Unemployment benefit and return-to-work assistance (ARE) for a public official whose employment contract ends on or after 1 April 2025
Verified 01 July 2025 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
Additional cases ?
Can you receive the unemployment benefit of return-to-work assistance (ARE) in case of job loss? The conditions of compensation are not the same according to your age and the date of your termination of employment contract. We present you with the information you need to know.
This page does not show the specific rules applicable to Mayotte.
Please note
Rules on compensation following termination of employment contract before 1er april 2025 are presented in another card.
You're under 55
If you are a civil servant or a contractor in CSD: titleContent or DTA: titleContent unintentionally deprived of employment, you can claim unemployment benefits.
You are involuntarily deprived of employment if you are in one of the following situations:
- Dismissed official or revoked
- Staff member not reinstated and automatically kept on standby after secondment or standby
- Contractor in CDI or in CDD licensed
- Contractor on a fixed-term contract whose contract has expired and to which the administration has not proposed a renewal
- Contractor on a fixed-term contract whose contract has expired and who refuses to renew his contract on a legitimate ground relating to personal considerations or to a substantial modification of the contract not justified by the employer's administration
- Contract worker who resigns to follow the spouse who changes his or her place of residence to work in a new job
- Contractor on fixed-term contracts who resigns because of the substantial modification of the contract of employment without justification by the employer
- Public servant who resigns to follow the spouse who changes residence to take up a new job
- Civil servant who resigns to follow his disabled child admitted to a reception facility whose removal entails a change of residence
- An official who resigns because of his marriage or Civil partnership provided that less than 2 months elapse between the date of the marriage or Civil partnership and the date of resignation
- Civil servant who resigns because of a change of residence due to domestic violence
- Civil servant who resigns to conclude a civic service or voluntary service contract
- Civil servant or contractual person in CDI who has signed a contractual breach.
You must be physically fit for a job.
You must reside in France in a stable and regular.
FYI
A staff member who has abandoned his post shall not be entitled to unemployment benefits.
Yes, in order to collect the RCA, you must be registered as a jobseeker or complete a training recorded in your contract of employment.
You must register within 12 months of the end of your employment contract. This period may be extended due to certain circumstances (e.g. sick leave).
In addition, you must perform positive and repeated actions (e.g. daily consultation of job offers) in order to find a job or to start or resume a company.
Periods of suspension of the contract of employment (e.g. occupational disease, maternity or paternity leave) shall be taken into account at the rate of one day's membership per day of suspension.
Periods of suspension of the contract of employment during which you have been self-employed shall not be taken into account. But there are 3 exceptions: leave for company creation, of sabbatical leave and secure voluntary mobility shall be taken into account.
Minimum period of work
In order to qualify for the EI, you must have worked at least 6 months (either 130 days or 910 hours) within Last 24 months on the date of termination of your employment contract.
This minimum period of work is referred to as period of membership.
Last job taken into account
France Travail checks whether you worked a minimum period of time before you registered.
If this is not the case, France Travail can investigate whether the condition is satisfied by a previous employment contract.
This previous employment contract must have ended within 12 months of registering as a job seeker.
You must not have received any allowances in connection with this contract.
Training Periods
Periods of training, except those paid by France Travail, shall be treated as working hours.
The training periods are taken into account to determine the period of membership up to 2/3 of the number of days or hours of training.
Periods of suspension of employment contract
Periods of suspension of the contract of employment (e.g. occupational disease, maternity or paternity leave) shall be taken into account at the rate of one day's membership per day of suspension.
Periods of suspension of the contract of employment during which you have been self-employed shall not be taken into account. But there are 3 exceptions: leave for company creation, of sabbatical leave and secure voluntary mobility shall be taken into account.
In the event of loss of business, you will be entitled to the resumption of your initial rights until they are exhausted.
This option is only valid if you have returned to work when you have not exhausted your rights.
You then have so-called rights rechargeable.
You must have worked 6 months (either 130 days or 910 hours) within Last 24 months to benefit from new rights with a new period of compensation.
Example :
Your entitlement to unemployment insurance is not exhausted and you have taken up work on 1er July to December 31, 2024, for 6 months. Your employment contract ends, you can benefit from the resumption of your initial rights until they are exhausted.
FYI
You will not be entitled to rechargeable rights if you have been on an apprenticeship contract and have been compensated by France Travail for this contract.
You can have the right of option between your old and new rights.
The right of option allows the choice of the benefit resulting from the last period of activity without waiting for the exhaustion of the unused benefits of a previous right to unemployment.
In order to exercise your right of option, you must meet the following 3 conditions:
- Disposing of unpaid unemployment benefits
- Having worked at least 6 months since opening your rights in progress
- Receive daily allowance less than or equal to €20 or claim an increase of at least 30% in relation to the total amount of your initial entitlements
You have 21 days to inform in writing France Travail. Once you have made your choice, you will not be able to change your decision.
If you exercise your right of option, you will receive your allowance from your last periods of employment from the day of your application.
Example :
Your entitlement to unemployment insurance is not exhausted and you have taken up work on 1er July to December 31, 2024, for 6 months. Your employment contract ends, you can benefit either from the resumption of your initial rights until they are exhausted or from the new right to compensation created by your last activity.
Gross amount
The gross daily amount of the AER includes:
- fixed part equal to €13.18
- and a variable part, equal to 40.4% of the daily reference wage (SJR).
This sum may not be less than 57% and may not be greater than 70% of the SJR.
Minimum amount of the AER
The net amount of the AER may not be less than €32.13.
If you take a course prescribed by France Travail, you will receive training return-to-work allowance (Aref). Its minimum amount shall be €22.99.
When your working time was less than the duration legal or conventional, the minimum allocation shall be reduced proportionately.
You can estimate the amount of your unemployment benefits using this simulator:
Guide to benefit and aid simulators from France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi)
Payment of compensation
To find out if a management agreement has been concluded between your administration and France Travail, inquire directly with the human resources department of your former employer.
