Seizure on wages: what are the employer's obligations?

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

Wage garnishment (or wage garnishment) consists in taking part of an employee's salary, regardless of his employment contract, to pay off his debt. It is up to the company that employs the employee to withhold part of his salary, so that this part is then paid to the creditor. This is one of the obligations of the company in the event of a seizure of wages. We explain.

The rules of the wage attachment procedure were amended on 1er July 2025. As a result, the obligations imposed on the employer are different, depending on whether payroll deductions are already in progress or not, as of 1er July 2025 :

Deductions already in progress

From 1er july 2025, the company must stop all payments related to salary seizure at the registry of the court. Any payment made to the court registry after that date shall be rejected.

FYI  

From 1er in july 2025, the court registry forwards the wage attachment procedure to the commissioner of justice. If the creditor confirms to the Commissioner of Justice, within 3 months, his willingness to continue the procedure of attachment on salary, the attachment on salary continues in accordance with the new rules applicable to the attachment on salary. The company will be served a record of seizure, and it shall pay the deductions made from the debtor's salary to the dispatching justice commissioner.

When a notice of seizure is served to a company, she shall provide to the creditor the following information:

  • The situation of the debtor in the company (e.g. on a fixed-term contract), if he pays him remuneration, and the amount of the sum to be paid to him the month after service of the record of seizure.
  • Assignments, seizures, SATD: titleContent or direct payments of maintenance payments in the course of enforcement in respect of the debtor.

To be valid, the record of seizure must contain the following information:

  • The name and address of the debtor
  • The indication that the employer must send monthly to the dispatching justice commissioner an amount equal to the seizable portion of the salary
  • The method of calculation of the seizable fraction and the methods of its settlement
  • The obligation to provide the Commissioner of Justice, within 15 days at the latest from the service of the notice of seizure, with the information provided for in Article L. 212-8
  • Reproduction of articles L. 212-7, L. 212-8 and L. 212-14
  • The identity and contact details of the dispatching justice commissioner that has been designated
  • The statement of the sums for which the seizure takes place, distinguishing the amount of the initial debt, costs, interest, and the rate of interest.

FYI  

A company which, without lawful cause, fails to make such a statement, or makes a false statement, may be ordered to pay a civil fine of €10,000 maximum and to be paid damages and interest. To do so, the creditor must apply to the enforcement judge.

No later than 15 days after service of record of seizure, the company shall provide the dispatching justice commissioner the following information:

  • The situation of the debtor in the company (e.g. on a fixed-term contract), if he pays him remuneration, and the amount of the sum to be paid to him the month after service of the record of seizure.
  • Assignments, seizures, SATD: titleContent, or direct payments of maintenance payments in the course of enforcement in respect of the debtor.

Every month, the company shall pay to the dispatching justice commissioner deductions from the debtor's salary. These deductions must be made within the limits of the amounts available.

FYI  

If the company does not make these payments, it may be ordered by the judge to pay the deductions that should have been made from the debtor's salary.

In the event of an event that suspends or terminates the entry, the company shall inform the dispatching justice commissioner, within 8 days.

Please note

It's only after the release the seizure that the company may bring an action against the debtor.

Seizable portion

Only part of the remuneration is seizable.

The fractions of salary that can be entered are calculated according to a scale which takes into account the level of remuneration and the family expenses of the employee (spouse, partner of Civil partnerships: titleContent or the cohabiting partner, dependent children and the ascendant whose resources are less than €651.69, corresponding to the lump sum of RSA: titleContent).

It is possible to estimate the maximum amount seizable:

Estimate the amount of the salary (or salary) seizure

Calculation method

The calculation must be carried out on the net salary after deduction of the withholding tax.

Seizable proportions are set according to annual remuneration.

However, since the deduction is, in practice, made by the employer at the time of each pay, the portion to be deducted must be determined according to the periodicity of the pay, generally each month. The employer must therefore average the net wages of the last 12 months.

In the case where the employee has been in the company for less than 12 months, the employer must make the calculation in proportion to the number of months present.

Amount left at the disposal of the debtor

A minimum amount must be left to the employee. This elusive portion is the amount of the HBP for a person living alone and without a dependent child, or €651.69.

Warning  

The nature and amount of the amount seized must be stated on the pay slip, under penalty of penalties.

Most of the time, the amount of the seizable income is calculated from the cumulative net wages collected in the previous 12 months the record of seizure.

Please note

When the employee receives wages from several employers, the seizable income is calculated on all of these amounts.

