How to calculate the length of service of the employee for the amount of severance pay?
Verified 24 July 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)
Unless he's fired for gross misconduct or gross misconduct, a dismissed employee shall be entitled to severance pay if he has 8 months of uninterrupted service in the same company. This seniority is calculated from the day the employer sends the termination letter. Certain periods of suspension of the employment contract are taken into account to calculate this seniority, others not. We're taking a look at the regulations.
The periods taken into account may be leave for family reasons or related to training, a leave of absence due to accident or occupational disease, among others.
Leave for family reasons
Seniority is taken into account totality for the calculation of severance pay in the following situations:
Training-related leave
Seniority is taken into account totality for the calculation of severance pay in the following situations:
Work stoppage due to accident or occupational disease
Seniority is taken into account totality for the calculation of severance pay in the following situations:
- Accident at work
- Occupational disease
- In case ofunfit for work, the notice must be included in the seniority of the employee, even if he is not performed and the employment contract is terminated immediately.
Other situations
Seniority is taken into account totality for the calculation of severance pay in the following situations:
- Annual Paid Leave
- International solidarity leave
- Leave for representation
- Leave of employees who are candidates or elected to a parliamentary or local mandate
- Part-time for company creation or takeover
- Job Transition Project
- Operational reserve
- Hiring after one apprenticeship contract
- Change of employer following an estate, sale, merger, transformation of the fund
- Training course end of study if it is more than 2 months and followed by hiring at the end of the internship
- Notice not given at the request of the employer
- In case of one or more CDD: titleContent (without interruption) followed immediately by CDI: titleContent, seniority starts at 1er CDD
- In case of acceptance of the professional security contract (CSP) in the context of an economic dismissal. The length of service taken into account is that which the employee would have had if he had made his notice (even if the contract is terminated at the end of the 21-day period).
Of treaty provisions may be more favorable.
A simulator is used to search for the collective agreement with the company's name or Siret number:
Seniority is taken into account partially for the calculation of severance pay in the following situations:
- In case of discontinuous contracts, seniority is taken into account from the date of entry of the last contract.
- In case of a hiring in the user company after a temporary employment contract, the length of service taken into account shall be maximum 3 months.
- During a full-time parental education leave, seniority shall be taken into account for half.
Of treaty provisions may be more favorable.
A simulator is used to search for the collective agreement with the company's name or Siret number:
Seniority is not taken into account for the calculation of severance pay in the following situations:
- Journey accident
- Non-occupational disease
- Partial activity (partial unemployment)
- Leave for creation or resumption of company
- Leave Without Pay
- Sabbatical
- Strike
- Layoff
- Notice not given at the request of the employee.
Of treaty provisions may be more favorable.
A simulator is used to search for the collective agreement with the company's name or Siret number:
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Administrative information by telephone - Allô Service Public
For more information on this subject, you can contact Allô Service Public.
Please note: the service does not have access to users' personal files and cannot therefore provide information on their progress.
He does not respond questions concerning unemployment compensation and the approach to the France Labor (formerly Job center), public servants or contract workers of the fCivil Service, the amount or payment of contributions social, wage or employer.
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The informants who answer you belong to the ministry responsible for labor.
Training (L1221-24)
Transfer of employment contract (L1224-3)
Maternity Leave (L1225-24)
Paternity and childcare leave (L1225-35-2)
Adoption Leave (L1225-42)
Supplementary Birth Leave (L1225-46-3)
Parental Education Leave (L1225-54)
Parental Attendance Leave (L1225-65)
Resignation to raise a child (L1225-67)
Non-occupational disability (1224-4)
Accident at work and occupational disease (L1226-7)
Professional security contract (L1233-67)
Severance pay (1234-9)
Maturity of the CDD term and continuation after maturity (L1243-11)
Temporary employment contract
Economic, Social, Environmental and Union Training Leave (L2145-10)
Family solidarity leave (L3142-12)
Caregiver Leave (L3142-21)
Sabbatical (L3142-28)
Mutual Training Leave (L3142-37)
Executive and youth worker training leave (L3142-55)
Hospitality Leave (L3142-62)
International solidarity leave (L3142-68)
Leave of employees who are candidates or elected to a parliamentary or local mandate (L3142-82)
Operational Reserve (L3142-94-1)
Partial activity (partial unemployment L5122-1)
Apprenticeship contract (L6222-16)
Professional Transition FPC (L6323-17-4)
Service Public