All you need to know about the social security contributions of an individual entrepreneur

Verified 01 November 2024 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Are you thinking about becoming an individual entrepreneur and would like to know what kind of social security system applies? We provide you with the necessary information.

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Commercial, craft or industrial activity

You are affiliated with social security for the self-employed.

The social security contributions you pay are:

  • Sickness and maternity insurance
  • Per diem
  • Basic pension
  • Supplementary pension
  • Disability insurance, death
  • Family allowances
  • Vocational training
  • CSG: titleContent/CRDS: titleContent

They are calculated on your professional income.

You must provide the tax authorities with all the information necessary to calculate your social security contributions:

Online tax account for professionals (EFI mode)

The payment contributions are made in 2 stages:

  • In December, you receive only one notice of the provisional call for contributions to be paid the following year
  • In October, you receive a notification to adjust the previous year's contributions, based on actual income

Provisional contributions are paid either monthly (on the 5th or 20th of the month) or every 3 months (5 February, 5 May, 5 August and 5 November).

The payment can be done in one of the following ways:

  • By telepayment on your Urssaf online space
  • By direct debit
  • By wire transfer

Unregulated liberal activity

You are affiliated with social security for the self-employed.

The social security contributions you pay are:

  • Sickness and maternity insurance
  • Per diem
  • Basic pension (Cipav: titleContent)
  • Supplementary pension (Cipav: titleContent)
  • Disability insurance, death
  • Family allowances
  • Vocational training
  • CSG: titleContent/CRDS: titleContent

They are calculated on your professional income. You must provide the tax authorities with all the information necessary to calculate your social security contributions:

Online tax account for professionals (EFI mode)

The payment of contributions is made in two stages with the Urssaf:

  • In December, you receive a single notice of call for provisional contributions payable the following year
  • In October, you receive a notification to adjust the previous year's contributions, based on actual income

Provisional contributions are paid either monthly (on the 5th or 20th of the month) or every 3 months (5 February, 5 May, 5 August and 5 November).

Payment can be made in one of the following ways:

  • By telepayment on your Urssaf online space
  • By direct debit
  • By wire transfer

Regulated liberal activity

You are affiliated with social security for the self-employed.

The social security contributions you pay are:

  • Sickness and maternity insurance
  • Per diem
  • Basic pension (Cnavpl: titleContent)
  • Supplementary pension (Cnavpl: titleContent)
  • Disability insurance, death
  • Family allowances
  • Vocational training
  • CSG: titleContent/CRDS: titleContent

They are calculated on your professional income. You must provide the tax authorities with all the information necessary to calculate your social security contributions:

Online tax account for professionals (EFI mode)

The payment of contributions is made in 2 stages:

  • In December, you receive a single notice of call for provisional contributions payable the following year
  • In October, you receive a notification to adjust the previous year's contributions, based on actual income

Provisional contributions are paid either monthly (on the 5th or 20th of the month) or every 3 months (5 February, 5 May, 5 August and 5 November).

Payment can be made in one of the following ways:

  • By telepayment on your Urssaf online space
  • By direct debit
  • By wire transfer

Social contributions and contributions are calculated on the following revenues:

  • Wages
  • Allowances
  • Supplementary social benefits
  • Accident at work Replacement income in case of sickness, maternity or
  • Extra-legal family benefits (you decide to grant your employees supplements to social security benefits)
  • Cash benefits provided by the Social and Economic Committee (ESC)
  • Benefits in kind such as food and accommodation, provision of professional vehicles for private use

Social security contributions are payable by the employer and the employee.

It's the employer who withholds the amount social security contributions every month on the payroll of its employees.

He must thendeclare and pay social contributions by means of the registered social declaration (NSN) not later than the 15th of the following month that of the period of employment in question where it employs fewer than 11 employees:

Nominative Social Declaration (DSN)

The employer has the opportunity to opt for for the quarterly registered social return. The declaration and payment of social security contributions will have to be made not later than the 15th of the first month the following quarter.

The social contributions and contributions due are as follows:

  • Apec Contribution
  • Contribution of family allowances
  • Social security contribution sickness, maternity, invalidity and death insurance
  • Solidarity of Autonomy Contribution (CSA)
  • Workers' compensation contributions
  • Payment to the National Housing Fund (FNAL)
  • AGS Contribution
  • Social Package
  • Freight payment

In addition to these payroll taxes, there are payroll contributions which are directly deducted from the gross salary of the employee.

These contributions include old-age insurance, the general social contribution (CSG: titleContent), the contribution to the repayment of the social debt (CRDS: titleContent), unemployment and supplementary pension contributions.

You can estimate the amount of social contributions you will have to pay when hiring an employee:

Calculate the social contributions for the hiring of an employee and the expected remuneration

Reductions in contributions and social contributions

The contractor may to benefit from reductions contributions and social contributions according to different criteria:

Exemptions from contributions and social contributions

Business can to benefit from exemptions contributions and social contributions according to different criteria:

We chose a list of a few words with their corresponding definitions to better understand the social system of an individual entrepreneur:

  • Abatement : flat-rate or proportional reduction applied on the basis of a tax calculation (income, value of property, etc.)
  • Plate : the basis on which the rates of the various contributions and contributions are applied
  • Contribution : tax dedicated to specific projects (CSG: titleContentand CRDS: titleContent dedicated to the financing of Social Security)
  • Contribution : a levy which entitles the holder to social benefits
  • Discount : mechanism for reducing social contributions
  • Nominative Social Declaration (DSN) : Online declaration filed monthly from the payslip. It has to be filled out by all private sector employers.
  • Exemption : exemption from payment of one or more social contributions
  • Per diem : sum of money paid to the employee by the social security in the event of accident, sickness or maternity
  • Employers' share : employers' contributions and social contributions
  • Wage share : contributions and social contributions payable by employees
  • Liable : company who has to pay a social contribution and who has not yet done so