual leave in France is calculated based on a 35-hour work week, which is classed as full-time work in France. When employees work more hours than this in a week, they are entitled to a ‘reduction of working time’ (reduction du temps de travail or RTT) of up to two days per month. This functions as additional holiday leave that can be added to their standard five-week entitlement.
Carrying forward annual leave in France
It is generally possible for employees to carry forward annual leave in France, though it is not mandatory for employers to allow this practice. Often, employees can carry over some leave but lose any leave that has not been taken by 31 May of the following year. RTT days cannot be carried forward.
Sick leave in France
Employees in France are entitled to sick leave when they are ill. This is unpaid by the employer, but employees receive a benefit amounting to 50% of their daily earnings (up to a cap of EUR 53.31 per day) through the social security system. Some collective bargaining agreements require employees to top up this payment, so the employee continues to receive their normal wages.
Employees must meet certain conditions to receive sick pay from the social security system. Specifically, they must meet at least one of the following conditions:
- Have worked at least 150 hours during the three months before the leave.
- Have made social security contributions on earnings of at least 1,015 times the legal hourly minimum wage in the six months before the leave (EUR 12,058.20 in 2025).
If an employee meets these standards, they can get sick leave paid by social security for up to six months. To continue receiving sick pay after six months, the employee must meet at least one of the following requirements:
- Have worked at least 600 hours in the year before the sick leave.
- Made social security contributions for at least a year before the leave.
- Made social security contributions on income of at least 2,030 times the hourly minimum wage the year before the leave (EUR 24,116.40 in 2025).
Maternity, paternity, and parental leave in France
Employees in France are entitled to time off work when they or their partner have a baby. Here’s everything you need to know about maternity and paternity leave in France.
Maternity leave in France
Mothers in France are entitled to up to 16 weeks of maternity leave: six weeks before the birth and ten weeks after the birth. This can be extended to 26 weeks when expecting a third child, 34 weeks when having twins, and 46 weeks when expecting triplets or more. It can also be further extended if the mother is unwell.
Paternity leave in France
Fathers in France are entitled to three working days of leave immediately following the birth of their child, during which time they continue to be paid by their employer. After this, they can take up to 25 calendar days of paternity leave, of which 4 calendar days must be taken straight away. They can choose to use their remaining 21 calendar days of leave at any time during the next six months, either in one go or split into multiple periods. In the event of multiple births, fathers are entitled to an additional seven days of paternity leave.
Pay for maternity and paternity leave in France
Maternity leave in France is typically unpaid by the employer, but employees receive a benefit through the social security system. This is based on their earnings during the three months prior to the leave, up to a cap of EUR 64.52 per calendar day in 2025. Employees are eligible for this payment as long as they have been paying into the social security system for at least six months before the due date, take at least eight weeks of maternity leave, and have worked at least 150 hours in the 90 days before the leave.
During paternity leave, employees are paid through the social security system. To qualify for paternity pay, they must have been affiliated with social security for at least 10 months prior to the birth. Employers wishing to take paternity leave in France should inform their employer at least one month in advance.
Parental leave in France
Employers in France are also entitled to up to one year of parental leave (congé parental d’éducation) upon approval of their employer, as long as they have at least one year of service at the time of the child’s birth. Alternatively, employees can use this leave to reduce their working hours to part-time. Parental leave is unpaid in France, but employees can receive a monthly allowance through the social security system.
Adoption leave in France
Employees in France are entitled to adoption leave of 16 weeks, or 22 weeks in the case of multiple adoptions. Employees who already have two or more dependent children prior to the adoption can get 18 weeks of leave. Adoption leave is extended by 25 days (or 32 days for a multiple adoption) if the two parents split the leave between them.
Like maternity and paternity leave, adoption leave in France is unpaid by the employer. However, employees can receive a benefit from the social security system based on their average income over the three months preceding the leave.
Other leave in France
Annual leave, sick leave, maternity, paternity, and parental leave are some of the most common types of leave in France. However, employees also have the right to paid and unpaid leave in various other circumstances, and it’s important to be prepared for this as an employer. Here are some of the other types of leave in France that you may come across.
