Wage attachment: what are the employer's obligations?

Verified 01 July 2025 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Wage foreclosure (or wage foreclosure) is the process of taking a portion of an employee's salary, regardless of their employment contract, to pay off their debt. It is up to the company employing the employee to withhold part of his salary, so that this part is then paid to the creditor. This is one of the obligations imposed on the company in the case of wage attachment. We'll explain.

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

Deductions already in progress

From 1er july 2025, the company must cease all payments related to wage attachment at the court registry. Any payment made to the Registry of the Court after that date shall be rejected.

FYI  

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

Where 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 the debtor a sum as remuneration, and the amount of the sum to be paid to him in the month following service of the seizure report.
  • Disposals, seizures, DATS: titleContent or direct payments of maintenance payments in progress in respect of the debtor.

To be valid, the seizure report must contain the following information:

  • The name and domicile of the debtor
  • An indication that the employer must send every month to the dispatching justice commissioner an amount equal to the seizable portion of the salary
  • The method of calculating the forfeiture and the arrangements for settling it
  • The obligation to provide the Commissioner of Justice, within 15 days of 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 who has been designated
  • The statement of the sums for which the seizure takes place, distinguishing the amount of the original debt, charges, interest and the interest rate.

FYI  

A company who, without lawful justification, does not make such a declaration, or makes a false declaration, may be ordered to pay a civil fine of €10,000 maximum and to pay damages. To do this, the creditor must make the request to the enforcement judge.

No later than 15 days after service of the seizure report, 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 the debtor a sum as remuneration, and the amount of the sum to be paid to him in the month following service of the seizure report.
  • Assignments, seizures, DATS: titleContentor direct payments of maintenance payments in progress 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 an application that the company may bring an action against the debtor.

Seizable part

Only part of the remuneration is liable to seizure.

The calculation of the portions of salary that can be entered is based on a scale which takes into account the level of remuneration and the family responsibilities of the employee (spouse, Civil partnerships: titleContent or the spouse, dependent children and ascendant with less than €646.52, corresponding to the lump sum of RSA: titleContent).

It is possible to estimate the maximum amount that can be seized:

Estimate the amount of wage attachment (or wage attachment)

Calculation method

The calculation shall be made on the net salary after deduction of the levy at source.

Seizable proportions shall be determined on the basis of annual remuneration.

However, since the deduction is, in practice, made by the employer at the time of each pay, it is necessary to determine the portion to be deducted according to the periodicity of the pay, generally each month. The employer must therefore average the net wages for 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 fraction is the amount of the SSA for a person living alone and without dependent children, either €646.52.

Warning  

The nature and amount of the amount seized must be indicated on the pay slip, or penalties may be imposed.

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

Please note

Where the employee receives wages from more than one employer, the seizable income is calculated on the total of these sums.

But the amount of income that can be seized also includes:

  • Supplementary allowances in the event of reduced working hours (unemployment, partial, temporary half-time)
  • Return to Employment Benefit (RWA)
  • Solidarity allowance for the elderly (Aspa)
  • Unemployment benefits (allowances, aids and any other benefits paid by France Travail - formerly Pôle emploi -)
  • Voluntary retirement allowance
  • Sickness, maternity and child benefit
  • Disability pensions and annuities
  • Retirement and survivors' pensions.

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

However, some amounts are not included in the seizable income:

  • Disabled Adult Allowance (DAA) and independent living supplement (AVM), except for the payment of maintenance costs for the disabled person
  • Custom Battery Allowance (Apa)
  • Specific Solidarity Allowance (SSA)
  • Capital allowances or annuities for accidents at work
  • Severance pay as a result of the company's economic situation
  • Redundancy payments
  • Retirement allowances
  • Allowances representative of professional expenses
  • Conventional severance pay
  • Activity bonus
  • Participation and profit-sharing premiums
  • Active Solidarity Income (RSA).

No holdbacks in progress

Where 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 the debtor a sum as remuneration, and the amount of the sum to be paid to him in the month following service of the seizure report.
  • Disposals, seizures, DATS: titleContent or direct payments of maintenance payments in progress in respect of the debtor.

To be valid, the seizure report must contain the following information:

  • The name and domicile of the debtor
  • An indication that the employer must send every month to the dispatching justice commissioner an amount equal to the seizable portion of the salary
  • The method of calculating the forfeiture and the arrangements for settling it
  • The obligation to provide the Commissioner of Justice, within 15 days of 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 who has been designated
  • The statement of the sums for which the seizure takes place, distinguishing the amount of the original debt, charges, interest and the interest rate.

FYI  

A company who, without lawful justification, does not make such a declaration, or makes a false declaration, may be ordered to pay a civil fine of €10,000 maximum and to pay damages. To do this, the creditor must make the request to the enforcement judge.

No later than 15 days after service of the seizure report, 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 the debtor a sum as remuneration, and the amount of the sum to be paid to him in the month following service of the seizure report.
  • Assignments, seizures, DATS: titleContentor direct payments of maintenance payments in progress 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 an application that the company may bring an action against the debtor.

Seizable part

Only part of the remuneration is liable to seizure.

The calculation of the portions of salary that can be entered is based on a scale which takes into account the level of remuneration and the family responsibilities of the employee (spouse, Civil partnerships: titleContent or the spouse, dependent children and ascendant with less than €646.52, corresponding to the lump sum of RSA: titleContent).

It is possible to estimate the maximum amount that can be seized:

Estimate the amount of wage attachment (or wage attachment)

Calculation method

The calculation shall be made on the net salary after deduction of the levy at source.

Seizable proportions shall be determined on the basis of annual remuneration.

However, since the deduction is, in practice, made by the employer at the time of each pay, it is necessary to determine the portion to be deducted according to the periodicity of the pay, generally each month. The employer must therefore average the net wages for 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 fraction is the amount of the SSA for a person living alone and without dependent children, either €646.52.

Warning  

The nature and amount of the amount seized must be indicated on the pay slip, or penalties may be imposed.

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

Please note

Where the employee receives wages from more than one employer, the seizable income is calculated on the total of these sums.

But the amount of income that can be seized also includes:

  • Supplementary allowances in the event of reduced working hours (unemployment, partial, temporary half-time)
  • Return to Employment Benefit (RWA)
  • Solidarity allowance for the elderly (Aspa)
  • Unemployment benefits (allowances, aids and any other benefits paid by France Travail - formerly Pôle emploi -)
  • Voluntary retirement allowance
  • Sickness, maternity and child benefit
  • Disability pensions and annuities
  • Retirement and survivors' pensions.

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

However, some amounts are not included in the seizable income:

  • Disabled Adult Allowance (DAA) and independent living supplement (AVM), except for the payment of maintenance costs for the disabled person
  • Custom Battery Allowance (Apa)
  • Specific Solidarity Allowance (SSA)
  • Capital allowances or annuities for accidents at work
  • Severance pay as a result of the company's economic situation
  • Redundancy payments
  • Retirement allowances
  • Allowances representative of professional expenses
  • Conventional severance pay
  • Activity bonus
  • Participation and profit-sharing premiums
  • Active Solidarity Income (RSA).

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