Homeworker

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

An employer may have one or more homeworkers perform certain work outside his or her company. It can be manual work (sewing for example) or intellectual (translation for example). The employee holds an employment contract. We're taking a look at the regulations.

Warning  

The home worker is not an employee of individual employer.

Definition of homeworker

The homeworker:

  • Does work for a COMPANY and not for its own customers
  • Carry out this work at home, or in premises owned or rented by him
  • Benefits from a flat-rate remuneration fixed in advance for the work he was asked to do
  • Use of limited aid for the execution of this work.

The homeworker has a contract of employment that binds him to his employer.

He or she may work with the assistance of his or her spouse, partner or Civil partnerships: titleContent, the person with whom he or she is in a common-law relationship or his or her dependent children.

They can also be helped by one other person called auxiliary.

Please note

If the homeworker is assisted by an auxiliary, the auxiliary is the employee of the homeworker.

Distinction with other workers

Teleworking

The employee in teleworking is not a homeworker. Indeed, teleworking is a way of organizing work set up in the company.

Self-employed

The worker independent is not a homeworker. He has his own clientele and works on his own behalf.

Employee of the individual employer

The employee of the individual employer is not a homeworker.

The home worker is an employee of the company. The employer (client) must follow the same procedures as for the hiring of any employee in the company.

He must also carry out other formalities concerning the home worker.

Posting obligations

The employer must display the following information in the company:

  • Time of execution of the work at home
  • Clothing prices or applicable wages
  • Workshop and ancillary costs.

Preparation of a report card or workbook

When an employer uses a homeworker, he must draw up a report card or a booklet.

Some information is included on this newsletter or notebook at the handover of works to do at home.

Other entries are made on this bulletin or this booklet during the delivery of work by the employee.

A copy of this bulletin or booklet is kept 5 years by the employer.

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Information to be included when handing over work to be done at home

At the time of delivery of the work, the employer must prepare at least two copies of a bulletin or a booklet.

One copy is given to the worker and the other kept by the company.

When handing over and delivering the work, the booklet or bulletin must include the following information:

  • Contact details of the employer (client)
  • Reference of the bodies to which the client pays social security contributions
  • Registration number under which these contributions are paid
  • Registration number at Window of company formalities
  • Nature, quantity of the work, date on which it is given, time of execution, applicable wages
  • Nature and value of supplies, workshop costs and accessories imposed on the worker
  • Delivery date of the work.

The information relating to each work shall be entered under a serial number. This must appear on all copies of the bulletin or booklet.

Information to be included when the work is delivered

When the work is delivered, the report card or booklet must include the following information:

  • Delivery date
  • The amount of basic salary, any increases (overtime), paid leave allowance, compensation for holidays or leave for family events, gross and net remuneration.

Keeping a special account

The employer must keep separate accounts of raw materials and supplies for the homeworker.

The accounting records shall be kept at the disposal of the labor inspectorate.

Volume of work given by the employer

The employer is not obliged to provide a constant volume of work to the homeworker. A collective agreement or the employment contract may provide for it.

However, the employer cannot make lasting changes without justifying the amount of work entrusted and the remuneration of the homeworker. For example, the employer cannot suspend work for several months.

The homeworker is related to his employer (client) by a employment contract.

It benefits from the provisions of the conventions and collective agreements applicable to the company, unless these texts exclude home workers.

A simulator allows you to search for the collective agreement with the name of the company or its Siret number:

Finding your collective agreement

Remuneration

The remuneration of the homeworker is a flat rate. It is equal to the product of the hourly wage by the execution times.

Salaries and performance time are fixed by the collective agreement or by prefectural or ministerial decree.

The hourly wage cannot be less than Smic: titleContent, or €9.52 net.

Workshop and ancillary costs

The home worker's salary is supplemented by workshop costs (rent, heating, lighting of the work space in particular) and ancillary costs.

These costs may be provided for by the applicable collective agreement or by prefectural decree.

In the absence of a collective agreement and a prefectural decree, the workshop costs and ancillary costs are fixed by mutual agreement between the parties.

Overtime pay increase

If the homeworker has to work more than 8 hours of work per business day to meet the delivery deadlines requested, his salary (excluding workshop and ancillary costs) is increased by:

  • 25% for the 9e and 10e hours
  • 50% from 11e hour.

The applicable collective agreement or agreement may provide for higher mark-up rates.

Increase in pay for work on Sundays and public holidays

The remuneration of the homeworker is increased when he is obliged to work on a Sunday or a public holiday to meet the delivery deadlines set by his employer.

The amount of the surcharge shall be determined by the applicable collective agreement or agreement.

Increase in salary for paid leave

A home worker shall receive an allowance equal to 10% of his gross salary.

In the event of a dispute with his employer, the homeworker may refer the matter to the labor court council.

The homeworker has 5 years (as from the payment of salary) to refer claims to the labor court concerning the rates of work performed, workshop and ancillary costs, paid leave allowances.

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