Is there a waiting period for illness in the public service?
Verified 03 August 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)
Additional cases ?
Yes, when you are on sick leave, it shall be applied, at each work stoppage, day of deficiency, that is to say, an unpaid day. However, during certain work stoppages, the day of absence does not apply.
The day of deficiency applies differently depending on who you are civil servant or contract worker.
Public servant
At each work stoppage, you are paid from 2e sick leave day.
Your index treatment and your premiums and allowances are not paid to you on the 1ster sick leave day.
If you perceive a residence allowance and/or new index increase (NBI), these two elements of remuneration are not paid to you either.
However, the following remuneration items continue to be paid to you, if you are entitled to them:
- Family Treatment Supplement (FTS)
- Reimbursement of expenses
- Premiums and allowances related to change of residence, first assignment, geographical mobility and restructuring
- Premiums and allowances related to the organization of work
- Benefits in kind
- Teaching or jury allowances and other allowances not directly related to employment, once the service has been performed
- Part or all of the premiums and allowances whose modulation depends on the results and the manner of service
- Exceptional or occasional payments of premiums and allowances corresponding to a single operative event
- Partial payment of the price of tickets for home-to-work transport.
However, the day of absence does not apply in the following cases
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If you extend your sick leave within 48 hours
The day of deficiency does not apply on the 2nde sick leave, when the return to work between two sick days for the same condition has not exceeded 48 hours.
This is the case when the new work stoppage prolongs the previous stoppage and the prescribing doctor has ticked the extension box.
This is also the case:
- When you try to resume your duties and you find yourself forced to stop again 1 or 2 days later
- Or when you have not been able to see your doctor on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday that is close to the weekend for reasons beyond your control.
In these 2 cases, the new stop prescribed prolongs the previous stop and the prescribing doctor checked the extension box. The new judgment is considered as a relapse and an extension since there has been no disappearance of the cause of the initial judgment.
The delay of 48 hours, counted in calendar days, starts running from 1er day following the last day of the initial work stoppage.
In case of long-term illness (ALD)
The day of absence shall not apply in the case of sick leave granted after a 1er leave of disease for a even long-term condition (ALD), for a period of 3 years from 1er sick leave.
Thus, in the case of successive work stoppages linked to the same ALD, the waiting period applies only once during the same period of 3 years from 1er work stoppage related to this ALD.
The 3-year period is calculated from date to date.
If you suffer from different ALDs, the waiting period applies, per period of 3 years, for the 1er sick leave generated by each ALD.
The doctor prescribing the work stoppage establishes the link between the stoppage and the ALD and ticks the box provided for this in section 2 of the certificate of work stoppage.
During certain specific holidays
The day of absence shall not apply on the following holidays:
- Leave for Temporary Disability Attributable to Service (Citis)
- Long-term Sick Leave (LSL)
- Long-term leave (LTA)
- Sick leave granted after a declaration of pregnancy and before the start of maternity leave
- Maternity leave and additional leave granted in the event of a pathological pregnancy
- Sick leave following spontaneous termination of pregnancy (miscarriage) before the 22nde week of amenorrhea
- Sick leave following medical termination of pregnancy
- 1er sick leave occurring within 13 weeks of the death of your child under the age of 25 or of a person under the age of 25 whose effective and permanent care you had
- Sick leave due to disabilities resulting from injuries or illness acquired or aggravated either in service, or by performing an act of devotion in the public interest, or by exposing his or her life to save the life of one or more persons.
Reminder
Whatever your public service (State, territorial, hospital), you perceive 90% your gross index salary for 3 months of sick leave , then half of your index treatment for 9 months.
Contractual
At each work stoppage, you are paid from 2e sick leave day.
Your index treatment, your premiums and allowances are not paid to you on the 1ster sick leave day.
If you perceive a residence allowance, this element of remuneration is not paid to you either.
However, the following remuneration items continue to be paid to you, if you are entitled to them:
- Family Treatment Supplement (FTS)
- Reimbursement of expenses
- Premiums and allowances related to change of residence, first assignment, geographical mobility and restructuring
- Premiums and allowances related to the organization of work
- Benefits in kind
- Teaching or jury allowances and other allowances not directly related to employment, once the service has been performed
- Part or all of the premiums and allowances whose modulation depends on the results and the manner of service
- Exceptional or occasional payments of premiums and allowances corresponding to a single operative event
- Partial payment of the price of tickets for home-to-work transport.
However, the day of absence does not apply in the following cases
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If you extend your sick leave within 48 hours
The day of deficiency does not apply on the 2nde sick leave, when the return to work between two sick days for the same condition has not exceeded 48 hours.
