Saisonnier

[Anna]

English family near us have a campsite and they told us that they are set up as a saisonnier business. This was already in place when they took over (previous owners were French) and they just have to sign on before their season starts and sign off when it finishes, thus keeping their cotisations to a minimum.

Does anybody have any info regarding this and do you know if this could work for a gite business. Don't know these campsite people very well and, as they stay near us, I don't really want to discuss our business with them!

Any info would be appreciated and might be of interest to others.

Anna

[Val_2]

Speak to your local URSSAF office about this as you need to cover your backs where employees are concerned. Also the CPAM regarding work accidents etc and insurances. France is a minefield where any sort of employment is concerned and there has just been a case here before the prud hommes whereby someone who employed a worker on cheques d'emploi for a very long time was ordered to take him on a full time contract only.

[Miki]

LAST EDITED ON 21-Feb-04 AT 09:40 AM (GMT)

Anna,

As you have not had it explained and it is bit long winded, I was hoping someone would have offered you the answer by now but........

Firstly any seasonal type business can be "Saissoniere".

"Saissoniere" still means going to the C de Com and registering your business. That will then mean the Greffe de Tribunal sorting out all of your paperwork and all the caisses Sant, retraite, URSSAF etc) being informed.

So now you are on the system and with your little gite business (anything under min 4 quality gites will not earn you enough to live here) you would be an absolute fool to register, as they will take all your probable earnings away in cotisations.

What a saissonniere does is register at the start of their sesason, then wehn the season ends they simply go back to the C de Com and de-register. This saves paying for a certain period that you are not working.

I don't believe if this is done honestly, there is a lot to save.

You will save a bit on URSSAF quarterly charges but when you are de-registered or continue being registered, the yearly total is regularised, so whether you work 12 or 6 months, your seasons takings total is the yearly payment due anyway.

There are some benefits as your cotisations (health etc) can possibly be also smaller, not a great deal but possibly enough to make it worth it.

Your health cover continues while you are de-registered.

You will have the aggro of having to go back to the C de Com each year twice and paying the fees each year as well.

That is the basically the answer to your question. Many years ago we de-registered for 6 months due to circumstances but found that we almsost paid the same dues as the year before.

Simply, because at the end of the day your cotisation payments are due on your turnover so if you do the same in 3 months as others do in 12, the amount due can well be the same.

Hope that is of some help, sometimes it can just open up another set of questions.

You really ought to visit URSSAF or the C de Com and ask them the questions you want the answers to. You won't always get the straight replies you want but in the end, you will get there.

Miki