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SMIC 2026 and working in France – contracts, hours, paid holiday and your diplomas

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

The SMIC 2026, France's minimum wage, rose mid-year to €12.31 an hour gross on 1 June. Here is what it means for your pay, plus the rules on contracts, the 35-hour week, paid holiday, sick leave and getting your foreign qualifications recognised.

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Photo: N Felix/peopleimages.com/Adobe Stock

The SMIC 2026, France's national minimum wage, has moved twice this year. It was set at €12.02 an hour gross on 1 January, and on 1 June 2026 it rose automatically by 2.41 per cent to €12.31, because consumer prices had risen at least 2 per cent since the last increase. Other 2026 changes reach you at work too: a new birth leave since 1 July and capped sick-leave certificates since 1 September.

SMIC 2026: how much is the minimum wage in France?

SMICAmount since 1 June 2026
Hourly, gross€12.31 (was €12.02)
Monthly, gross, for 35 hours a week€1,867.02 (was €1,823.03)
Monthly, netAbout €1,477.93
Yearly, gross€22,404.20
Reduced hourly rate at 17, under 6 months in the sector€11.08
Reduced hourly rate at 16 or under, under 6 months in the sector€9.85
Mayotte, hourly and monthly€9.56 and €1,449.93

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

The SMIC is revalued every 1 January, and automatically during the year whenever consumer prices have risen at least 2 per cent since the last revaluation. Prices rose 2.4 per cent in the year to August 2026, according to INSEE; no further rise had been announced by 23 September. An employer who pays less than the SMIC risks a €1,500 fine.

Most conventions collectives (collective agreements) set a sector minimum: below the SMIC, the employer tops up to the SMIC; above it, the agreement applies. INSEE puts average private-sector pay at €2,730 net a month in full-time equivalent (2024).

Which contract will you get: CDI or CDD?

The CDI (contrat à durée indéterminée, permanent contract) is the norm. A full-time CDI need not be in writing, and without a written fixed-term contract the job counts as a CDI. A written contract must be in French, and as a foreign employee you can ask for a translation into your language.

CDI (permanent)CDD (fixed-term)
When allowedThe normOnly for listed reasons, such as replacing an absent employee, a temporary increase in activity or seasonal work
In writingNot compulsory if full-timeCompulsory, in French
LengthOpen-endedGenerally at most 18 months in total; renewable at most twice
Trial period2 months for workers and employees, 3 for supervisors and technicians, 4 for managers (cadres)1 day per week, at most 2 weeks, if the contract lasts up to 6 months
At the endStatutory severance after a dismissal, from 8 months' continuous serviceA bonus of at least 10 per cent of total gross pay (6 per cent under some agreements)

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

Statutory severance is at least a quarter of a month's salary per year of service for the first 10 years and a third of a month beyond. Your convention collective can give you more than the Code du travail (Labour Code): its title must appear on your payslip, and its IDCC number lets you read it free of charge on Légifrance.

Working hours, overtime and paid holiday in France

RuleLegal standard
Legal working week35 hours – 151.67 hours a month, 1,607 a year
Maximum per day10 hours
Maximum per week48 hours in any one week; 44 on average over 12 consecutive weeks
BreakAt least 20 minutes after 6 hours' work
Overtime pay+25 per cent for hours 36 to 43, +50 per cent from the 44th, unless an agreement sets other rates (at least +10 per cent)
Overtime quota220 hours a year by default
Paid holiday2.5 working days per month worked – 30 working days (5 weeks) a year, full-time or part-time
Longest holiday in one go24 consecutive working days; main leave between 1 May and 31 October

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

If Anna, an engineer in Lyon, works 44 hours in a week, hours 36 to 43 earn 25 per cent extra and the 44th earns 50 per cent. Holiday is counted in jours ouvrables (working days), so five weeks equal 30 days, and sick leave that is not work-related now also earns up to 2 days a month.

France has 11 public holidays in 2026, but only 1 May is a compulsory paid day off for all employees; the others depend on your agreement or employer. In Alsace-Moselle – the Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin and Moselle départements – Good Friday (in communes with a Protestant temple or mixed church) and 26 December are added.

Sick leave, birth leave and employer benefits: what changed in 2026?

SinceWhat changed
27 June 2026Sick notes issued by teleconsultation: 3 days in total at most, unless your médecin traitant (regular doctor) renews them or you cannot be seen in person; doctors practising mainly abroad cannot issue them
1 July 2026Congé supplémentaire de naissance (extra birth leave): 1 or 2 months of paid leave for each parent, for children born or adopted from 1 January 2026
1 September 2026A first sick-leave certificate may not exceed 31 days and each extension 62 days, unless the doctor justifies more (not in Mayotte)

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

The birth leave comes after maternity or paternity leave and must start within 9 months of the birth. Employees receive 70 per cent of salary in the first month and 60 per cent in the second, capped at the social security ceiling of €4,005 a month in 2026.

Your employer must offer a company mutuelle (top-up health insurance) and pay at least 50 per cent of it, and must reimburse 50 per cent of your public transport season ticket (second class) for commuting. In Île-de-France, a Navigo Mois pass for all zones costs €90.80 a month in 2026. Firms with 11 or more employees must have an elected staff committee, the CSE.

Can you work in France with a foreign passport or diploma?

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens need no work authorisation. For anyone else, the employer must first obtain an autorisation de travail (work authorisation) online, unless your visa or titre de séjour (residence permit) already allows work. The job must usually be advertised with the public employment service for 3 consecutive weeks within 6 months first – except for métiers en tension (shortage occupations) or graduates paid at least €2,800.53 gross a month. The employer must also check your permit with the préfecture (prefecture) at least 2 working days before you start; part 2 covers permits.

Your diploma leads toWhat to doCost and time
A non-regulated jobYour employer judges it; you can ask ENIC-NARIC France online for an attestation de comparabilité (comparability certificate)€120, free for asylum seekers and refugees; answer within 4 months at most
A regulated profession, such as lawyer, architect, doctor, mechanic or hairdresserA recognition procedure specific to the profession, different for EU and non-EU diplomasDepends on the profession
Sports instructorThe online TREQUE serviceFree

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

The attestation is not issued for purely language diplomas. Looking for work? Register with France Travail (the public employment service, formerly Pôle emploi) online or at an agency, whatever your nationality, if you live in France and, where you need one, hold a permit that allows work. Its jobseeker line is 39 49, or +33 1 77 86 39 49 from abroad.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Compare the salary offered with the SMIC and your collective agreement minimumBefore you sign
2Ask for a translation of your contract if you need oneWhen you receive it
3Outside the EU/EEA: check your employer has the work authorisation, or your permit allows workBefore your first day
4Apply for an attestation de comparabilité for a foreign diplomaAllow up to 4 months
5Claim 50 per cent of your season ticket and join the company mutuelleIn your first month
6Plan your main holidayBetween 1 May and 31 October

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.