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Compensation by the administration
Your administration will give you:
- the France Travail certificate to assert his rights to unemployment
- and a work certificate specifying the period of employment, the nature of the job or jobs held and, where applicable, periods of leave not regarded as periods of actual work.
The administration must fill out a public sector liaison form and provide it to you so that you can send it to France Travail.
If the administration ensures your unemployment compensation, France Travail informs you by a letter (called rejection letter) explaining that the administration will pay the AER. The administration receives a copy of this letter and its claim for compensation.
Upon receipt of the mail from France Travail, you must approach your administration.
After studying your rights, the administration informs you by mail of the amount of the AER to which you are entitled and the duration of its payment.
Please note
If you have worked longer in the public service than in the private sector over the period considered for the calculation of your entitlements, you are compensated by your public employer. However, if you worked longer in the private sector during the period considered for the calculation of your rights, you are compensated by France Travail.
Compensation by France Travail
Your administration will give you:
- the France Travail certificate to assert his rights to unemployment
- and a work certificate specifying the period of employment, the nature of the job or jobs held and, where applicable, periods of leave not regarded as periods of actual work.
In some cases, for example for certain ministries, the public employer may have signed a management agreement with France Travail. In this case, your contact will only be France Travail (for example, to know if the agent is entitled to the ARE).
Please note
If you have worked longer in the public service than in the private sector over the period considered for the calculation of your entitlements, you are compensated by your public employer. However, if you worked longer in the private sector during the period considered for the calculation of your rights, you are compensated by France Travail.
Degressivity of the ARE
If your daily RWA is higher than a previous gross daily wage on average of €159.68 (either €4,857.81 monthly gross), a reduction of 30% shall apply from 7e month of payment.
Your allowance after degressivity may not be less than €92.57 gross per day (approximately €2,777 raw for a month of 30 days).
Contributions
Your compensation does not start at the end of your employment contract.
3 types of deadlines can apply depending on your situation, starting the day after the end of your employment contract.
Timeout
The RCA cannot be paid until the end of a waiting time, set at 7 days.
However, this standstill period shall not apply if it has already been applied within the previous 12 months.
It starts at the end of the deferred compensation (when applicable to you), if the conditions for the award of the AER are fulfilled on that date.
Otherwise, it starts from the date on which these conditions are met.
Deferred Compensation Paid Leave
If you have received a compensatory allowance for paid leave, the AER shall be paid after a period called deferred compensation.
This deferral is determined by dividing the amount of this compensation by your reference daily wage. The result obtained gives the number of days of delay. If the result is not an integer, it is rounded up to the next integer.
Example :
If you have received paid leave compensation from €570, and that your daily reference wage is set at €100, the calculation is as follows: 570/100 = 5,7, reduced to 6 days of deferred compensation.
Specific deferred compensation
When you receive severance pay in addition to the statutory award, a specific deferral of compensation is applied to these amounts. This specific deferral is applicable, for example, in the following cases:
- Share of the agreed severance pay or severance pay that exceeds the amount of the statutory severance pay
- Supplementary severance pay known as termination pay supralegal
- Compensation paid in the event of a non-compete clause.
This deferral corresponds to a number of days obtained by dividing the amount of the allowance taken into account by 107.9. The result is rounded up to the next integer (if the result is not a whole number).
FYI
The delay must not exceed 150 calendar days (5 months) or, in the case of dismissal on economic grounds, 75 calendar days.
Example :
If you have received (in addition to the statutory severance pay) a supra-legal severance pay of €10,000 following the termination of your contract, the specific compensation deferral is determined as follows: 10,000/ 107.9 = 93. In addition to these 93 days, there are 7 waiting days. Your compensation will start after 100 days.
The allowances are paid by France Travail each month according to updating your situation (for example, early November for the October allocation).
The payment depends on what you declare each month: resumption of activity, entry into training, illness, etc.
You can ask your agency France Travail, under certain conditions, for advances and deposits.
Warning
Payment of the WFA is based on 30 days per month, regardless of the month concerned (instead of the number of days) calendars month). This measure applies to all beneficiaries, regardless of the date on which their entitlements are opened.
The duration of the EI depends on the end date of your employment contract.
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Your employment contract ended before February 1, 2023
The duration of the Return to Employment Assistance (RWA) depends on how long you have been in the last 24 months.
Duration of employment (24 months prior to your contract) | Duration of compensation |
|---|---|
Less than 6 months | No compensation |
Beyond 6 months | 182 calendar days minimum and maximum 730 calendar days |
If you are employed in the private sector in partial activity (short-time work), you can take advantage of partial activity allowance up to 182 days.
However, if the suspension of the company's activities is due to a disaster or natural disaster, this period may be extended until the resumption of its activities.
Your employment contract ended on or after February 1, 2023
The duration of unemployment benefits shall apply depending on the labor market situation :
- If the overall unemployment rate is less than 9.0% and that it has not progressed by 0.8% over 1 quarter, your term of compensation is reduced by 25%.
- If the overall unemployment rate is less than9.0% and has progressed by 0.8%, the previous rules on duration of compensation apply.
The overall unemployment rate is currently below 9.0% and has not progressed by 0.8% over 1 quarter. Reducing the duration of compensation by 25% applies.
Thus, the maximum duration of payment of your compensation upon opening your rights to the ARE will be 548 calendar days.
France Travail informs you of the reduction of the duration of your rights to the ARE or the return of your rights to the initial duration.
You can benefit from a so-called end-of-entitlement add-on CFD, depending on your situation.
The duration of this add-in is up to 182 days.
If your term of compensation has been calculated according to the rules applicable to 1er february 2023, you can also benefit from an additional end of training dit SBB, depending on your situation. To do this, you must take a qualifying training, registered in your contract of employment and for a period of 6 months or more.
