Leave of absence for illness in France: what you need to know

In France when an employee has to stop working due to illness, the employee has 48 hours to notify both their employer and CPAM (the organisation for basic health insurance) that they require sick leave. A form known as an ‘avis d’arrêt de travail’ is used to give this notice and it needs to be signed by a doctor. The first two pages of this document are sent to CPAM and the final third page is sent to the employer. The employer must then also notify CPAM.

Concerning the receipt of the employee’s reimbursement from CPAM there are two options which will depend on the preference of the employer:

The employer receives the money and this is added to the employee’s payslip (known as subrogation)
The employee receives the reimbursement directly into their own bank account and the amount that they have received is deducted from their payslip (no subrogation)

For more information or for help with your payroll requirements in France, get in touch using the address [email protected].