Sick leave: daily allowances paid to the employee

Verified 30 January 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

If you are an employee and are on sick leave, you are entitled to daily subsistence allowance (DSA) paid by your health insurance plan (CPAM: titleContent, MSA: titleContent,...). You want to know the conditions of compensation, to know if there is a waiting period before you collect your JIs, how much they are, or can you also receive additional benefits from your employer? We present you the information to know.

Compensation conditions vary depending on the length of your work stoppage: up to 6 months, after 6 months.

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Up to 6 months off

To be compensated during the first 6 months of your stoppage, you must prove one of the following conditions, on the day of the work stoppage:

  • You have worked at least 150 hours in the 3 calendar months or the 90 days preceding the cessation
  • You have contributed, during the 6 calendar months preceding the cessation, on the basis of a remuneration at least equal to 1,015 times the amount of the Smic: titleContent schedule set at the beginning of this period.

Example :

If your work stoppage started on 1er July 2023, you are entitled to JIs if any of the following conditions are met:

  • You worked at least 150 hours between the 1ster April 2023 and June 30, 2023
  • You have, between the 1er January 2023 and June 30, 2023, contributed on the basis of a remuneration at least equal to €12,058.20.

These conditions apply whether you work full-time or part-time.

Warning  

In addition to these conditions, if your work stoppage is made out on paper, only a secure cerfa form with enhanced authentication devices will be accepted by your Social Security organization. This new form includes a holographic label and other security features to combat fraud.

Old paper forms, photocopies or scans will no longer be admissible. If you use an old model, your judgment may be rejected and not be entitled to daily allowances.

In case of discontinuous or seasonal work, the payment of the daily allowances is maintained if you one the following conditions:

  • You have worked at least 600 hours in the 12 months or 365 days prior to the start of the shutdown 
  • You received a salary equal to or greater than 2,030 times the hourly minimum wage during the 12 months or 365 days preceding the start of the stop.

After 6 months

To continue to be compensated if your shutdown lasts longer than 6 months, you must meet one of the following conditions:

  • You must prove, on the date of interruption of work, that you have been affiliated to a social security scheme (CPAM, MSA) for at least 12 months and have worked at least 600 hours on all 12 calendar months or the 365 days preceding the cessation
  • You must have contributed, during the 12 calendar months or the 365 days preceding the cessation, on the basis of a remuneration at least equal to 2,030 times the amount of the Smic: titleContent schedule set at the beginning of this period.

Example :

If your work stoppage of more than 6 months started on 1er July 2024, you are entitled to JIs beyond 6 months if you meet one of the following conditions:

  • You were already affiliated to a social security scheme before July 2023 and you have worked at least 600 hours between 1er July 2023 and June 30, 2024
  • You have contributed, during this same period, on the basis of a remuneration at least equal to €24,116.40.

These conditions apply whether you work full-time or part-time.

Warning  

In addition to these conditions, if your work stoppage is made out on paper, only a secure cerfa form with enhanced authentication devices will be accepted by your Social Security organization. This new form includes a holographic label and other security features to combat fraud.

Old paper forms, photocopies or scans will no longer be admissible. If you use an old model, your judgment may be rejected and not be entitled to daily allowances.

In case of discontinuous or seasonal work, the payment of the daily allowances is maintained if you one the following conditions:

  • You have worked at least 600 hours in the 12 months or 365 days prior to the start of the shutdown
  • You received a salary equal to or greater than 2,030 times the hourly minimum wage during the 12 months or 365 days preceding the start of the stoppage.

Some periods are counted as hours of work even if you have not actually worked. The periods during which you have been compensated by the Social Security (sickness, maternity, equivalent to 6 hours of salaried work per compensated day.

Thus, if you are on leave from work or in another situation covered by daily allowances, these periods make it possible to complete the hours necessary to meet the conditions for entitlement.

These conditions apply whether you work full time or part time.

FYI  

When a telemedicine procedure is performed by someone other than your doctor or a midwife, the prescription of a work stoppage (or its renewal) cannot exceed 3 days. After these 3 days, you will not be entitled to daily allowances.

Calculation method

The daily allowances (DI) are equal to 50% the basic daily wage.

If you are paid monthly, your basic daily wage is equal to the total of the last 3 gross wages received before the work stoppage, divided by 91.25.

Example :

If you received a gross salary of €2,000 per month during the 3 months preceding your work stoppage, you will be able to obtain JIs according to the following calculation:

  • Gross salary for the last 3 months = 6,000 (2,000 x 3)
  • Basic daily wage = €65.75 (6,000 / 91.25)
  • IJ = €32.87 (€65.75 (basic daily wage) x 50%).

IJs cannot exceed €41.95 raw.

Your salary taken into account to calculate your basic daily earnings, is capped at 1.4 times the amount of the minimum wage in force, on the last day of the month preceding the stop (i.e €2,552.25 per month in 2026).

If you are earning more, your JI will be calculated as follows:

  • Basic daily wage = €83.90 [(€2,552.25 x 3) / 91.25]
  • IJ = €41.95 (83.90 x 50%).

