Self-employed workers have seen their healthcare rights change in recent years
Self-employed workers must now register themselves with their local Cpam when setting up their business
The social security protection system for self-employed people changed in 2020.
Before this, self-employed workers paid their healthcare social security contributions to specialised organisations. However, since 2020, most self-employed workers have been transferred to the general social security system and are now linked to their local Cpam for health reimbursements.
The former Sécurité Sociale des Indépendants system, which existed from 2018, has been closed, and all new self-employed workers must now register themselves with their local Cpam when setting up their business.
If you are self-employed and registered with social security, your healthcare cover includes sickness, maternity, disability, and accidental death. In addition, the social contributions you pay through your work give you the right to receive a daily allowance in case of sick leave and access to the basic retirement pension when you reach state pension age.
Self-employed workers also usually contribute to an additional retirement scheme that provides a complementary pension.
Many people who start small businesses choose the micro-entrepreneur system, also called the ‘auto-entrepreneur’ regime. Under this system, social security contributions, including healthcare payments, are calculated as a percentage of turnover and are paid every month or every quarter to Urssaf, the official body responsible for collecting social security contributions.
The contribution rates depend on the type of business. For example, they are around 12.3% for buying and selling, 21.2% for services, and between 23.2% and 24.6% for liberal professions.
One disadvantage of the micro-entrepreneur system is that you cannot deduct real business expenses from your tax, unlike in traditional small business systems. For this reason, it is less suitable for businesses with high running costs.
Sick leave compensation can now be paid to many after a set waiting period
Reforms in 2021 brought major changes to the social protection system for liberal professionals. This group of self-employed workers includes people in traditional professions such as law and accountancy, as well as consultants, translators, proofreaders, and similar service providers.
As a result of these reforms, all professionals who are affiliated with the CNAVPL (Caisse nationale d’assurance vieillesse des professions libérales) for their basic pensions can now benefit from a common sick leave compensation system. Under this system, they can receive compensation after a three-day waiting period.
The measure applies to around one million people but does not include lawyers, who remain covered under a separate system. Before these reforms, only a limited number of professionals were entitled to sick leave payments, and compensation usually began after a 90-day waiting period.
By comparison, private sector employees and most other self-employed workers have a three-day waiting period, while public sector employees have only a one-day waiting period, although the government is considering increasing this.
Under the new rules, after the three-day waiting period, eligible professionals can receive compensation ranging from €25.40 to €190.55 for each day of missed work.