PEO Services in France

A co-employment model for companies that want to share the employer relationship in France rather than hand it over entirely. We help you work out whether PEO or EOR genuinely fits, and place you with the right vetted partner.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners
  • Honest positioning

What a PEO does in France

A Professional Employer Organisation works on a co-employment model. You and the PEO partner share the legal employer responsibilities for your French staff: you keep direction and day-to-day control, while the partner administers payroll, income tax, social charges, and HR compliance under a shared arrangement.

01

Shared employer role

You and the PEO partner share the legal employer responsibilities. You keep direction and control; they handle payroll, income tax, social charges, and HR administration.

02

More direct control

PEO suits companies that want to retain more direct control of the employment relationship than a full EOR arrangement allows. In France, EOR is the more common route.

03

Honest recommendation

For most companies hiring in France, EOR is simpler. We will tell you honestly whether PEO genuinely fits your structure, or whether EOR serves you better.

How PEO works in France, step by step

From assessing the fit to a compliant co-employment arrangement.

01 — Assess the fit

We map your structure, headcount, and how much control you want to keep, and tell you honestly whether PEO or EOR serves you better. No product push.

02 — Set up co-employment

If PEO fits, we place you with a vetted French partner and structure the shared employer arrangement correctly.

03 — Onboard your people

Compliant French employment terms under the Code du Travail, with the administrative employer functions handled by the partner.

04 — Payroll & compliance

Income tax, social charges, and filings handled monthly, while you keep day-to-day direction.

What PEO in France costs

As with EOR, two parts: the statutory cost of employment (high employer charges of 40% to 45% in France) and the partner service fee.

Employer charges

Roughly 40% to 45% of gross salary, covering health, pension, unemployment and training levies. The 2026 RGDU reform substantially lowers this near the minimum wage, phasing back up to the full range by around three times SMIC. France is one of Europe’s heavier employer-charge regimes.

Minimum wage (2026)

SMIC is EUR 1,867.02 gross per month (EUR 12.31/hour) on the 35-hour week, effective 1 June 2026, with higher floors common under the convention collective.

Income tax (employee)

Progressive from 0% to 45% by fiscal household, withheld at source. Borne by the employee.

PEO partner fee

A service fee for the co-employment administration. We benchmark across our vetted network, typically 15 to 25% below going direct.

Why arrange it through Bradford Jacobs

Why companies arrange French PEO through us rather than going direct to a single provider.

We tell you if PEO fits your needs

We are independent: we assess what you actually need, place you with the right vetted partner, secure pricing you will not get going direct, and stay on your side to escalate or renegotiate. You get advice, not a product pitch.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners only
  • On your side at renewal

Pricing you can’t get direct

France replaced its layered employer-contribution relief system with a single unified mechanism (the Reduction Generale Degressive Unique) from 1 January 2026, extending relief up to 3x the minimum wage under a new formula, on top of an already heavy employer-charge regime. We benchmark across our vetted network for rates typically 15 to 25% below going direct, and renegotiate for you at renewal.

  • 15-25% below direct
  • Network benchmarking
  • Renegotiated for you

Straight to the top when it matters

When something needs resolving, and in global employment it sometimes does, you come to us. We escalate directly, past the helpdesk, to people who can actually move it.

  • Direct escalation
  • No support queues
  • Named account contact

Two decades of placements

Two decades placing and managing employment arrangements across Europe. Once headcount passes 11 employees, French law requires a CSE (works council) with elected staff representatives, and that threshold applies to your total presence, not just the people we co-employ. We flag it before you cross it, not after.

  • Co-employment expertise
  • Honest fit advice
  • Right structure

We flex as your structure changes

PEO, EOR, and your own entity sit on a spectrum, and the right point shifts as you grow. We advise on the path and manage the moves, EOR to PEO, or either to your own French entity, as your French presence develops.

  • EOR, PEO or entity
  • Transitions managed
  • Right fit as you grow

What French employment law demands, shared

Whichever model you use, the underlying French rules are the same. Under a PEO arrangement, the administrative employer functions are handled for you.

Working time, leave & contracts

Compliant Code du Travail contracts and working-time rules (35-hour week, five weeks’ leave). Income tax and social charges withheld and filed correctly. Statutory benefits, notice, and severance applied properly.

Statutory protections & exits

Statutory notice, probation, and the strong protections French employees carry under the Code du Travail, all handled under the shared arrangement. The value is the same as with EOR: the compliance is handled by people who do it daily. The difference is simply how much of the employer role you keep.

What a PEO arrangement covers

The co-employment administration covers all of this, under one transparent fee.

Compliant contract

A compliant French employment contract under the Code du Travail, issued and maintained for you.

Payroll & filings

Monthly payroll run, with income tax and social charges calculated, withheld, and filed each month.

Statutory benefits

All statutory benefits administered: five weeks’ leave, the mutuelle, AGIRC-ARRCO pension, sick and parental leave.

Compliance & support

Ongoing HR compliance and a single point of contact, for the life of the engagement.

Your questions answered

Straight answers on how PEO co-employment works in France.

What is the difference between PEO and EOR in France?

With an EOR, the partner is the sole legal employer of your French staff. With a PEO, you and the partner share the employer relationship, you keep more direct control, they handle the administration. In France, EOR is the more common route; PEO suits specific co-employment structures.

For most companies, EOR is simpler and faster, especially with no French entity. PEO fits when you want to share rather than outsource the employer role, or have a structure that calls for it. We assess your situation and recommend honestly.

It depends on the structure. Some co-employment arrangements assume or work alongside a French entity. If you have no entity and want none, EOR is usually the cleaner route. We will confirm which applies to you.

The administrative employer functions, payroll, income tax, social charges, statutory benefits, and filings, are handled by the partner. We make sure the arrangement is structured so responsibilities are clear and French law is met.

The statutory employer cost (social charges of roughly 40% to 45%) plus a partner service fee for the co-employment administration. We benchmark across our network for pricing typically 15 to 25% below going direct.

Yes. These models sit on a spectrum and the right one changes as you grow. We advise on the path and manage transitions, EOR to PEO, or either to your own French entity, as your French presence develops.

Not sure whether PEO or EOR is right for France?

Tell us your structure and headcount and we will give you an honest recommendation, usually within a day, plus pricing you will not get direct. No product push, just the right fit.

Tax and labour data verified June 2026 (URSSAF, DGFiP, OECD). Figures change; we confirm the current position when we scope your hire.