Precariousness allowance: is a public service contractor entitled to it?

Verified 01 June 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Yes, a contract staff member of the public service may, in certain cases and under certain conditions, receive a termination indemnity, called precariousness premium. We detail the information you need to know according to the public service in which you work (state public service - FPE, territorial - FPT, hospital - FPH).

EPF

You can benefit from the termination indemnity if you have been recruited for one of the following reasons or on any of the following uses :

  • Absence of civil servants capable of performing the functions sought
  • Recruitment justified by the nature of the functions or the needs of the services (functions requiring specialized or new technical skills, absence of an official with the expertise or professional experience appropriate to the tasks to be performed)
  • Employment not requiring statutory training leading to tenure in a corps
  • Incomplete employment with a working time of less than 24 hours 30 per week
  • Temporarily replace an official or contract staff member on part-time or leave (annual, sick, maternity, etc.)
  • Facing a temporary vacancy pending the recruitment of a staff member
  • Dealing with a temporary or seasonal increase in activity
  • Employment of a State public institution
  • Employment of teaching and hospital staff of a hospital and university center
  • Employment as an education assistant or boarding school teacher or day school supervisor
  • Senior position for which appointment is a decision of the Government
  • Employment of State leadership.

In order for termination pay to be granted, 2 conditions The following must be completed:

  • The duration of your contract, including renewal, must be less than or equal to 1 year
  • Your gross compensation global average over time total of your contract, including renewal, must be less than or equal to €3,734.03 per month. This ceiling is prorated in the case of part-time or incomplete time.

The average gross total compensation is the sum of the monthly compensation you received during your period of employment, divided by your number of months of contracts.

Total gross compensation includes all of your gross salaries as well as your premiums and allowances.

Reimbursements of professional expenses, social action benefits, individual or collective, benefits in kind and employer participation in supplementary health care are not taken into account.

Termination indemnity is not paid in the following cases :

  • At the end of your contract, you are appointed as a public servant trainee or student following your success in a competition
  • At the end of your contract, you benefit from the renewal of your contract or the conclusion of a new contract in FIXED-TERM: titleContent or in DTA: titleContent in the public service of the State. If you benefit from the renewal of your fixed-term contract, the termination indemnity is not paid if the duration of your fixed-term contract, including renewal, is greater than one year.

Any waiting period between your initial contract and your new contract in the state civil service allows you to benefit the payment of the termination indemnity under your initial contract.

Example :

Case 1: you benefit from a fixed-term contract of less than 1 year in a department X and then benefit from a Fixed-term contracts of more than one year or a permanent contract in another State civil service administration, without waiting period : you do not receive the termination indemnity under your contract with Department X

Case 2: you have a fixed-term contract of less than 1 year in a department X and then benefit from a fixed-term contract whatever its duration, or a permanent contract, in another administration of the State Public Service, with a waiting period greater than or equal to 1 day: you are entitled to the termination indemnity under your contract with Department X

Case 3: you benefit from a fixed-term contract of less than 1 year in a department X and then benefit from a fixed-term contract whatever its duration, or a permanent contract, in another administration of the territorial or hospital civil service without waiting period: you receive the termination indemnity under your contract with Ministry X

If you refuse a fixed-term contract of more than 1 year or a permanent contract on different functions with a remuneration that is not at least equivalent to your previous contract, you benefit from the termination indemnity.

However, if you refuse a fixed-term contract of more than 1 year or a permanent contract on equivalent functions with a remuneration at least equivalent to your previous contract, you do not benefit from the termination indemnity.

You also cannot receive the precariousness bonus if your contract ends for any of the following reasons:

  • Resignation or dismissal
  • Non-renewal of your residence permit
  • Revocation of civil rights (i.e. no longer having the right to vote and to stand for election in France or in the country of which you are a national)
  • Prohibition of public employment issued by the judge.

The amount of the termination indemnity shall be 10% of your gross aggregate compensation collected during the term of your contract, including renewal.

Total gross remuneration includes index salary, additional index salary, residence allowance, family salary supplement and bonuses and allowances.

It does not include compensatory leave with pay or reimbursement of professional expenses.

