France Employee Cost Calculator (2026)
An employee in France costs the gross salary plus employer charges of roughly 42% before reductions: health, old-age, family, unemployment and Agirc-Arrco pension contributions, most of them tied to the 2026 social security ceiling of €4,005 a month. A €6,000-a-month employee costs about €109,100 a year. Pay below three times the minimum wage gets the general reduction, which lowers the bill.
· Calculated with AiStaffo
Employer costs in France
| Health insurance | Employer 13% of all pay (the reduced 7% rate was abolished on 1 January 2026) |
|---|---|
| Old-age insurance | 8.55% up to the ceiling of €4,005 a month (€48,060 a year) plus 2.11% on all pay |
| Family allowances | 5.25% of all pay (the reduced 3.45% rate was abolished in 2026) |
| Unemployment and AGS | 4% and 0.25% of pay up to 4 times the ceiling (€16,020 a month) |
| Agirc-Arrco pension | Employer 4.72% + 1.29% CEG up to €4,005 a month; 12.95% + 1.62% CEG from €4,005 to €32,040; plus 0.21% CET once pay passes €4,005 (not included, small) |
| Other charges | CSA 0.3%, FNAL 0.1% (0.5% from 50 staff), workplace accidents (about 0.70% for office work, national average 2.08%), vocational training 1% (0.55% under 11 staff), apprenticeship tax 0.68%, social dialogue 0.016% |
| General reduction (RGDU) | From 2026 a single sliding reduction applies to pay below 3 times the minimum wage (€1,823.03 a month): up to 39.73% of pay at the minimum wage, falling to zero at 3 times. The calculator does not deduct it, so for lower salaries the real cost is lower |
| Health cover (mutuelle) | The employer must offer a company health plan and pay at least half; default €480 a year (editable) |
| Paid leave | 5 weeks (25 working days) a year plus about 9 to 11 public holidays |
Worked example
An employee on €6,000 a month (€72,000 a year, above 3 times the minimum wage, so no general reduction): health insurance €9,360, old-age insurance €4,109 + €1,519, family allowances €3,780, workplace accidents €504, CSA €216, FNAL €48, unemployment €2,880, AGS €180, Agirc-Arrco €2,888 + €3,488, training €720, apprenticeship tax €490, social dialogue €12, mutuelle €480, laptop and software about €1,600, hiring spread over 3 years €4,800. Total about €109,100 a year, 1.51 times the salary.
What counts in the true cost of an employee
Salary is only the start. The calculator adds what the law makes the employer pay (social security, pension, unemployment insurance, end-of-service build-up), what the job needs (health insurance, visas, a laptop and software), and what staff turnover costs (advertising, interviews, training and lost output each time someone leaves, spread over the years an employee usually stays). Dividing by the days actually worked gives the cost of one productive hour.
The automation saving, explained
Most office roles are partly routine: typing data in, chasing replies, matching payments, compiling reports. The calculator takes the share of the role you set as routine and compares what that part costs with an AI worker doing it: a one-time build and a monthly fee (AiStaffo's starting price, editable under "Assumptions"). The person keeps the judgement work; the routine part stops costing a salary. Book a free automation audit and we will measure the routine share of your own roles.
Please note: rates are as checked on 21 October 2026 from official and reputable sources; amounts marked as defaults are typical estimates you can change. The automation figures are illustrations based on the assumptions shown, not a promise of savings; AiStaffo prices are set in a written quote. This is a planning guide, not tax or legal advice.
Sources
Questions people ask
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