Salaried employment contributions

[Heloise]

Am in the middle of an interview process for a job in France. I have a wife and baby son, so I want to make sure that I understand the healthcare system. Have no luck getting a clear assessment from David Hampshire book, so I thought I would try here. If you are a salaried employee in France, by a French employer, what percentage of your gross income goes on social security contributions? Any other relevant details would be gratefully appreciated.

Thank you.

Justin.

[Will]

Mrs Will gets about 21% stopped, it's usually of that order but can be a bit of a moveable feast depending on hours worked, any bonuses etc. Her employer has to pay about 40% of her salary in SS contributions. This does not take income tax into account, which is paid in the following year - France does not operate a PAYE system..

[Teamedup]

Also does your company have mutual health care cover, there would be deduction from your salary for that if they do this. If they don't then you should really take this out privately.

There is no basic family allowance for one child in France.

[Cerise]

Mr Cerise also loses about 21%.  Other thing you should perhaps ask is how holidays, sick pay etc are paid.  This month husband's boss was off sick and he, my husband, was unable to work for part of that time as there was only so much he could  do without the boss there.  He will not be paid in normal way for that time (although he was willing and able to work) but will receive some sort of partial 'chomage' so next month's wages are likely to be a bit short - this is in the building trade.  Holidays are also not paid by employer but by a caisse so not necessarily at the same time as salary.  Usually get the money in the end but a bit confusing for the budgeting.  My husband is also paid by cheque so we have to allow time for funds to clear as well.  Obviously he is working for a small outfit and things will be different for a large company but systems are very different from those in the UK and it is as well to be aware of possible hitches in the cash flow.  Husband has never had any problem getting paid, but a friend recently told me - not sure if this is true - that French companies are allowed to pay salaries any time up until the 9th of the following month and are not forced to pay on the same day each month as is common in UK.  If you have standing orders going out on certain days you would need to make allowances for that.

Good luck

Maggi 

[nimportequoi]

I pay about 21 - 22% in social contributions and get paid by cheque on the 15th of every month, I'm not sure if this is normal in France,  in the UK it was usually at the end of the month. Some people also get paid a 13th month at Christmas - not me unfortunately!

[Heloise]

Thank you all for your swift help - this site is excellent. Will base my calculations on the pessimistic side. I don't want to be too pushy about money before the interview, but it's good to have some figures in mind beforehand - as I am sure I'll have plenty of other things to think about.

[Teamedup]

Cerise, the caisse pays holiday pay.......... please what is this, which caisse? I have never heard of it. I have never heard of other than the employer paying holiday pay.

 

Yes the sickness pay can be problematic as full pay stops after a certain number of weeks.

 

Chomage technique is something different, a temporary sort of unemployment benefit pay paid out for a temporary lay off.

 

SusanAH do you mean that you get paid on the 15th of the month following the one that you have worked?  eg You worked in March and got your pay on the 15 of April.

[nimportequoi]

[quote user="Teamedup"]

SusanAH do you mean that you get paid on the 15th of the month following the one that you have worked?  eg You worked in March and got your pay on the 15 of April.

[/quote]

TU, yes, I get paid on the 15th of the month after I've worked.

[Cerise]

Yes TU - if himself has 2 weeks holiday in a month (for example) he gets part of his salary from his employers and part from the caisse who have a special holiday pay fund into which employers pay.  Apparently the norm for building trades but irritating when you don't know exactly when money is arriving - en plus you have to take 6 days holiday to get a weeks holiday even though you only work 5 day week, but you get an entitlement of 30 days for 5 weeks holiday.  Confused...? yes I am and yes I have tried to read the pertinent pages from the huge 'bible' of rules and regs which his employers kindly lent us so we could try to understand.   My husband's employers are very nice peole struggling against the tide of paperwork and arcane rules, they try to keep us informed and explain the system - but sometimes it is just plain weird.

Maggi

[Teamedup]

Cerise, in all these years no one has ever mentioned this to me, I am really rather surprised, but the complexities of salaried people in France never cease to amaze me.

 

And SusanAH, I actually think it is disgusting that they pay so late. In my former jobs I was a wages clerk twice and this is just employers way of hanging onto their money. This doesn't even compare to the week in hand thing, as we clerks would get the details of the previous weeks work on the Monday, would calculate and have the cash ready for the Thursday or money would go into the bank, ie only took us maximum of 4 days to do the lot. Monthly and one would always get the pay either on the 25th or the end of the actual month being worked.  I have read that when one leaves french employment that they have even longer to solde the person, which is all very good if the person needs to go onto unemployment benefit as they won't get their forms for the ASSEDIC until then either and obviously have to live on fresh air.

[nimportequoi]

TU,I don't know if in my case it takes a while longer because I teach English for a language school and therefore do a different number of hours every month. I let them know the 1st/2nd of the month then they write out the cheque on the 15th. There are quite a few teachers at the language school, so this maybe why it takes longer.

[Will]

I don't think there is any hard and fast rule. In the case of Mrs Will, her employer sends details of hours etc, including sales completed, for which she gets a small bonus, to the accountant, who sends back the pay slip which then allows the cheque to be written out, which can take several days.

The 13-month thing is worth checking on. It is quite normal practice in France, apparently. Our accountant picked up when checking the employment contracts that Mrs W hadn't been getting the extra month, so she queried it and the employer's new accountant (the business had been restructured) confirmed that she had been underpaid for four years. Rather than get it in one lump, which would have played havoc with employee and employer cotisations, it is being repaid gradually. So I guess it all depends on how the contract is worded.