Beneficiaries under 55 years of age who undertake training in Aref in the process of being compensated, their duration of compensation shall be extended up to 137 days (685 days in total).
They must have at least 652 days worked..
In unfavorable conditions, this period shall be extended to 867 days.
FYI
If you are employed in the private sector in partial activity (short-time work), you can take advantage of partial activity allowance up to 182 days. However, if the suspension of the company's activities is due to a disaster or natural disaster, this period may be extended until the resumption of its activities.
If you are working and still claim to be looking for a job, you can combine your Return to Employment Assistance (RWA) with earnings from working.
The conditions for this cumulation vary depending on whether you are employed or self-employed.
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Employed activity
You are returning to paid employment
After resumption of activity, if you declare that you are still looking for a job, your RWA is partially paid. The amount of the PPA paid corresponds to the amount of the daily PPA multiplied by the number of days per month compensable by the PPA.
This number of days is calculated according to the following formula:
(Monthly WAGE - 70% of the salary of your new activity) / Daily WAGE
The sum obtained shall be rounded to the nearest integer.
The cumulative amount between the PAID-in Wage Benefit and your income from employment must not exceed your daily reference wage (SJR).
FYI
The days that are not compensated postpone the end of your compensation.
You must declare your resumption of activity when your situation is updated monthly. If you are unable to provide proof of your income, France Travail will pay you an advance calculated provisionally, then regularize your situation the month after the proof is provided.
When you lose one of your jobs, the calculated WFA is fully accumulated with the income of the job(s) retained.
The SJR, which is used to calculate the AER, is determined on the basis of the remuneration corresponding to the job lost.
You keep an employed activity
When you lose one of your jobs, the calculated WFA is fully accumulated with the income of the job(s) retained.
The daily reference wage (SJR), used to calculate the AER, shall be determined on the basis of the remuneration corresponding to the job lost.
You must declare your resumption of activity when your situation is updated monthly. If you are unable to provide proof of your income, France Travail will pay you an advance calculated provisionally, then regularize your situation the month after the proof is provided.
When you lose one of your jobs, the calculated WFA is fully accumulated with the income of the job(s) retained.
The SJR, which is used to calculate the AER, is determined on the basis of the remuneration corresponding to the job lost.
Self-employment
If you report self-employment income (for example, as a micro-entrepreneur) and you report that you are still looking for a job, your EI is partially paid. The amount of the PPA paid corresponds to the amount of the daily PPA multiplied by the number of days per month that can be compensated for the PPA.
This number of days is calculated according to the following formula:
(Monthly RARE amount - 60% of declared earnings for social insurance) / amount of daily AER
The sum obtained shall be rounded to the nearest integer.
Where the income is not known or the activity begins, the number of days that can be compensated is calculated on the basis of a lump sum. An annual adjustment shall then be made on the basis of the actual earnings subject to social security contributions.
The cumulative amount between the PAID-in RCA and your activity must not exceed your daily reference wage (SJR).
You must declare your resumption of activity during the monthly update of your situation.
If you are unable to provide proof of your income, France Travail will pay you an advance calculated provisionally, then regularize your situation the month after the proof is provided.
This supplement is paid each month, subject to the continuation of self-employment, and up to a maximum total amount of 60% of the balance of the rights to the ARE.
Payment of the supplement shall cease when the 60% the balance of the rights to the ARE is reached.
You can recover the remaining rights of 40%provided that the activity as a self-employed person has ceased or after agreement by France Travail.
Cessation of payment
Payment of the WFA will cease if you are in one of the following situations:
- You take up a professional activity, whether employed or not, in France or abroad, unless authorized by France Work of cumulation of the ARE with an income of activity
- You perceive aid for recovery or company creation
- You're collecting social security daily allowances
- You perceive the shared child-rearing benefit (Prepare)
- You perceive the daily parental attendance allowance (DPA)
- You've concluded a civic service contract
- You meet the conditions for a full-rate or working-age pension
- You no longer reside in France
- You have made a false or misleading statement which has the effect of unjustified payment of unemployment benefits.
Specific Solidarity Allowance (SSA)
If your rights expire, you may, under certain conditions, be entitled to the specific solidarity allowance (SSA)).
If you are not eligible for the SSA, for reasons other than the means test, you can apply for a lump sum payment equal to 27 times the amount of the fixed part of the RCA, i.e. €356.
You are between 55 and 56 years old
If you are a civil servant or a contractor in CSD: titleContent or DTA: titleContent unintentionally deprived of employment, you can claim unemployment benefits.
You are involuntarily deprived of employment if you are in one of the following situations:
- Dismissed official or revoked
- Staff member not reinstated and automatically kept on standby after secondment or standby
- Contractor in CDI or in CDD licensed
- Contractor on a fixed-term contract whose contract has expired and to which the administration has not proposed a renewal
- Contractor on a fixed-term contract whose contract has expired and who refuses to renew his contract on a legitimate ground relating to personal considerations or to a substantial modification of the contract not justified by the employer's administration
- Contract worker who resigns to follow the spouse who changes his or her place of residence to work in a new job
- Contractor on fixed-term contracts who resigns because of the substantial modification of the contract of employment without justification by the employer
- Public servant who resigns to follow the spouse who changes residence to take up a new job
- Civil servant who resigns to follow his disabled child admitted to a reception facility whose removal entails a change of residence
- An official who resigns because of his marriage or Civil partnership provided that less than 2 months elapse between the date of the marriage or Civil partnership and the date of resignation
- Civil servant who resigns because of a change of residence due to domestic violence
- Civil servant who resigns to conclude a civic service or voluntary service contract
- Civil servant or contractual person in CDI who has signed a contractual breach.
You must be physically fit for a job.
You must reside in France in a stable and regular.
FYI
A staff member who has abandoned his post shall not be entitled to unemployment benefits.