The termination indemnity is subject to all social contributions and contributions. It is taxable on income.

The compensation is paid no later than 1 month after the end of the contract.

FPT

You can benefit from the termination indemnity if you have been recruited for one of the following reasons or on any of the following uses :

  • Absence of a framework for civil servants to perform the functions sought
  • Recruitment justified by the nature of the functions or the needs of the services provided that no territorial civil servant could be recruited
  • Employment of a municipality with less than 1 000 inhabitants or a group of municipalities with less than 15 000 inhabitants
  • Use of a new commune resulting from the merger of communes of less than 1,000 inhabitants for a period of 3 years following the creation of the new commune, extended, possibly, until 1er renewal of city council
  • Employment of a municipality with less than 2,000 inhabitants or a group of municipalities with less than 10,000 inhabitants whose creation or abolition is required by the deliberative assembly (for example, employment of a specialized territorial agent of nursery schools - Atsem - whose creation or abolition depends on decisions to open or close classes by the National Education)
  • Non-full-time employment of less than half-time
  • Employment of general secretary of town hall of a municipality of less than 2,000 inhabitants
  • Temporary replacement of a part-time official on secondment for a maximum of 6 months or on standby for a maximum of 6 months, on secondment for a probationary period or on leave (annual, sick, maternity, etc.)
  • Temporary replacement of a contract staff member on part-time or leave (annual, sick, maternity, etc.)
  • Facing a temporary vacancy pending the recruitment of a staff member
  • To cope with a temporary or seasonal increase in activity.

In order for the termination indemnity to be granted, the following two conditions must be met:

  • The duration of your contract, including renewal, must be less than or equal to 1 year
  • Your gross compensation global average over time total of your contract, including renewal, must be less than or equal to €3,734.03 per month. This ceiling is prorated in the case of part-time or incomplete time.

The average gross total compensation is the sum of the monthly compensation you received during your period of employment, divided by your number of months of contracts.

Total gross compensation includes all of your gross salaries as well as your premiums and allowances.

Reimbursements of professional expenses, social action benefits, individual or collective, benefits in kind and employer participation in supplementary health care are not taken into account.

Termination indemnity is not paid in the following cases :

  • At the end of your contract, you are appointed as a public servant trainee or student following your success in a competition
  • At the end of your contract, you benefit from the renewal of your contract or the conclusion of a new contract in FIXED-TERM: titleContent or in DTA: titleContent in the territorial public service. If you benefit from the renewal of your fixed-term contract, the termination indemnity is not paid if the duration of your fixed-term contract, including renewal, is greater than one year.

Any waiting period between your initial contract and your new contract in the territorial public service allows you to benefit the payment of the termination indemnity under your initial contract.

Example :

Case 1: you benefit from a fixed-term contract of less than 1 year in a community X and then benefit from a Fixed-term contract equal to or greater than one year or a permanent contract in another local authority of the territorial public service, without waiting period : you do not receive the termination indemnity under your contract with community X

Case 2: you benefit from a fixed-term contract of less than 1 year in a community X and then benefit from a fixed-term contract whatever its duration, or a permanent contract, in another community of the territorial public service, with a waiting period greater than or equal to 1 day: you benefit from the termination indemnity under your contract with community X

Case 3: you benefit from a fixed-term contract of less than 1 year in a community X and then benefit from a fixed-term contract whatever its duration, or a permanent contract, in another administration of the State civil service or hospital without waiting period: you receive the termination indemnity under your contract with the community X

If you refuse a fixed-term contract of more than 1 year or a permanent contract on different functions with a remuneration that is not at least equivalent to your previous contract, you benefit from the termination indemnity.

However, if you refuse a fixed-term contract of more than 1 year or a permanent contract on equivalent functions with a remuneration at least equivalent to your previous contract, you do not benefit from the termination indemnity.

You also cannot receive the precariousness bonus if your contract ends for any of the following reasons:

  • Resignation or dismissal
  • Non-renewal of your residence permit
  • Revocation of civil rights (i.e. no longer having the right to vote and to stand for election in France or in the country of which you are a national)
  • Prohibition of public employment issued by the judge.