Bereavement leave in France
Employees are entitled to time off in the event of the death of a close relative. The exact amount of leave they are entitled to depends on their relationship to the deceased person. For example, employees get three days’ leave for the death of a partner or other close relative, and 14 days for the death of a child. This leave is paid by the employer.
Carer’s leave in France
Employees who are parents in France are entitled to time off to care for their children if they become ill. The exact entitlement is either three or five days depending on the child’s age and how many children the employee has. This leave is unpaid. Employees are also entitled to up to a year of unpaid leave to care for a relative suffering from a severe illness, accident, or disability.
Family leave in France
Employees are entitled to paid leave for certain life events. For example, they may take three days for the birth or adoption of a child, four days for a wedding or civil union, and one day for their child’s wedding or civil union. Collective agreements may provide for leave in other circumstances.
Business creation leave in France
Employees in France are entitled to take up to a year of unpaid leave to start or take over a business, as long as they have been with their employer for at least two years. The employee must request this leave two months in advance and can renew the leave period once. Employers have the right to postpone the leave by up to six months if it will be detrimental to the company’s operations. If the company has fewer than 300 employees (and the leave would be detrimental to the company), the employer can refuse it.
Sabbatical leave in France
Employees in France can request an unpaid sabbatical leave of between six and 11 months once they have been working for their employer for at least 36 months. The employee must request this leave at least three months in advance. Employers have the right to postpone an employee’s sabbatical leave by up to nine months. Again, if they have fewer than 300 employees and can prove that the leave would be detrimental to the business, they can refuse the leave.
Public holidays in France
There are 11 public holidays each year in France. Of these, three are moveable (linked to Easter) and therefore change date each year: Easter Monday, Ascension Day, and Pentecost Monday, and they always fall on a weekday. The other holidays have fixed dates and can fall on a Saturday or Sunday; when they do, employees are not automatically entitled to an extra day off, unless a collective agreement, company agreement, or employer policy provides otherwise. The only public holiday that is, as a rule, a compulsory day off is 1 May (Labour Day) (with limited sector-based exceptions). Other holidays may be non-working days if provided for by a collective agreement, company agreement, or the employer’s policy. In practice, it is common for employers to grant time off on public holidays.
Are public holidays paid in France?
Employees with at least three months’ service must not lose pay because a public holiday is not worked (when the holiday is treated as a non-working day under the applicable rules). However, depending on the worker category and the applicable arrangements, public holidays may not be automatically paid days off for certain workers (for example, some intermittent workers, temporary agency workers, or homeworkers), unless a collective agreement or company policy provides otherwise. 1 May is treated more strictly and is generally paid and non-working (again, with limited exceptions).
Bridge holidays in France
In France, a bridge day is a working day that falls between a public holiday and a weekend (for example, if a holiday falls on a Thursday, the Friday can be a bridge day). It’s common for employees to take time off on these days. Depending on the employer’s rules and arrangements, the hours not worked may be made up later, or the employee may use a day of annual leave (or another form of authorised leave) to cover the day.
Public holidays in France
Here are the public holidays observed in France in 2026:
1 January
New Year’s Day
6 April
Easter Monday.
1 May
Labour Days
8 May
Victory Days
14 May
Ascension Day.
25 May
Pentecost Monday.
14 July
Bastille Day.
15 August
Assumption Day.
11 November
Armistice Day.
25 December
Christmas Day.
Regional public holidays in France
In Alsace and Moselle, Good Friday (3 April 2026) and 26 December (Second Day of Christmas) are also public holidays.
Protect your employees and your business
As an employer in France, you need to understand your employees’ rights and entitlements. But keeping up with them can be a lot of work.
When you hire workers with CXC, we’ll ensure your engagements are in line with all local, national and international employment regulations. That way, your workers will get their benefits they’re entitled to, and your business will be protected from risk.
FAQ's
How does paid annual leave work in France?
Employees earn 2.5 days of paid annual leave each month, reaching five weeks after a full year, and arrange dates with their employer. A leave policy in France needs to show how those days accrue, when employees may take them and how the employer approves dates. Employees can take accrued leave from the start of employment, subject to the agreed leave period and scheduling rules.