Yes, in order to collect the RCA, you must be registered as a jobseeker or complete a training recorded in your contract of employment.
You must register within 12 months of the end of your employment contract. This period may be extended due to certain circumstances (e.g. sick leave).
In addition, you must perform positive and repeated actions (e.g. daily consultation of job offers) in order to find a job or to start or resume a company.
Periods of suspension of the contract of employment (e.g. occupational disease, maternity or paternity leave) shall be taken into account at the rate of one day's membership per day of suspension.
Periods of suspension of the contract of employment during which you have been self-employed shall not be taken into account. But there are 3 exceptions: leave for company creation, of sabbatical leave and secure voluntary mobility shall be taken into account.
Minimum period of work
In order to qualify for the EI, you must have worked at least 6 months (either 130 days or 910 hours) within Last 36 months on the date of termination of your employment contract.
This minimum period of work is referred to as period of membership.
Last job taken into account
France Travail checks whether you worked a minimum period of time before you registered.
If this is not the case, France Travail can investigate whether the condition is satisfied by a previous employment contract.
This previous employment contract must have ended within 12 months of registering as a job seeker.
You must not have received any allowances in connection with this contract.
Training Periods
Periods of training, except those paid by France Travail, shall be treated as working hours.
The training periods are taken into account to determine the period of membership up to 2/3 of the number of days or hours of training.
Periods of suspension of employment contract
Periods of suspension of the contract of employment (e.g. occupational disease, maternity or paternity leave) shall be taken into account at the rate of one day's membership per day of suspension.
Periods of suspension of the contract of employment during which you have been self-employed shall not be taken into account. But there are 3 exceptions: leave for company creation, of sabbatical leave and secure voluntary mobility shall be taken into account.
In the event of loss of business, you will be entitled to the resumption of your initial rights until they are exhausted.
This option is only valid if you have returned to work when you have not exhausted your rights.
You then have so-called rights rechargeable.
You must have worked 6 months (either 130 days or 910 hours) within Last 36 months to benefit from new rights with a new period of compensation.
Example :
Your entitlement to unemployment insurance is not exhausted and you have taken up work on 1er July to December 31, 2024, for 6 months. Your employment contract ends, you can benefit from the resumption of your initial rights until they are exhausted.
FYI
You will not be entitled to rechargeable rights if you have been on an apprenticeship contract and have been compensated by France Travail for this contract.
You can have the right of option between your old and new rights.
The right of option allows the choice of the benefit resulting from the last period of activity without waiting for the exhaustion of the unused benefits of a previous right to unemployment.
In order to exercise your right of option, you must meet the following 3 conditions:
- Disposing of unpaid unemployment benefits
- Having worked at least 6 months since opening your rights in progress
- Receive daily allowance less than or equal to €20 or claim an increase of at least 30% in relation to the total amount of your initial entitlements
You have 21 days to inform in writing France Travail. Once you have made your choice, you will not be able to change your decision.
If you exercise your right of option, you will receive your allowance from your last periods of employment from the day of your application.
Example :
Your entitlement to unemployment insurance is not exhausted and you have taken up work on 1er July to December 31, 2024, for 6 months. Your employment contract ends, you can benefit either from the resumption of your initial rights until they are exhausted or from the new right to compensation created by your last activity.
Gross amount
The gross daily amount of the AER includes:
- fixed part equal to €13.18
- and a variable part, equal to 40.4% of the daily reference wage (SJR).
This sum may not be less than 57% and may not be greater than 70% of the SJR.
Minimum amount of the AER
The net amount of the AER may not be less than €32.13.
If you take a course prescribed by France Travail, you will receive training return-to-work allowance (Aref). Its minimum amount shall be €22.99.
When your working time was less than the duration legal or conventional, the minimum allocation shall be reduced proportionately.
You can estimate the amount of your unemployment benefits using this simulator:
Guide to benefit and aid simulators from France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi)
Payment of compensation
To find out if a management agreement has been concluded between your administration and France Travail, inquire directly with the human resources department of your former employer.
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
Compensation by the administration
Your administration will give you:
- the France Travail certificate to assert his rights to unemployment
- and a work certificate specifying the period of employment, the nature of the job or jobs held and, where applicable, periods of leave not regarded as periods of actual work.
The administration must fill out a public sector liaison form and provide it to you so that you can send it to France Travail.
If the administration ensures your unemployment compensation, France Travail informs you by a letter (called rejection letter) explaining that the administration will pay the AER. The administration receives a copy of this letter and its claim for compensation.
Upon receipt of the mail from France Travail, you must approach your administration.
After studying your rights, the administration informs you by mail of the amount of the AER to which you are entitled and the duration of its payment.
Please note
If you have worked longer in the public service than in the private sector over the period considered for the calculation of your entitlements, you are compensated by your public employer. However, if you worked longer in the private sector during the period considered for the calculation of your rights, you are compensated by France Travail.
Compensation by France Travail
Your administration will give you:
- the France Travail certificate to assert his rights to unemployment
- and a work certificate specifying the period of employment, the nature of the job or jobs held and, where applicable, periods of leave not regarded as periods of actual work.
In some cases, for example for certain ministries, the public employer may have signed a management agreement with France Travail. In this case, your contact will only be France Travail (for example, to know if the agent is entitled to the ARE).
Please note
If you have worked longer in the public service than in the private sector over the period considered for the calculation of your entitlements, you are compensated by your public employer. However, if you worked longer in the private sector during the period considered for the calculation of your rights, you are compensated by France Travail.
Contributions
Your compensation does not start at the end of your employment contract.
3 types of deadlines can apply depending on your situation, starting the day after the end of your employment contract.
Timeout
The RCA cannot be paid until the end of a waiting time, set at 7 days.
However, this standstill period shall not apply if it has already been applied within the previous 12 months.
It starts at the end of the deferred compensation (when applicable to you), if the conditions for the award of the AER are fulfilled on that date.