This is the case when the new work stoppage prolongs the previous stoppage and the prescribing doctor has ticked the extension box.
This is also the case:
- When you try to resume your duties and you find yourself forced to stop again 1 or 2 days later
- Or when you have not been able to see your doctor on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday that is close to the weekend for reasons beyond your control.
In these 2 cases, the new stop prescribed prolongs the previous stop and the prescribing doctor checked the extension box. The new judgment is considered as a relapse and an extension since there has been no disappearance of the cause of the initial judgment.
The delay of 48 hours, counted in calendar days, starts running from 1er day following the last day of the initial work stoppage.
In case of long-term illness (ALD)
The day of absence shall not apply in the case of sick leave granted after a 1er leave of disease for a even long-term condition (ALD), for a period of 3 years from 1er sick leave.
Thus, in the case of successive work stoppages linked to the same ALD, the waiting period applies only once during the same period of 3 years from 1er work stoppage related to this ALD.
The 3-year period is calculated from date to date.
If you suffer from different ALDs, the waiting period applies, per period of 3 years, for the 1er sick leave generated by each ALD.
The doctor prescribing the work stoppage establishes the link between the stoppage and the ALD and ticks the box provided for this in section 2 of the certificate of work stoppage.
During certain specific holidays
The day of absence shall not apply on the following holidays:
- Leave for accident at work or occupational disease
- Severe Sick Leave
- Sick leave granted after a declaration of pregnancy and before the start of maternity leave
- Maternity leave and additional leave granted in the event of a pathological pregnancy
- Sick leave following spontaneous termination of pregnancy (miscarriage) before the 22nde week of amenorrhea
- Sick leave following medical termination of pregnancy
- 1er sick leave occurring within 13 weeks of the death of your child under 25 years of age or a person under 25 years of age in your actual and permanent care
- Sick leave due to disabilities resulting from injuries or illness acquired or aggravated either in service, or by performing an act of devotion in the public interest, or by exposing his or her life to save the life of one or more persons.
Your remuneration is maintained for you during sick leave under conditions that vary according to your public service (State - EPF, territorial - FPT, hospital - FPH):
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EPF
You can benefit from sick leave paid by your employer administration, for 12 consecutive months in case of continuous work stoppages, or for 300 days in case of continuous work stoppages, if you have at least 4 months of service.
You perceive 90% of your index treatment during the first 3 months, then half of your index treatment during the next 9 months.
If you have to leave for health reasons without being entitled to paid sick leave from your employer's administration, you are placed on unpaid leave.
Whether you are placed on paid sick leave by your employer administration or on unpaid leave, you are entitled to daily allowances from the Social Security if you meet the conditions to benefit from it.
When you are paid by your employer administration, the daily allowances are deducted from your index salary.
The daily allowances of the Social Security are paid from 4e day off, i.e. after a waiting period of 3 days.
FPT
You can benefit from sick leave for 12 consecutive months in case of continuous work stoppages, or for 300 days in case of continuous work stoppages.
Your sick leave is paid differently depending on your seniority:
Seniority | Duration of maintenance of index treatment |
|---|---|
After 4 months of service | 30 days to 90% and 30 days at ½ treatment |
After 2 years of service | 60 days to 90% and 60 days at ½ treatment |
After 3 years of service | 90 days to 90% and 90 days at ½ treatment |
If you have to leave for health reasons without being entitled to paid sick leave from your employer's administration, you are placed on unpaid leave.
Whether you are placed on paid sick leave by your employer administration or on unpaid leave, you are entitled to daily allowances from the Social Security if you meet the conditions to benefit from it.
When you are paid by your employer administration, the daily allowances are deducted from your index salary.
The daily allowances of the Social Security are paid from 4e day off, i.e. after a waiting period of 3 days.
FPH
You can benefit from sick leave for 12 consecutive months in the case of continuous work stoppages, or for 300 days in the case of continuous work stoppages.
Your sick leave is paid differently according to your seniority :
Seniority | Duration of maintenance of index treatment |
|---|---|
After 4 months of service | 30 days to 90% and 30 days at ½ treatment |
After 2 years of service | 60 days to 90% and 60 days at ½ treatment |
After 3 years of service | 90 days to 90% and 90 days at ½ treatment |
If you have to leave for health reasons without being entitled to paid sick leave from your employer's administration, you are placed on unpaid leave.
Whether you are placed on paid sick leave by your employer administration or on unpaid leave, you are entitled to daily allowances from the Social Security if you meet the conditions to benefit from it.
When you are paid by your employer administration, the daily allowances are deducted from your index salary.
The daily allowances of the Social Security are paid from 4e day off, i.e. after a waiting period of 3 days.