But the seizable income also consists the following amounts:

  • Supplementary allowances provided in the event of a reduction in working hours (unemployment, part-time work, temporary part-time work)
  • Return to Work Allowance (RTO)
  • Solidarity Allowance for the Elderly (Aspa)
  • Unemployment benefits (allowances, aids and any other benefits paid by France Travail - formerly Pôle emploi -)
  • Voluntary Retirement Benefit
  • Daily sickness, maternity and child benefit
  • Disability pensions and life annuities
  • Retirement pensions and survivor's pensions.

In addition, family benefits may be seized only in certain cases and for the payment of certain claims only.

On the other hand, some sums are not included of the seizable income:

No withholding in progress

When a notice of seizure is served to a company, she shall provide to the creditor the following information:

  • The situation of the debtor in the company (e.g. on a fixed-term contract), if he pays him remuneration, and the amount of the sum to be paid to him the month after service of the record of seizure.
  • Assignments, seizures, SATD: titleContent or direct payments of maintenance payments in the course of enforcement in respect of the debtor.

To be valid, the record of seizure must contain the following information:

  • The name and address of the debtor
  • The indication that the employer must send monthly to the dispatching justice commissioner an amount equal to the seizable portion of the salary
  • The method of calculation of the seizable fraction and the methods of its settlement
  • The obligation to provide the Commissioner of Justice, within 15 days at the latest from the service of the notice of seizure, with the information provided for in Article L. 212-8
  • Reproduction of articles L. 212-7, L. 212-8 and L. 212-14
  • The identity and contact details of the dispatching justice commissioner that has been designated
  • The statement of the sums for which the seizure takes place, distinguishing the amount of the initial debt, costs, interest, and the rate of interest.

FYI  

A company which, without lawful cause, fails to make such a statement, or makes a false statement, may be ordered to pay a civil fine of €10,000 maximum and to be paid damages and interest. To do so, the creditor must apply to the enforcement judge.

No later than 15 days after service of record of seizure, the company shall provide the dispatching justice commissioner the following information:

  • The situation of the debtor in the company (e.g. on a fixed-term contract), if he pays him remuneration, and the amount of the sum to be paid to him the month after service of the record of seizure.
  • Assignments, seizures, SATD: titleContent, or direct payments of maintenance payments in the course of enforcement in respect of the debtor.

Every month, the company shall pay to the dispatching justice commissioner deductions from the debtor's salary. These deductions must be made within the limits of the amounts available.

FYI  

If the company does not make these payments, it may be ordered by the judge to pay the deductions that should have been made from the debtor's salary.

In the event of an event that suspends or terminates the entry, the company shall inform the dispatching justice commissioner, within 8 days.

Please note

It's only after the release the seizure that the company may bring an action against the debtor.

Seizable portion

Only part of the remuneration is seizable.

The fractions of salary that can be entered are calculated according to a scale which takes into account the level of remuneration and the family expenses of the employee (spouse, partner of Civil partnerships: titleContent or the cohabiting partner, dependent children and the ascendant whose resources are less than €651.69, corresponding to the lump sum of RSA: titleContent).

It is possible to estimate the maximum amount seizable:

Estimate the amount of the salary (or salary) seizure

Calculation method

The calculation must be carried out on the net salary after deduction of the withholding tax.

Seizable proportions are set according to annual remuneration.

However, since the deduction is, in practice, made by the employer at the time of each pay, the portion to be deducted must be determined according to the periodicity of the pay, generally each month. The employer must therefore average the net wages of the last 12 months.

In the case where the employee has been in the company for less than 12 months, the employer must make the calculation in proportion to the number of months present.

Amount left at the disposal of the debtor

A minimum amount must be left to the employee. This elusive portion is the amount of the HBP for a person living alone and without a dependent child, or €651.69.

Warning  

The nature and amount of the amount seized must be stated on the pay slip, under penalty of penalties.

Most of the time, the amount of the seizable income is calculated from the cumulative net wages collected in the previous 12 months the record of seizure.

Please note

When the employee receives wages from several employers, the seizable income is calculated on all of these amounts.

But the seizable income also consists the following amounts:

  • Supplementary allowances provided in the event of a reduction in working hours (unemployment, part-time work, temporary part-time work)
  • Return to Work Allowance (RTO)
  • Solidarity Allowance for the Elderly (Aspa)
  • Unemployment benefits (allowances, aids and any other benefits paid by France Travail - formerly Pôle emploi -)
  • Voluntary Retirement Benefit
  • Daily sickness, maternity and child benefit
  • Disability pensions and life annuities
  • Retirement pensions and survivor's pensions.

In addition, family benefits may be seized only in certain cases and for the payment of certain claims only.

On the other hand, some sums are not included of the seizable income:

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