Otherwise, it starts from the date on which these conditions are met.
Deferred Compensation Paid Leave
If you have received a compensatory allowance for paid leave, the AER shall be paid after a period called deferred compensation.
This deferral is determined by dividing the amount of this compensation by your reference daily wage. The result obtained gives the number of days of delay. If the result is not an integer, it is rounded up to the next integer.
Example :
If you have received paid leave compensation from €570, and that your daily reference wage is set at €100, the calculation is as follows: 570/100 = 5,7, reduced to 6 days of deferred compensation.
Specific deferred compensation
When you receive severance pay in addition to the statutory award, a specific deferral of compensation is applied to these amounts. This specific deferral is applicable, for example, in the following cases:
- Share of the agreed severance pay or severance pay that exceeds the amount of the statutory severance pay
- Supplementary severance pay known as termination pay supralegal
- Compensation paid in the event of a non-compete clause.
This deferral corresponds to a number of days obtained by dividing the amount of the allowance taken into account by 107.9. The result is rounded up to the next integer (if the result is not a whole number).
FYI
The delay must not exceed 150 calendar days (5 months) or, in the case of dismissal on economic grounds, 75 calendar days.
Example :
If you have received (in addition to the statutory severance pay) a supra-legal severance pay of €10,000 following the termination of your contract, the specific compensation deferral is determined as follows: 10,000/ 107.9 = 93. In addition to these 93 days, there are 7 waiting days. Your compensation will start after 100 days.
The allowances are paid by France Travail each month according to updating your situation (for example, early November for the October allocation).
The payment depends on what you declare each month: resumption of activity, entry into training, illness, etc.
You can ask your agency France Travail, under certain conditions, for advances and deposits.
Warning
Payment of the WFA is based on 30 days per month, regardless of the month concerned (instead of the number of days) calendars month). This measure applies to all beneficiaries, regardless of the date on which their entitlements are opened.
The duration of the EI depends on the end date of your employment contract.
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
Your employment contract ended before February 1, 2023
The duration of the Return to Employment Assistance (RWA) depends on how long you have been in the last 36 months.
Duration of employment (24 months prior to your contract) | Duration of compensation |
|---|---|
Less than 6 months | No compensation |
Beyond 6 months | 182 calendar days minimum and maximum 913 calendar days |
If you are employed in the private sector in partial activity (short-time work), you can take advantage of partial activity allowance up to 182 days.
However, if the suspension of the company's activities is due to a disaster or natural disaster, this period may be extended until the resumption of its activities.
Your employment contract ended on or after February 1, 2023
The duration of unemployment benefits shall apply depending on the labor market situation :
- If the overall unemployment rate is less than 9.0% and that it has not progressed by 0.8% over 1 quarter, your term of compensation is reduced by 25%.
- If the overall unemployment rate is less than9.0%and has progressed by 0.8%, the previous rules on duration of compensation apply.
The overall unemployment rate is currently below 9.0% and has not progressed by 0.8% over 1 quarter. Reducing the duration of compensation by 25% applies.
Thus, the maximum duration of payment of your compensation upon opening your rights to the ARE will be 685 calendar days.
France Travail informs you of the reduction of the duration of your rights to the ARE or the return of your rights to the initial duration.
You can benefit from a so-called end-of-entitlement add-on CFD, depending on your situation.
The duration of this add-in is up to 182 days.
If your term of compensation has been calculated according to the rules applicable to 1er february 2023, you can also benefit from an additional end of training dit SBB, depending on your situation. To do this, you must take a qualifying training, registered in your contract of employment and for a period of 6 months or more.
Recipients aged 55 and 56 who undertake compensated training in Aref in the process of being compensated, their duration of compensation shall be extended up to 137 days (822 days in total).
They must have at least 652 days worked.
In unfavorable conditions, this period shall be extended to 1050 days.
FYI
If you are employed in the private sector in partial activity (short-time work), you can take advantage of partial activity allowance up to 182 days. However, if the suspension of the company's activities is due to a disaster or natural disaster, this period may be extended until the resumption of its activities.
If you are working and still claim to be looking for a job, you can combine your Return to Employment Assistance (RWA) with earnings from working.
The conditions for this cumulation vary depending on whether you are employed or self-employed.
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Employed activity
You are returning to paid employment
After resumption of activity, if you declare that you are still looking for a job, your RWA is partially paid. The amount of the PPA paid corresponds to the amount of the daily PPA multiplied by the number of days per month compensable by the PPA.
This number of days is calculated according to the following formula:
(monthly WAGE - 70% of your new activity salary) / daily WAGE
The sum obtained shall be rounded to the nearest integer.
The cumulative amount between the PAID-in Wage Benefit and your income from employment must not exceed your daily reference wage (SJR).
FYI
The days that are not compensated postpone the end of your compensation.
You must declare your resumption of activity when your situation is updated monthly. If you are unable to provide proof of your income, France Travail will pay you an advance calculated provisionally, then regularize your situation the month after the proof is provided.
When you lose one of your jobs, the calculated WFA is fully accumulated with the income of the job(s) retained.
The SJR, which is used to calculate the AER, is determined on the basis of the remuneration corresponding to the job lost.
You keep an employed activity
When you lose one of your jobs, the calculated WFA is fully accumulated with the income of the job(s) retained.
The daily reference wage (SJR), used to calculate the AER, shall be determined on the basis of the remuneration corresponding to the job lost.
You must declare your resumption of activity when your situation is updated monthly. If you are unable to provide proof of your income, France Travail will pay you an advance calculated provisionally, then regularize your situation the month after the proof is provided.
When you lose one of your jobs, the calculated WFA is fully accumulated with the income of the job(s) retained.
The SJR, which is used to calculate the AER, is determined on the basis of the remuneration corresponding to the job lost.