Warning  

For judgments that started before 1 ᵉʳ April 2025, the old ceiling remains applicable: the salary taken into account for the calculation of the basic daily earnings is capped at 1.8 times the amount of the minimum wage in force, on the last day of the month preceding the judgment.

Example: if your monthly gross salary is €3,500, alone €3,243.24 will be taken into account for the calculation of your daily allowances.

Maximum amount

IJs cannot exceed €41.95 raw.

Removing revaluation

IJs are paid after a waiting period from 3 days.

Example :

In case of shutdown from 1er In July, JIs are paid as of July 4.

The waiting period applies to each work stoppage.

Warning  

There is no waiting period in case of resumption of activity between 2 work stoppages not exceeding 48 hours. Similarly, there is no waiting period in the event of successive work stoppages due to long-term condition (ALD).

The days of absence are counted in the calculation of your retirement insofar as it is the duration of the stoppage that is taken into account.

For short-term breaks, there is no impact on the calculation of your retirement.

However, if the outages are long-term, they are also taken into account as follows: 1 quarter is validated for each 60-day compensation period up to a limit of 4 quarters per year.

Days compensated

IJs are due for each calendar day interruptions of work, including Saturday and Sunday.

Periodicity of payment

Your social security organization (CPAM: titleContent, MSA: titleContent) pays you the IJ every 14 days. It will send you a statement at the same time. You can also download it.

Certificate of payment of daily allowances

Maximum duration of payment

General case

The Social Security Agency (CPAM, MSA) pays up to 12 months of JI per 3 consecutive years.

In case of ALD

If you suffer from ALD, JIs are paid during 3 years.

A new period of 3 years is opened if you have worked again for at least 1 year.

If, after 3 years, you are back on sick leave after less than one year of work, you can be compensated if you received less than 12 months of JI over the 3-year period.

Tableau - Possibility of accumulating income with daily allowances

Income

Cumulation possible with daily allowances?

Invalidity pension

Yes, if your disability rate is compatible with a return to work

Old-age pension

Yes, if you are retired and otherwise engaged in paid employment

Additional part of your salary paid by your employer

Yes

Unemployment benefits

No

Daily maternity allowance

No

Daily Allowances for Occupational Illness and Injury (AT-MP)

No

Conditions

To receive the additional benefits, you must complete all the following conditions:

  • Have at least 1 year of seniority in the company (calculated from your 1er day of absence)
  • Have provided the employer with the medical certificate within 48 hours
  • Be insured and subject to a social security scheme entitling to the payment ofdaily allowances
  • Be treated in France or in one of the Member States of the European Economic Area (EEA)
  • Not be a homeworker or seasonal, intermittent or temporary employee.

The actual payment of daily allowances by the Social Security is not a condition for receiving supplementary allowances paid by the employer.

Daily allowances are taken into account only for the calculation of the amount of the supplementary allowance.

Waiting period

One waiting period from 7 days is intended for each work stoppage.

Thus the payment of additional allowances begins on 8e day of sick leave except treaty provisions or more favorable collective agreement.

If the work stoppage is due to a ₪ or to a occupational disease, the payment of JIs starts from 1er day of absence.

Duration of payment

The length of time the employer pays your benefits varies depending on your seniority, as follows:

Tableau - Duration of payment of additional allowances according to your seniority

Length of service in the company

Maximum duration of payment of compensation

From 1 to 5 years

60 days (30 days to 90% and 30 days at 66.66%)

From 6 to 10 years

80 days (40 days to 90% and 40 days at 66.66%)

From 11 to 15 years old

100 days (50 days to 90% and 50 days at 66.66%)

From 16 to 20 years old

120 days (60 days to 90% and 60 days at 66.66%)

From 21 to 25 years

140 days (70 days to 90% and 70 days at 66.66%)

From 26 to 30 years

160 days (80 days to 90% and 80 days at 66.66%)

31 years and older

180 days (90 days to 90% and 90 days at 66.66%)

If you have already received one or more periods of sickness compensation from the employer in the previous 12 months, the duration of payment is deducted from the number of days already compensated.

Amount

During the First 30 to 90 days off depending on your seniority, you can receive allowances, which in addition to the IJ, allow you to receive 90% the gross compensation you would have received if you had worked.

During the Next 30 to 90 days off, the percentage is reduced to 2/3 (i.e 66.66%) of your remuneration.

To calculate the amount paid by the employer, you must deduct the JI paid by your social security organization (CPAM, MSA,...) and, if this is the case, the benefits resulting from the employer's payments under a supplementary pension plan.

Your collective agreement may include more favorable provisions (such as maintaining your salary in full).

If the IJ paid by your social security organization (CPAM, MSA,...) are reduced (for example, due to hospitalization or a penalty of the CPAM: titleContent for non-compliance with its regulations), the amount paid by the employer remains calculated by taking into account the full amount of JI.

Warning  

In return for the obligation to pay compensation, the employer may medical check-up.

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