France normally counts leave across six days each week, Monday to Saturday, excluding non-working public holidays. An employer may instead count Monday to Friday working days if that gives employees at least the same entitlement. The employer calculates holiday pay using the method that gives the employee more.
A sector agreement may change when leave accrues, the scheduling process or the amount of leave. Employers set and communicate dates under the applicable agreement and must normally give each employee at least one month’s notice before their leave starts.
What is the statutory leave policy in France?
The statutory leave policy in France gives employees five weeks of paid annual leave and separate rights to time off for illness, childbirth, adoption and family events. Employees generally earn 2.5 days of annual leave per qualifying month. Maternity, paternity, adoption and parental leave each have their own duration and pay rules.
Employees may receive social security payments during sick leave and, if eligible, additional pay from their employer. Time off for family events, such as marriage or bereavement, follows different rules. Public holidays are separate from annual leave. The type of absence determines how much time an employee receives and who pays for it.
Since April 2024, employees also accrue paid annual leave during ordinary non-occupational sick leave, at a statutory rate of two working days per month, capped at 24 working days per reference year for that period of absence. Occupational accidents and occupational diseases generally generate leave at the ordinary rate of 2.5 working days per month. A convention collective nationale (CCN, national sector collective agreement) can improve these legal minimums. It may add annual leave or provide more generous sick pay, for example. Employers must check the agreement that applies to each role when setting leave and pay.
How many paid vacation days do employees get in France?
Employees in France are entitled to five weeks of paid annual leave, equivalent to 30 working days under the statutory calculation or typically 25 days for employees working a five-day week.
Annual leave generally accrues at 2.5 working days per month, and part-time employees receive the same statutory entitlement. Employees can also take accrued leave without having to complete a full year of employment first.
Employees may receive more than five weeks where additional leave is provided by their collective agreement, employment contract or company policy. Certain absences also continue to generate annual leave entitlement, including maternity and certain legally assimilated periods of absence. Ordinary full-time parental leave is not automatically treated as time worked for the accrual of new statutory annual leave. Employees on ordinary sick leave can also accrue paid annual leave, although different accrual rules apply.
Employees unable to take accrued leave because of illness or injury generally benefit from a 15-month carryover period, subject to the applicable rules governing when that period begins. Employers must inform returning employees of their outstanding leave entitlement and the deadline for using it within one month of their return.
How does sick leave work in France?
For ordinary illness, certified sick leave in France is paid through public health insurance after three waiting days, with extra employer pay for eligible staff. Employees must notify the employer and provide the medical certificate, normally within 48 hours. The employer gives the health insurance fund the pay details needed to calculate benefits.
The public insurance payment is normally 50% of a daily wage calculated from earlier pay, up to the statutory cap.
Additional sick pay required from the employer needs one year’s service and starts on the eighth day of absence. Together, the payments bring eligible pay to 90% of gross earnings for an initial period, then two-thirds. The length of each period depends on service.
A sector agreement may waive waiting days, improve the payment or cover employees with less service. Employers must check that agreement before calculating sick pay. Workplace injury and occupational illness have different waiting rules.
How long is maternity leave in France?
Standard maternity leave in France lasts 16 weeks for a single birth when the employee already has fewer than two children. Six weeks fall before the expected birth and ten afterwards. For a third or later child, the standard total is 26 weeks, split into eight before birth and 18 after it.
Where twins are expected, the entitlement is 34 weeks, normally 12 before birth and 22 afterwards. Three or more babies increase it to 46 weeks, normally 24 before and 22 after. A sector agreement may provide longer leave. Eligible employees receive maternity payments from health insurance. An agreement may also require the employer to maintain their pay.
The employee may shift part of the leave scheduled before the birth until afterwards with medical approval. Generally, up to three weeks of prenatal leave may be transferred to the postnatal period, subject to medical approval and the applicable rules. She must stop work for at least eight weeks in total, including six weeks after the birth. An early or late birth can change the return date and the employer’s cover plan.
Can maternity leave be extended in France?