Self-employment
If you report self-employment income (for example, as a micro-entrepreneur) and you report that you are still looking for a job, your EI is partially paid. The amount of the PPA paid corresponds to the amount of the daily PPA multiplied by the number of days per month that can be compensated for the PPA.
This number of days is calculated according to the following formula:
(monthly RARE amount - 60% of declared earnings for social insurance) / amount of daily AER
The sum obtained shall be rounded to the nearest integer.
Where the income is not known or the activity begins, the number of days that can be compensated is calculated on the basis of a lump sum. An annual adjustment shall then be made on the basis of the actual earnings subject to social security contributions.
The cumulative amount between the PAID-in RCA and your activity must not exceed your daily reference wage (SJR).
You must declare your resumption of activity during the monthly update of your situation.
If you are unable to provide proof of your income, France Travail will pay you an advance calculated provisionally, then regularize your situation the month after the proof is provided.
This supplement is paid each month, subject to the continuation of self-employment, and up to a maximum total amount of 60% of the balance of the rights to the ARE.
Payment of the supplement shall cease when the 60% the balance of the rights to the ARE is reached.
You can recover the remaining rights of 40%provided that the activity as a self-employed person has ceased or after agreement by France Travail.
Cessation of payment
Payment of the WFA will cease if you are in one of the following situations:
- You take up a professional activity, whether employed or not, in France or abroad, unless authorized by France Work of cumulation of the ARE with an income of activity
- You perceive aid for recovery or company creation
- You're collecting social security daily allowances
- You perceive the shared child-rearing benefit (Prepare)
- You perceive the daily parental attendance allowance (DPA)
- You've concluded a civic service contract
- You meet the conditions for a full-rate or working-age pension
- You no longer reside in France
- You have made a false or misleading statement which has the effect of unjustified payment of unemployment benefits.
Specific Solidarity Allowance (SSA)
If your rights expire, you may, under certain conditions, be entitled to the specific solidarity allowance (SSA)).
If you are not eligible for the SSA, for reasons other than the means test, you can apply for a lump sum payment equal to 27 times the amount of the fixed part of the RCA, i.e. €356.
You are 57 years of age or older
If you are a civil servant or a contractor in CSD: titleContent or DTA: titleContent unintentionally deprived of employment, you can claim unemployment benefits.
You are involuntarily deprived of employment if you are in one of the following situations:
- Dismissed official or revoked
- Staff member not reinstated and automatically kept on standby after secondment or standby
- Contractor in CDI or in CDD licensed
- Contractor on a fixed-term contract whose contract has expired and to which the administration has not proposed a renewal
- Contractor on a fixed-term contract whose contract has expired and who refuses to renew his contract on a legitimate ground relating to personal considerations or to a substantial modification of the contract not justified by the employer's administration
- Contract worker who resigns to follow the spouse who changes his or her place of residence to work in a new job
- Contractor on fixed-term contracts who resigns because of the substantial modification of the contract of employment without justification by the employer
- Public servant who resigns to follow the spouse who changes residence to take up a new job
- Civil servant who resigns to follow his disabled child admitted to a reception facility whose removal entails a change of residence
- An official who resigns because of his marriage or Civil partnership provided that less than 2 months elapse between the date of the marriage or Civil partnership and the date of resignation
- Civil servant who resigns because of a change of residence due to domestic violence
- Civil servant who resigns to conclude a civic service or voluntary service contract
- Civil servant or contractual person in CDI who has signed a contractual breach.
You must be physically fit for a job.
You must reside in France in a stable and regular.
FYI
A staff member who has abandoned his post shall not be entitled to unemployment benefits.
Yes, in order to collect the RCA, you must be registered as a jobseeker or complete a training recorded in your contract of employment.
You must register within 12 months of the end of your employment contract. This period may be extended due to certain circumstances (e.g. sick leave).
In addition, you must perform positive and repeated actions (e.g. daily consultation of job offers) in order to find a job or to start or resume a company.
Periods of suspension of the contract of employment (e.g. occupational disease, maternity or paternity leave) shall be taken into account at the rate of one day's membership per day of suspension.
Periods of suspension of the contract of employment during which you have been self-employed shall not be taken into account. But there are 3 exceptions: leave for company creation, of sabbatical leave and secure voluntary mobility shall be taken into account.
Minimum period of work
In order to qualify for the EI, you must have worked at least 6 months (either 130 days or 910 hours) within Last 36 months on the date of termination of your employment contract.
This minimum period of work is referred to as period of membership.
Last job taken into account
France Travail checks whether you worked a minimum period of time before you registered.
If this is not the case, France Travail can investigate whether the condition is satisfied by a previous employment contract.
This previous employment contract must have ended within 12 months of registering as a job seeker.
You must not have received any allowances in connection with this contract.
Training Periods
Periods of training, except those paid by France Travail, shall be treated as working hours.
The training periods are taken into account to determine the period of membership up to 2/3 of the number of days or hours of training.
Periods of suspension of employment contract
Periods of suspension of the contract of employment (e.g. occupational disease, maternity or paternity leave) shall be taken into account at the rate of one day's membership per day of suspension.
Periods of suspension of the contract of employment during which you have been self-employed shall not be taken into account. But there are 3 exceptions: leave for company creation, of sabbatical leave and secure voluntary mobility shall be taken into account.
In the event of loss of business, you will be entitled to the resumption of your initial rights until they are exhausted.
This option is only valid if you have returned to work when you have not exhausted your rights.
You then have so-called rights rechargeable.
You must have worked 6 months (either 130 days or 910 hours) within Last 36 months to benefit from new rights with a new period of compensation.
Example :
Your entitlement to unemployment insurance is not exhausted and you have taken up work on 1er July to December 31, 2024, for 6 months. Your employment contract ends, you can benefit from the resumption of your initial rights until they are exhausted.
FYI
You will not be entitled to rechargeable rights if you have been on an apprenticeship contract and have been compensated by France Travail for this contract.
