In short:
- On sick leave in France, the employee informs the employer without delay and sends part 3 of the sick note. The health insurance fund must receive parts 1 and 2 within 48 hours.
- Social security pays daily allowances equal to 50% of the basic daily wage, after 3 waiting days.
- With at least 1 year of service, the employer tops up these allowances from the 8th day: to 90%, then to two thirds of gross pay.
- Since 1 September 2026, a first paid sick note is limited to 31 days per prescription and each extension to 62 days, unless medically justified.
Sick leave in France: the employee’s steps
Sick leave (arrêt maladie) involves steps with two parties: the employer and the social security body (CPAM or, in agriculture, MSA). These rules come from the Service-Public guide checked on 1 September 2026.
| Recipient | Document | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Employer | Part 3 of the sick note | Inform without delay. Without a deadline in the collective agreement, the custom is 48 hours |
| CPAM or MSA | Parts 1 and 2 | 48 hours |
The employer can be informed by any means, orally or in writing (email, text message). An employee with several employers must inform each of them.
In many cases, especially after a remote consultation, the doctor transmits parts 1 and 2 to the fund electronically. The employee then only receives part 3, which they send to their employer.
Who can prescribe sick leave
Any doctor can prescribe sick leave, not only the regular doctor (médecin traitant): an emergency doctor, a specialist or a doctor on call. In some cases, a midwife or a dental surgeon can also issue a sick note, within their field.
The secure paper form
When the sick note is on paper, only the secure Cerfa form no. 10170*08, with a holographic label, is accepted. Since 1 September 2025, old forms, photocopies and scans are no longer accepted.
The new maximum prescription periods
Since 1 September 2026, the length of each prescription is limited when it gives entitlement to daily allowances.
| Prescription | Maximum length |
|---|---|
| Initial sick note | 31 days |
| Each extension | 62 days |
| Sick note prescribed by remote consultation | 3 days in principle, with exceptions (regular doctor, their replacement, referring midwife) |
These limits apply to one prescription, not to the total length of the leave. The doctor can prescribe a longer period if they justify it on the prescription.
An extension is in principle prescribed by the regular doctor or by the doctor who issued the initial sick note. The employee sends the new part 3 to the employer, the custom being to do so within 48 hours.
Penalties for late or missing sick notes
- Towards the employer: failing to inform them or to send the sick note can lead to disciplinary action, up to dismissal. Unjustified absence can be a real and serious ground for dismissal.
- Towards the fund: a first late sending leads to a warning. If another late sending occurs within 2 years, daily allowances can be cut by 50% between the prescription date and the sending date.
- Sick note received after it ends: since 1 January 2026, allowances can be cut by 100% for the whole period concerned.
No reduction applies if the employee proves a hospital stay or that it was impossible to send the sick note within 48 hours.
Social security daily allowances
Conditions for the first 6 months
To be paid during the first 6 months of leave, the employee must meet one of the following conditions on the day the leave starts:
- have worked at least 150 hours over the previous 3 calendar months or 90 days;
- have paid contributions, over the previous 6 calendar months, on pay of at least 1,015 times the hourly minimum wage (Smic).
Beyond 6 months, the employee needs at least 12 months of affiliation and 600 hours of work over the previous 12 months, or contributions on at least 2,030 times the hourly Smic. These conditions apply to full-time and part-time work alike.
The amount
Daily allowances equal 50% of the basic daily wage. For an employee paid monthly, the basic daily wage is the total of the last 3 gross monthly salaries divided by 91.25.
| Step | Example from the official guide |
|---|---|
| Gross salary over the last 3 months | 3 × €2,000 = €6,000 |
| Basic daily wage | €6,000 / 91.25 = €65.75 |
| Daily allowance | €65.75 × 50% = €32.87 |
The salary taken into account is capped at 1.4 times the Smic. According to the guide checked on 1 June 2026, the allowance cannot exceed 42.97 euros gross per day. As the cap is linked to the Smic, this amount changes with it.
Waiting days and payment
- Waiting period: 3 days, applied to each sick leave. For leave starting on 1 July, allowances are paid from 4 July.
- Exceptions: no new waiting period if the return to work between two sick leaves lasted no more than 48 hours, or for successive sick leaves linked to a long-term condition (ALD).
- Days paid: every calendar day, including Saturdays and Sundays.
- Frequency: payment every 14 days.
- Maximum length: 12 months of allowances per period of 3 consecutive years, or 3 years for a long-term condition.
The employer’s pay top-up
On top of daily allowances, the employer pays a top-up when the employee meets all of the following conditions:
- at least 1 year of service in the company;
- medical certificate sent to the employer within 48 hours;
- being covered by a social security scheme that gives entitlement to daily allowances;
- receiving care in France or in a European Economic Area country;
- not being a homeworker, or a seasonal, intermittent or temporary worker.