Yes, maternity leave in France can be extended for pregnancy-related illness, certain premature births or a late delivery. For illness linked to pregnancy or childbirth, a medical certificate can support up to two extra weeks before the expected birth. It can also support up to four weeks afterwards. The employee submits that certificate to the health insurance fund.
If the baby arrives more than six weeks early and needs hospital care, the employee gets extra leave. It covers the time between birth and the planned start of leave before delivery.
A late birth extends the leave before delivery until the actual birth without shortening the leave afterwards. If a newborn remains in hospital for more than six weeks, the employee may postpone unused leave after birth until the baby leaves hospital.
The longer standard leave for a third child or multiple births applies separately. Employers need the revised medical dates to arrange cover and record the correct absence period.
What other types of leave are employees entitled to in France?
Employees can take several types of leave beyond annual, sick and maternity leave, including paternity, adoption, parental and family-event leave. Leave policies in France also cover additional birth leave. Since July 2026, eligible parents of children born or adopted from January 2026 can take it.
Paternity leave is normally 25 calendar days for one birth or 32 for multiple births. Employees also receive three working days of birth leave. Each eligible parent can take one or two months of additional birth leave after maternity, paternity or adoption leave. It is paid through health insurance at a percentage of net pay rather than as ordinary salary.
The additional birth leave introduced on 1 July 2026 can be divided into two separate one-month periods. Eligible parents receive social security compensation equivalent to 70% of their reference net salary for the first month and 60% for the second, subject to the applicable social security ceiling. Both parents may take their entitlement simultaneously or consecutively.
For children born or adopted between 1 January and 30 June 2026, the additional leave must begin within the transitional period ending on 31 March 2027. For children born or adopted from 1 July 2026, the relevant leave periods must generally begin within nine months of the birth or adoption. Employers must also observe the applicable notice requirements.
Separate leave covers marriage, a civil partnership or a family death. Parents can also request parental leave. Employees caring for a seriously ill child or a dependent adult may qualify for other leave. Employers record the type to apply its payment, notice and evidence rules. A sector agreement may grant more generous rights.
Do public holidays reduce annual leave in France?
No. A public holiday in France does not reduce an employee’s annual leave if it is normally a non-working day at the company. For example, if an employee takes a week of annual leave and a non-working public holiday falls during that week, the public holiday is not deducted from their vacation entitlement.
If the public holiday is normally worked at the company, however, it can be counted as a day of annual leave when the employee takes that day off.
A public holiday that falls on a day the employee would not normally work, such as a weekend for a Monday-to-Friday employee, does not generally create an additional day of annual leave.
Collective agreements may provide more favourable rules, so employers should also check the agreement covering the employee.
How do employers manage leave policies in France?
Employers in France must manage leave according to the statutory five-week entitlement, the applicable collective agreement and specific rules on when annual leave can be taken.
For annual leave, employers cannot simply approve requests on an ad hoc basis throughout the year. The main holiday period must include 1 May to 31 October, and employees must generally be able to take at least 12 consecutive working days during this period. Employers can set the order of departures, but must consider factors such as family circumstances, length of service and, where relevant, an employee’s work with another employer.
Employees must be informed of the period in which leave can be taken at least two months in advance, and their individual leave dates generally cannot be changed less than one month before departure, except in exceptional circumstances.
Collective agreements can provide additional leave or different arrangements, so employers need to apply both the statutory rules and the agreement covering their workforce.
How can CXC reduce compliance risks associated with leave management in France?
CXC helps businesses manage the France-specific leave rules that can be difficult for international HR teams to apply correctly, particularly where statutory entitlements interact with collective agreements, sickness and payroll.
As the local Employer of Record, our team checks the collective agreement covering the employee because it may provide additional leave or more favourable terms than the statutory minimum. We also help apply the correct rules for annual leave, sick leave, maternity and paternity leave, family-related leave and public holidays.
This is particularly useful when an absence affects several areas at once. For example, sick leave can involve continued annual leave accrual, French social security payments and an employer top-up under the law or collective agreement. CXC manages these requirements alongside payroll rather than leaving an overseas HR team to interpret them separately.
Speak to our team to learn more about managing employee leave in France with CXC.
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