You can have the right of option between your old and new rights.
The right of option allows the choice of the benefit resulting from the last period of activity without waiting for the exhaustion of the unused benefits of a previous right to unemployment.
In order to exercise your right of option, you must meet the following 3 conditions:
- Disposing of unpaid unemployment benefits
- Having worked at least 6 months since opening your rights in progress
- Receive daily allowance less than or equal to €20 or claim an increase of at least 30% in relation to the total amount of your initial entitlements
You have 21 days to inform in writing France Travail. Once you have made your choice, you will not be able to change your decision.
If you exercise your right of option, you will receive your allowance from your last periods of employment from the day of your application.
Example :
Your entitlement to unemployment insurance is not exhausted and you have taken up work on 1er July to December 31, 2024, for 6 months. Your employment contract ends, you can benefit either from the resumption of your initial rights until they are exhausted or from the new right to compensation created by your last activity.
Gross amount
The gross daily amount of the AER includes:
- fixed part equal to €13.18
- and a variable part, equal to 40.4% of the daily reference wage (SJR).
This sum may not be less than 57% and may not be greater than 70% of the SJR.
Minimum amount of the AER
The net amount of the AER may not be less than €32.13.
If you take a course prescribed by France Travail, you will receive training return-to-work allowance (Aref). Its minimum amount shall be €22.99.
When your working time was less than the duration legal or conventional, the minimum allocation shall be reduced proportionately.
You can estimate the amount of your unemployment benefits using this simulator:
Guide to benefit and aid simulators from France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi)
Payment of compensation
To find out if a management agreement has been concluded between your administration and France Travail, inquire directly with the human resources department of your former employer.
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Compensation by the administration
Your administration will give you:
- the France Travail certificate to assert his rights to unemployment
- and a work certificate specifying the period of employment, the nature of the job or jobs held and, where applicable, periods of leave not regarded as periods of actual work.
The administration must fill out a public sector liaison form and provide it to you so that you can send it to France Travail.
If the administration ensures your unemployment compensation, France Travail informs you by a letter (called rejection letter) explaining that the administration will pay the AER. The administration receives a copy of this letter and its claim for compensation.
Upon receipt of the mail from France Travail, you must approach your administration.
After studying your rights, the administration informs you by mail of the amount of the AER to which you are entitled and the duration of its payment.
Please note
If you have worked longer in the public service than in the private sector over the period considered for the calculation of your entitlements, you are compensated by your public employer. However, if you worked longer in the private sector during the period considered for the calculation of your rights, you are compensated by France Travail.
Compensation by France Travail
Your administration will give you:
- the France Travail certificate to assert his rights to unemployment
- and a work certificate specifying the period of employment, the nature of the job or jobs held and, where applicable, periods of leave not regarded as periods of actual work.
In some cases, for example for certain ministries, the public employer may have signed a management agreement with France Travail. In this case, your contact will only be France Travail (for example, to know if the agent is entitled to the ARE).
Please note
If you have worked longer in the public service than in the private sector over the period considered for the calculation of your entitlements, you are compensated by your public employer. However, if you worked longer in the private sector during the period considered for the calculation of your rights, you are compensated by France Travail.
Contributions
Your compensation does not start at the end of your employment contract.
3 types of deadlines can apply depending on your situation, starting the day after the end of your employment contract.
Timeout
The RCA cannot be paid until the end of a waiting time, set at 7 days.
However, this standstill period shall not apply if it has already been applied within the previous 12 months.
It starts at the end of the deferred compensation (when applicable to you), if the conditions for the award of the AER are fulfilled on that date.
Otherwise, it starts from the date on which these conditions are met.
Deferred Compensation Paid Leave
If you have received a compensatory allowance for paid leave, the AER shall be paid after a period called deferred compensation.
This deferral is determined by dividing the amount of this compensation by your reference daily wage. The result obtained gives the number of days of delay. If the result is not an integer, it is rounded up to the next integer.
Example :
If you have received paid leave compensation from €570, and that your daily reference wage is set at €100, the calculation is as follows: 570/100 = 5,7, reduced to 6 days of deferred compensation.
Specific deferred compensation
When you receive severance pay in addition to the statutory award, a specific deferral of compensation is applied to these amounts. This specific deferral is applicable, for example, in the following cases:
- Share of the agreed severance pay or severance pay that exceeds the amount of the statutory severance pay
- Supplementary severance pay known as termination pay supralegal
- Compensation paid in the event of a non-compete clause.
This deferral corresponds to a number of days obtained by dividing the amount of the allowance taken into account by 107.9. The result is rounded up to the next integer (if the result is not a whole number).
FYI
The delay must not exceed 150 calendar days (5 months) or, in the case of dismissal on economic grounds, 75 calendar days.
Example :
If you have received (in addition to the statutory severance pay) a supra-legal severance pay of €10,000 following the termination of your contract, the specific compensation deferral is determined as follows: 10,000/ 107.9 = 93. In addition to these 93 days, there are 7 waiting days. Your compensation will start after 100 days.
The allowances are paid by France Travail each month according to updating your situation (for example, early November for the October allocation).
The payment depends on what you declare each month: resumption of activity, entry into training, illness, etc.
You can ask your agency France Travail, under certain conditions, for advances and deposits.
Warning
Payment of the WFA is based on 30 days per month, regardless of the month concerned (instead of the number of days) calendars month). This measure applies to all beneficiaries, regardless of the date on which their entitlements are opened.
The duration of the EI depends on the end date of your employment contract.
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Your employment contract ended before February 1, 2023
The duration of the Return to Employment Assistance (RWA) depends on how long you have been in the last 36 months.
Duration of employment (24 months prior to your contract) | Duration of compensation |
|---|---|
Less than 6 months | No compensation |
Beyond 6 months | 182 calendar days minimum and maximum 1,095 calendar days |
If you are employed in the private sector in partial activity (short-time work), you can take advantage of partial activity allowance up to 182 days.
