Payroll Outsourcing in France

• Benefit from local expertise
• Access a broad spectrum of payroll services
• Avoid legal hassles and remain compliant

Outsource Your French Payroll To Edge

France is renowned for its strong economy and close ties to other European countries. Add to this equation the high standard of living, and France makes a perfect destination for international expansion.

However, the French payroll system is very complex. The laws surrounding employee compensation, benefits, and social contributions keep getting updated that even local businesses find it hard to stay compliant. If you’re a foreign business planning to expand your operations to France or a small French business, having a partner with local payroll expertise is imperative.

At Edge, we make sure your employees receive their salaries every month along with the benefits they are entitled to. This way, you can rest assured your employees stay positive, happy, and productive. What’s more, a lack of payroll errors and regulatory compliance means no penalties and headaches. Instead, you get more time that can be used to improve your core business.

Enjoy Hassle-Free Payroll Processing

If you plan to establish your business operations in France, hiring French employees is one of the first steps you must take. Once that’s done, then comes the most important task–keeping your employees satisfied and productive. The most crucial aspect of keeping your workforce happy is paying them accurately and on time. Even if you have the best work environment and benefits, if you fail to compensate your staff, they will eventually leave you in search of better opportunities.

However, payroll processes in France are challenging, and it might take a lot of your time that could otherwise be spent improving your business functions. But worry not, Edge can help!

Local Expertise:

As a foreign organization looking to establish operations, you need a partner who knows the ins and outs of payroll services in France. Edge’s French payroll outsourcing services are aimed at helping you take each step carefully. What’s better, we speak your language so you don’t have to worry about miscommunication.

Complete Customization

Our payroll services in France can be customized to your unique business goals. Whether you are a small business with a few employees or a multinational corporation with international clients and staff across the world, we have the experience and knowledge to take care of your payroll functions.

Expert Guidance

We want to see your business succeed. So, rather than a third-party company, we work as an extension of your core team. You’ll always stay connected to our experts, who will create a unique payroll strategy for your business, taking into consideration the payroll frequency, number of employees, and end goals. Through our advisory services, we are here to guide you whenever you need us.

What Do Our France Payroll Services Include?

When you outsource payroll to us, you aren’t just handing over one single task. Instead, we will take care of a broad spectrum of payroll processing tasks to ensure your business complies with applicable taxes, laws, and local regulations. In other words, we work closely with you from when you onboard your first French employee to when you file your tax reports.

French Workforce Registration

If you are hiring new employees, French law mandates that you register them with the general Social Security scheme. But don’t worry, we can do it for you under our French payroll solutions!

Payslips Processing

At the end of every month, we calculate every employee’s payslips and make sure they are paid accurately.

Payroll Taxes & Compliance

Our payroll experts stay on top of the latest updates about French payroll rules and regulations to help you stay compliant always.

Employee Absence And Benefits

We keep a tab on absences, including holidays, sick and maternity leaves. Under our HR services, we also manage the benefits for all your staff as required by the law.

Payroll Reporting

We not only send periodic reports to you, but we also submit the DSN to social organizations as mandated by the French government.

Terminations And Resignations

An employee leaving your company is always a stressful period. But we will handle the process for you and settle the accounts accurately.

We’ll Help You Set Up Your Payroll In France

French payroll operations can be difficult, but the good news is that you can outsource it to our payroll professionals. As one of the most trusted French payroll companies, we offer customized payroll outsourcing services that perfectly align with your business needs. We also take data security seriously. We encrypt and store your employee data and other sensitive data to prevent unauthorized access. So, whether you have already registered a legal entity in France or not, reach out to us, and we can help.

Outsourcing Payroll in France: Everything You Should Know

Employment Contracts

An employment contract is mandatory when hiring employees in France. The contract should be drafted in French, but you can always translate it to your language or create a bilingual Fench-English version before signing.

Two types of employment contracts are widely used across France–fixed-term and permanent.

The Fixed-term contract mentions the start and end dates and usually lasts 18 months. Nonetheless, the duration can be extended to 24 months in certain circumstances.

A permanent employment contract doesn’t specify a specific time period. So, if an employee wants to quit or if you would like to dismiss an employee, a notice should be issued in advance, clearly mentioning a notice period. This type of contracts are used for both full-time and part-time jobs.

Foreign companies expanding their operations to France can get help drafting contracts from payroll outsourcing companies in France, regardless of whether or not you have registered a legal entity.

Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)

A lot of organizations and industries in France take the Collective Bargaining Agreements seriously. As the name suggests, it refers to how the employee and the employer can negotiate certain terms and conditions for a specific job role. This might include termination protocols, notice and trial periods, etc. CBA should be addressed before drafting a contract.

If you are new to the French market, work with your payroll outsourcing provider in France to avoid complications down the lane.

Working Hours

Organizations in France stick to a 35-hour work week, which is standardized work time. Nonetheless, in some industries, organizations have their employees 39 hours or more each week.

So, the work hours are subject to change based on the CBA. While negotiating terms with a potential candidate, the employer can discuss the work hours and have the French payroll provider include it in the contract.

During a working day, employees can get 20 minutes of break after every six hours of work. But again, this can vary depending on the CBA.

Night work is allowed in France, and the working hours range from 21:00 to 06:00. It is mandatory that an employee shouldn’t be made to work more than eight hours a day at night or 40 hours a week. In some cases, depending on a valid decree or CBA, the working duration at night is to be extended up to 44 hours. In such cases, the employees are paid extra and allowed weekly rest days.

Trial Period

A trial period doesn’t apply to fixed-term contracts, but it is mandatory for permanent employment agreements. A trial period allows employers to assess candidates’ skills and see if they would be a good fit for their organization. If they find a candidate who does not meet the standards, the employer can terminate the employee without reason during the trial period.

The duration of the trial period in France is comparatively shorter than in many other countries. For executives and highly skilled employees, the trial period is most commonly set to be 4 months. Nonetheless, sometimes based on CBA, it can be brought down to 3 months and even extended.

Minimum Wage & Bonuses

The minimum wage an employee is entitled to in France is comparatively higher than in many countries around the world. On average, an employee is set to receive €10.25 per hour. So, for 35 hours a week, the employee would be paid €1,554.58. It is worth noting that this is the minimum salary and could change depending on the experience and job role.

In addition, according to the French labor law, employees are to be paid an extra 125% for the first 8 hours of overtime work on top of the standard rate. If an employee is made to work overtime for more than 8 hours, they will receive an additional 150% premium for every hour after the initial 8 hours.

Payroll Cycle

Most companies in France run payroll monthly. The entire payroll process is completed, and the salaries are paid before the 25th of each month. However, some companies process payroll bi-weekly or semi-monthly.

International businesses expanding to France can outsource payroll processing to a French payroll provider. Not only will this help save time, but it will also help you remain compliant with the regional laws.

Holidays & Leaves

Employees who work full-time for their respective employers are entitled to 5 weeks of annual paid leave. In other words, this equals 2.5 days of monthly leave. That being said, an employee cannot take time off work for more than 24 consecutive days unless approved by the employer.

Apart from annual leaves, female employees are allowed 16 weeks of paid maternity leave (8 weeks before childbirth and 8 weeks after childbirth). Male employees are also allowed paternity leave of up to 28 days when a child is born.

Once an employee completes the trial period, they can take paid sick leaves. The employer decides the duration and pay rate for sick leaves, and they might sometimes demand a doctor’s certificate.

Employer Contributions

The contributions a French employer must pay vary significantly based on the salary level. For a full-time position, here are the contribution slabs: