Employer of Record
Under French law, paid leave accrues month by month rather than arriving as a flat annual allowance, capping out at 30 working days — five weeks — a year, with a single block generally capped at 24 consecutive working days, though exceptions apply. Share the role, the work location and your intended start date, and PIO confirms the available arrangement, then helps coordinate the contract, payroll and leave calendar around it.
Practical points to line up before you hire in France.
Salaries must be paid at least once a month for standard employees (twice a month for seasonal or intermittent staff), by bank transfer or crossed cheque. Cash is only an option when the salary is under €1,500 a month, and only if the employee requests it — the employer can't choose cash unilaterally. A payslip is required every pay period regardless of method.
Source:Salary payment rules
Employees generally accrue 2.5 working days of paid leave for every month of actual work, reaching 30 working days — five weeks — over a full year, tracked over a set reference period. Permanent and fixed-term contracts accrue leave on the same basis, so budget it in from the first day.
A single stretch of leave is generally capped at 24 consecutive working days — the standard maximum, not an absolute ceiling. The employer may allow an exception for specific cases, such as an employee whose family lives overseas, or a disabled person or an elderly dependant who has lost autonomy living in their household. Departure dates still typically need confirming at least a month ahead.
When an employer ends the notice period early, French law generally requires an indemnité compensatrice de préavis — pay equal to what the employee would have earned through the end of notice. It isn't owed in every scenario, such as dismissal for serious misconduct, so the reason for the exit shapes what's due.
Source:Notice-period compensation (indemnité compensatrice de préavis)
Once your hire is confirmed, here's what we help you coordinate.
You stay in control of the decisions that are yours to make.
A straightforward path from sign-up to your employee's first day.
Share the role, the work location and your target start date, and we'll confirm the available arrangement for that hire.
Once confirmed, we help coordinate the information, contract and payroll setup needed within your arrangement.
You manage the day-to-day relationship; we help coordinate the recurring administration within your arrangement.
Generally, no. French law caps a single stretch of leave at 24 consecutive working days as the standard maximum, so longer leave usually needs to be split and scheduled ahead of time rather than taken as one continuous break. The employer can allow an exception, though — for example if the employee's family lives overseas, or a disabled person or an elderly dependant who has lost autonomy lives in their household — and departure dates typically still need to be confirmed at least a month in advance.
Only if the employee asks for it. French law allows salary to be paid by bank transfer, crossed cheque, or cash, but cash is only available when the salary is under €1,500 a month and the employee has specifically requested it — the employer can't decide to pay cash on its own, or refuse the request once it's made. A payslip is still required for every pay period regardless of the payment method.
Source:Salary payment rules
Often, yes. French law generally provides for an indemnité compensatrice de préavis when an employer ends employment before the notice period is worked out, calculated on the pay the employee would have earned through its end. It typically isn't owed in every exit scenario — serious misconduct dismissals, for example — so the specific circumstances shape what's due.
Source:Notice-period compensation (indemnité compensatrice de préavis)
Yes. Share the role, the salary, the work location and your intended start date, and PIO confirms the available arrangement for that specific hire — including how payroll cadence, paid-leave accrual and notice pay will apply — so you don't need to register your own entity there to get started.
We help coordinate the contract, onboarding paperwork and payroll setup needed for your France-based hire, working from the role and terms you decide on. The written arrangement you sign with PIO sets out exactly how contract, payroll and other responsibilities are split for that hire.
Practical guidance is grounded in these official references, but local law and public requirements can change and should be reconfirmed. Your PIO contract and quote govern only PIO's service scope, terms and fees.
Sign up to start an EOR hire in France. Share the role, the work location and your target start date, and we'll confirm the available arrangement — or book a demo first to talk it through with our team.
