In France, a forfait-jours agreement allows certain employees to deviate from the legal working time of 35 hours per week. Instead, they agree to work for a set number of days per year, usually 218.
Only two categories of employee may enter into a forfait-jours agreement:
- executive staff (cadres) whose duties do not require them to follow the usual timetable in place within their department or team, and
- employees who have genuine autonomy over their working time.
A company agreement or appropriate convention collective provisions must be in place to formalise the context and conditions for working under forfait jours. Individual terms are then detailed in a separate document – the convention individuelle de forfait – which the employee must agree to and sign.
Note that while 218 is the standard number of annual working days under a forfait-jours agreement, the company’s convention collective (or a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) may set a lower number.
Forfait-jours agreements offer welcome autonomy and flexibility, but they also involve strict conditions that must be adhered to.
An employee who works to a forfait-jours agreement continues to benefit from the legal guarantees provided for daily and weekly rest periods, paid leave, and public holidays observed by the company. However, since the maximum daily and weekly working hours no longer apply, the employee can no longer work overtime.
As such, the employer must regularly check the following:
- that the employee’s workload is reasonable and can be evenly distributed over time, and
- that the employee is able to maintain an effective work-life balance.
These checks are formally verified through regular meetings, the frequency of which is determined by the convention collective or CBA, and is usually once or twice per year. The meetings must be organised and maintained by the employer, with appropriate records kept.
To compensate for overtime, employees who work under forfait-jours agreements are entitled to additional paid RTT days each year.
The amount of RTT (Réduction du Temps de Travail)days provided are first determined by the number of days in the year, with the following deductions:
- The maximum number of working days in that year
- The number of Saturday and Sundays
- The number of paid annual leave days
- The number of public holidays that fall between Mondays and Fridays
As a working example, in 2026 there are 365 days, with the following standard deductions:
- 218 working days
- 104 Saturdays and Sundays
- 25 days’ paid annual leave
- 9 weekday public holidays
This leaves a total of 9 RTT days for 2026. Note that some areas of France and/or specific employees may receive more paid annual leave days or public holidays, so the final figures should always be checked carefully.
Under the terms of their convention individuelle de forfait, an employee may waive their entitlement to some RTT days.
However, they cannot work for more than 235 days per year (unless the convention collective or CBA provides for a different amount, whether higher or lower).
In return for their waived RTT days, the employee receives a salary increase, which is set at a minimum rate of 10%. This is confirmed in an amendment to the convention individuelle de forfait, and must be signed by the employer and employee on a yearly basis.
We are happy to answer your questions about forfait-jours agreements, and how they may apply in your French company.
Our experienced team helps international companies navigate the practicalities and complexities of employing people in France.
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