The amount of the termination indemnity shall be 10% of your gross aggregate compensation collected during the term of your contract, including renewal.

Total gross remuneration includes index salary, additional index salary, residence allowance, family salary supplement and bonuses and allowances.

It does not include compensatory leave with pay or reimbursement of professional expenses.

The termination indemnity is subject to all social contributions and contributions. It is taxable on income.

The compensation is paid no later than 1 month after the end of the contract.

FPH

You can benefit from the termination indemnity if you have been recruited for one of the following reasons or on any of the following uses :

  • Recruitment justified by the nature of the functions or the needs of the services (in particular in the absence of staff members who could perform the functions sought or functions newly taken over by the administration or requiring highly specialized technical knowledge)
  • Non-full-time employment of less than half-time
  • Temporary replacement of an official or contract staff member on part-time or leave (annual, sick, maternity, etc.)
  • Facing a temporary vacancy pending the recruitment of a staff member
  • To cope with a temporary or seasonal increase in activity.

In order for termination pay to be granted, 2 conditions The following must be completed:

  • The duration of your contract, including renewal, must be less than or equal to 1 year
  • Your gross compensation global average over time total of your contract, including renewal, must be less than or equal to €3,734.03 per month. This ceiling is prorated in the case of part-time or incomplete time.

The average gross total compensation is the sum of the monthly compensation you received during your period of employment, divided by your number of months of contracts.

Total gross compensation includes all of your gross salaries as well as your premiums and allowances.

Reimbursements of professional expenses, social action benefits, individual or collective, benefits in kind and employer participation in supplementary health care are not taken into account.

Termination indemnity is not paid in the following cases :

  • At the end of your contract, you are appointed as a public servant trainee or student following your success in a competition
  • At the end of your contract, you benefit from the renewal of your contract or the conclusion of a new contract in FIXED-TERM: titleContent or in DTA: titleContent in the hospital public service. If you benefit from the renewal of your fixed-term contract, the termination indemnity is not paid if the duration of your fixed-term contract, including renewal, is greater than one year.

Any waiting period between your initial contract and your new contract in the hospital public service allows you to benefit the payment of the termination indemnity under your initial contract.

Example :

Case 1: you benefit from a fixed-term contract of less than 1 year in an establishment X and then benefit from a Fixed-term contract equal to or greater than one year or a permanent contract in another hospital public service institution, without waiting period: you do not receive the termination indemnity under your contract with institution X

Case 2: you benefit from a fixed-term contract of less than 1 year in an institution X and then benefit from a fixed-term contract whatever its duration, or a permanent contract, in another institution of the hospital public service, with a waiting period greater than or equal to 1 day: you benefit from the termination indemnity under your contract with institution X

Case 3: you benefit from a fixed-term contract of less than 1 year in an institution X and then benefit from a fixed-term contract whatever its duration, or a permanent contract, in another administration of the State or territorial civil service without waiting period: you benefit from the end-of-contract indemnity under your contract with institution X

If you refuse a fixed-term contract of more than 1 year or a permanent contract on different functions with a remuneration that is not at least equivalent to your previous contract, you benefit from the termination indemnity.

However, if you refuse a fixed-term contract of more than 1 year or a permanent contract on equivalent functions with a remuneration at least equivalent to your previous contract, you do not benefit from the termination indemnity.

You also cannot receive the precariousness bonus if your contract ends for any of the following reasons:

  • Resignation or dismissal
  • Non-renewal of your residence permit
  • Revocation of civil rights (i.e. no longer having the right to vote and to stand for election in France or in the country of which you are a national)
  • Prohibition of public employment issued by the judge.

The amount of the termination indemnity shall be 10% of your gross aggregate compensation collected during the term of your contract, including renewal.

Total gross remuneration includes index salary, additional index salary, residence allowance, family salary supplement and bonuses and allowances.

It does not include compensatory leave with pay or reimbursement of professional expenses.

The termination indemnity is subject to all social contributions and contributions. It is taxable on income.

The compensation is paid no later than 1 month after the end of the contract.