This top-up starts on the 8th day of leave, after a 7-day waiting period, unless a collective agreement or company agreement is more favourable. It brings pay up to 90% of the gross pay the employee would have received, then to two thirds.
| Length of service | Maximum length | Of which at 90% | Of which at 66.66% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 5 years | 60 days | 30 days | 30 days |
| 6 to 10 years | 80 days | 40 days | 40 days |
| 11 to 15 years | 100 days | 50 days | 50 days |
| 16 to 20 years | 120 days | 60 days | 60 days |
| 21 to 25 years | 140 days | 70 days | 70 days |
| 26 to 30 years | 160 days | 80 days | 80 days |
| 31 years or more | 180 days | 90 days | 90 days |
Days already paid by the employer during the previous 12 months are deducted. The amount paid by the employer is obtained by deducting the social security daily allowances and, where applicable, the benefits from an employer-funded provident scheme. The collective agreement can provide more, for example full pay.
The employee’s duties during sick leave
- Follow the doctor’s prescriptions.
- Accept the medical checks organised by the employer or by social security.
- Respect the ban on going out or the authorised hours for going out.
- Refrain from any activity, unless authorised by the regular doctor.
If these duties are not met, daily allowances are suspended. Unauthorised paid work also exposes the employee to a financial penalty.
Going out
| Doctor’s indication | What it means |
|---|---|
| Going out forbidden | The employee stays at home |
| Going out authorised | Compulsory presence at home from 9 am to 11 am and from 2 pm to 4 pm, every day, including weekends and public holidays |
| Unrestricted going out | No time constraint, justified by medical information on the sick note |
Medical care and tests remain possible during the compulsory hours, provided they can be proven. A stay at another address is stated on part 1 of the sick note. Travelling abroad can prevent payment of allowances and should be arranged with the fund.
Checks during sick leave
By social security
The fund can carry out an administrative check, to verify presence at home during the hours when going out is banned, or a medical check by its medical adviser. The employee is not warned in advance. To challenge the decision, the employee refers it to the amicable appeals board (commission de recours amiable) within 2 months of notification.
By the employer: the counter-examination
An employer who pays a pay top-up can have a counter-examination (contre-visite) carried out by an independent doctor of its choice. This doctor decides whether the sick leave, including its length, is justified. The visit can take place at home without warning, outside the authorised hours for going out, or at the doctor’s surgery after a summons.
According to the guide checked on 17 August 2026, these rules also apply in Alsace-Moselle since 27 June 2026.
What sick leave changes for the employer
- Report the sick leave through an event report in the DSN (déclaration sociale nominative).
- Check entitlement to the pay top-up: length of service, sending within 48 hours, collective agreement.
- Maintain complementary health cover: company health insurance remains due to an employee receiving allowances while the contract is suspended.
- Track leave balances: during sick leave for a non-work-related illness, the employee keeps earning paid leave, up to 2 working days per month.
Three practical situations
- An employee off sick for 5 days, with 3 years of service: social security pays from the 4th day. As the employer’s statutory top-up only starts on the 8th day, he receives none, unless the collective agreement is more favourable.
- An employee off sick for 20 days, with 8 years of service: she receives daily allowances from the 4th day and the employer’s top-up from the 8th day, at 90% of her gross pay.
- An employee whose paper sick note is a photocopy: since 1 September 2025, the fund no longer accepts it. Only a paper sick note on the secure form is valid, unless the doctor transmits parts 1 and 2 electronically.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly must a sick note be sent in France?
The employee informs the employer without delay and sends them part 3 of the sick note. Unless the collective agreement or a company agreement sets a deadline, the custom is to do so within 48 hours. Parts 1 and 2 are sent to the CPAM or MSA within 48 hours, unless the doctor transmits them electronically.
How many waiting days apply to sick leave in France?
Social security pays daily allowances after a waiting period of 3 days, applied to each sick leave. The employer’s statutory pay top-up starts on the 8th day of leave, unless a collective agreement or company agreement is more favourable.
How are sick leave daily allowances calculated in France?
They equal 50% of the basic daily wage. For an employee paid monthly, this is the total of the last 3 gross monthly salaries divided by 91.25. The salary taken into account is capped at 1.4 times the minimum wage (Smic). According to the Service-Public guide checked on 1 June 2026, allowances cannot exceed 42.97 euros gross per day.
Can an employee on sick leave leave home in France?
It depends on what the doctor has stated. Going out can be forbidden, allowed with compulsory presence at home from 9 am to 11 am and from 2 pm to 4 pm, including weekends and public holidays, or unrestricted. Medical care and tests remain possible during the compulsory hours.
Sources
- Service-Public, Arrêt maladie : démarches à effectuer par le salarié, guide checked on 1 September 2026, consulted on 14 October 2026.
- Service-Public, Arrêt maladie : indemnités journalières versées au salarié, guide checked on 1 June 2026, consulted on 14 October 2026.
- Service-Public, Un salarié en arrêt maladie peut-il sortir de son domicile ?, guide checked on 27 April 2026, consulted on 14 October 2026.
- Service-Public, Contrôle d’un salarié en arrêt de travail : quelles sont les règles ?, guide checked on 17 August 2026, consulted on 14 October 2026.