Work stoppage

From 1 Jan 2027

Accident at work: new rules for daily allowances to be implemented soon

Publié le 22 juin 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)

When you are on sick leave due to an occupational disease or accident at work, you are entitled to daily allowances paid by your health insurance plan. A decree of 12 June 2026 sets out new rules regarding the duration of this compensation, applicable from 1er January 2027.

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When you are the victim of an accident related to your work or suffering from an occupational disease, you have to take a number of steps: for example, if it is a case of accident at work, you must first inform (or have informed) your employer promptly of this accident by any means (e-mail, telephone, SMS, etc.); if it is a occupational disease, you must seek recognition if your treating physician finds that your health condition has deteriorated as a result of your work; etc.

To compensate for your loss of wages during your work stoppage due to an occupational disease or accident at work, you are entitled to daily allowances. These are paid by your health insurance plan (French primary health insurance fund, Agricultural social mutual fund, etc.).

Currently, you receive daily allowances for the entire period of your incapacity for work, up to:

  • your complete healing;
  • the consolidation of the injury (i.e. when the lesions become fixed and become permanent – so that treatment is in principle no longer necessary except to avoid worsening – with sequelae resulting in permanent incapacity). In this case, your social security agency determines a permanent incapacity rate, which allows you to receive compensation.

Please note

You can find all the terms and conditions relating to these daily allowances (how their amount is calculated, how the start date of payment of the allowances is fixed, etc.) on the practice sheets Public Service ‘Accident at work: daily allowances during work stoppage’ and ‘Occupational disease: daily allowances during work stoppage’.

New rules are laid down for accidents occurring from 1er January 2027 (for occupational diseases, as a general rule, the date assimilated to that of the accident is the date of the first medical finding of the disease).

For accidents that will occur from that date, daily allowances may be paid under this framework for a maximum of 4 years. If it is necessary to go beyond this maximum duration of 4 years, the incapacity for work will be considered permanent. Then there will be another compensation scheme. You can find information about compensation in case of permanent incapacity on the practical sheets Public Service "Accident at work: compensation in case of permanent incapacity" and "Occupational disease: compensation in case of permanent incapacity".

Please note

For accidents occurring on or after 1er january 2027: if you return to work after receiving the daily allowance for accident at work or occupational disease, you will be able to receive this allowance again for a maximum of 4 years, provided you have started working again for at least one year and meet the various criteria for entitlement to this compensation.

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