Payroll in France

Hiring in France brings the company into the French social security system from the first contract. The employer declares each hire before work starts, withholds income tax at source from salaries, and pays employer and employee social contributions, reported each month through an electronic declaration. Payslips follow a set layout, and the collective agreement that covers your sector can fix minimum pay, notice periods and bonuses. Pay records feed the accounts, and accounting documents must be kept for at least ten years from the year end. For a foreign owner the main decisions come early: which collective agreement applies, whether a director paid from abroad belongs on the French payroll, and how staff seconded from another country are treated.

Firms offering payroll in France

CERALP

Accounting firm · Medium-sized firm

Lyon

  • Company formation
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • +3 more

Languages: French · English · German

View profile of CERALP

ADEKI

Accounting firm · Boutique firm

Lyon

  • Company formation
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • +3 more

Languages: French · English

View profile of ADEKI

Astria

Accounting firm · Boutique firm

Paris

  • Company formation
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • +4 more

Languages: French · English · German

View profile of Astria

COGEP

Accounting firm · Medium-sized firm

Lyon

  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • VAT
  • +2 more

Languages: French · English

View profile of COGEP

Easton

Accounting firm · Medium-sized firm

Lyon

  • Company formation
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • +3 more

Languages: French · English

View profile of Easton

Eurex

Accounting firm · Medium-sized firm

Paris

  • Company formation
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • +5 more

Languages: French · English

View profile of Eurex

In Extenso

Accounting firm · Medium-sized firm

Lyon

  • Company formation
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • +5 more

Languages: French · English · Spanish · Italian

View profile of In Extenso

INELYS

Accounting firm · Medium-sized firm

Lyon

  • Company formation
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • +4 more

Languages: French · English

View profile of INELYS

AGEX

Accounting firm · Medium-sized firm

Paris

  • Company formation
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • +4 more

Languages: French

View profile of AGEX

AUGEFI

Accounting firm · Medium-sized firm

Paris

  • Company formation
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Tax compliance
  • +4 more

Languages: French · English

View profile of AUGEFI

51 more firms offering payroll in France

Before you sign with a French payroll firm

Ask which collective agreement the firm thinks applies to you and how it keeps up with changes to it. Ask whether it handles the hire declaration, the employment contract and the end-of-contract documents, or only the payslips. If staff come from another EU country, ask whether it can deal with the certificate that keeps them in their home social security system. Find out the monthly cut-off for hours, absences and bonuses, and what the price per payslip includes.

Payroll firms on Accountanty

Seventy-five firms on Accountanty run payroll in France: 72 accounting firms and three corporate service providers, of which 40 are small, 23 medium-sized and 12 part of large networks. Every one of the 75 also keeps accounts. French is available at 60 and English at 50, and 52 say they work with foreign clients. Paris has 46, Lyon 18 and Nice ten. Staff arriving from outside the EU will also need permits, covered under residency and visas in France.

Frequently asked questions

Can a foreign company employ someone in France without a French entity?

In some cases it can, but the employer still takes on French social contributions and declarations, and the activity may create a taxable presence in France. Ask an adviser to compare that route with a subsidiary or a branch before the contract is signed.

What does a French payroll provider need before the first payslip?

The signed contract, the employee's social security number, an identity document, bank details, the start date, working hours and salary, and the collective agreement that applies. Send them before the hire date so the declaration is made in time.

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General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules, rates and fees change: check them with the official sources linked on this page or with a qualified adviser before you act.