However, if the suspension of the company's activities is due to a disaster or natural disaster, this period may be extended until the resumption of its activities.
Your employment contract ended on or after February 1, 2023
The duration of unemployment benefits shall apply depending on the labor market situation :
- If the overall unemployment rate is less than 9.0% and that it has not progressed by 0.8% over 1 quarter, your term of compensation is reduced by 25%.
- If the overall unemployment rate is less than9.0% and has progressed by 0.8%, the previous rules on duration of compensation apply.
The overall unemployment rate is currently below 9.0% and has not progressed by 0.8% over 1 quarter. Reducing the duration of compensation by 25% applies.
Thus, the maximum duration of payment of your compensation upon opening your rights to the ARE will be 822 calendar days.
France Travail informs you of the reduction of the duration of your rights to the ARE or the return of your rights to the initial duration.
You can benefit from a so-called end-of-entitlement add-on CFD, depending on your situation.
The duration of this add-in is up to 182 days.
If your term of compensation has been calculated according to the rules applicable to 1er february 2023, you can also benefit from an additional end of training dit SBB, depending on your situation. To do this, you must take a qualifying training, registered in your contract of employment and for a period of 6 months or more.
Recipients aged 57 and over who undertake compensated training in Aref in the process of being compensated, their duration of compensation shall be extended up to 137 days (959 days in total).
They must have at least 652 days worked.
In unfavorable conditions, this period shall be extended to 1 095 days.
FYI
If you are employed in the private sector in partial activity (short-time work), you can take advantage of partial activity allowance up to 182 days. However, if the suspension of the company's activities is due to a disaster or natural disaster, this period may be extended until the resumption of its activities.
If you are working and still claim to be looking for a job, you can combine your Return to Employment Assistance (RWA) with earnings from working.
The conditions for this cumulation vary depending on whether you are employed or self-employed.
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
Employed activity
You are returning to paid employment
After resumption of activity, if you declare that you are still looking for a job, your RWA is partially paid. The amount of the PPA paid corresponds to the amount of the daily PPA multiplied by the number of days per month compensable by the PPA.
This number of days is calculated according to the following formula:
(monthly WAGE - 70% of your new activity salary) / daily WAGE
The sum obtained shall be rounded to the nearest integer.
The cumulative amount between the PAID-in Wage Benefit and your income from employment must not exceed your daily reference wage (SJR).
FYI
The days that are not compensated postpone the end of your compensation.
You must declare your resumption of activity when your situation is updated monthly. If you are unable to provide proof of your income, France Travail will pay you an advance calculated provisionally, then regularize your situation the month after the proof is provided.
When you lose one of your jobs, the calculated WFA is fully accumulated with the income of the job(s) retained.
The SJR, which is used to calculate the AER, is determined on the basis of the remuneration corresponding to the job lost.
You keep an employed activity
When you lose one of your jobs, the calculated WFA is fully accumulated with the income of the job(s) retained.
The daily reference wage (SJR), used to calculate the AER, shall be determined on the basis of the remuneration corresponding to the job lost.
You must declare your resumption of activity when your situation is updated monthly. If you are unable to provide proof of your income, France Travail will pay you an advance calculated provisionally, then regularize your situation the month after the proof is provided.
When you lose one of your jobs, the calculated WFA is fully accumulated with the income of the job(s) retained.
The SJR, which is used to calculate the AER, is determined on the basis of the remuneration corresponding to the job lost.
Self-employment
If you report self-employment income (for example, as a micro-entrepreneur) and you report that you are still looking for a job, your EI is partially paid. The amount of the PPA paid corresponds to the amount of the daily PPA multiplied by the number of days per month that can be compensated for the PPA.
This number of days is calculated according to the following formula:
(monthly RARE amount - 60% of declared earnings for social insurance) / amount of daily AER
The sum obtained shall be rounded to the nearest integer.
Where the income is not known or the activity begins, the number of days that can be compensated is calculated on the basis of a lump sum. An annual adjustment shall then be made on the basis of the actual earnings subject to social security contributions.
The cumulative amount between the PAID-in RCA and your activity must not exceed your daily reference wage (SJR).
You must declare your resumption of activity during the monthly update of your situation.
If you are unable to provide proof of your income, France Travail will pay you an advance calculated provisionally, then regularize your situation the month after the proof is provided.
This supplement is paid each month, subject to the continuation of self-employment, and up to a maximum total amount of 60% of the balance of the rights to the ARE.
Payment of the supplement shall cease when the 60% the balance of the rights to the ARE is reached.
You can recover the remaining rights of 40%provided that the activity as a self-employed person has ceased or after agreement by France Travail.
Cessation of payment
Payment of the WFA will cease if you are in one of the following situations:
- You take up a professional activity, whether employed or not, in France or abroad, unless authorized by France Work of cumulation of the ARE with an income of activity
- You perceive aid for recovery or company creation
- You're collecting social security daily allowances
- You perceive the shared child-rearing benefit (Prepare)
- You perceive the daily parental attendance allowance (DPA)
- You've concluded a civic service contract
- You meet the conditions for a full-rate or working-age pension
- You no longer reside in France
- You have made a false or misleading statement which has the effect of unjustified payment of unemployment benefits.
Specific Solidarity Allowance (SSA)
If your rights expire, you may, under certain conditions, be entitled to the specific solidarity allowance (SSA)).
If you are not eligible for the SSA, for reasons other than the means test, you can apply for a lump sum payment equal to 27 times the amount of the fixed part of the RCA, i.e. €356.
Who can help me?
Find who can answer your questions in your region
For further information
France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi)
ARE (condition, form, etc.)
Article L5422-2-1: Rechargeable rights
Accumulation of replacement income with other income
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Online service
France Labor
France Labor