What are your healthcare rights if you are self-employed in France?
Social security benefits and contributions as a self-employed worker in France
As a self-employed worker in France you are entitled to a range of coverage, including sickness, maternity or paternity leave
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When moving to France from the UK or US, one of the early essential steps is to join the healthcare system.
If you plan to be self-employed in France you will join the general social security system and become attached to your local Cpam (caisse primaire d'assurance maladie) for health reimbursements.
This step is part of the formalities when setting up your business, ensuring you have access to the healthcare system as well as paying social charges.
Social security for the self-employed in France
As a self-employed worker and registered social security beneficiary in France, you are entitled to a range of coverage, including sickness, maternity and paternity leave, disability, or accidental death.
Your social contributions also provide benefits such as a daily allowance for sick leave and access to the basic state pension scheme upon reaching retirement age.
Additionally, self-employed individuals often contribute to a supplementary pension plan for added retirement security.
The micro-entrepreneur regime
Many self-employed individuals opt for the micro-entrepreneur regime, also known as auto-entrepreneur.
Under this scheme, social security contributions, including healthcare, are calculated based on a percentage of turnover.
These contributions are paid monthly or quarterly to Urssaf, which is responsible for collecting social security payments. The rates vary depending on the type of business:
While the micro-entrepreneur regime offers simplicity, it also has drawbacks.
You cannot deduct business expenses from taxes as you can in traditional small business regimes, making it less suitable for businesses with high overheads.
For more information, visit autoentrepreneur.urssaf.fr.
Sick leave compensation for self-employed workers
Recent reforms in 2021 introduced a new sick leave compensation scheme for liberal professionals, such as lawyers, consultants, and translators. All CNAVPL-affiliated (Caisse nationale d'assurance vieillesse des professions libérales) professionals can claim compensation after just a three-day waiting period, the same as other self-employed workers and private sector employees.
Sick leave compensation amounts for the self-employed vary depending on your income, but are capped at €65/day for workers in commercial and trade businesses or €194/day for the 'liberal professions'.
Disability pension for self-employed workers
In the event of total or partial disability due to a workplace injury or to illness, self-employed workers may qualify for a pension d'invalidité (disability pension).
Certain criteria must be met to be eligible:
Must have made regular contributions to Urssaf for at least one year, with up-to-date payments.
Must not have reached the legal retirement age or be an early retiree.
Must not be receiving similar benefits from another social security regime.
Must be examined and deemed unable to work due to disability.
Payment amounts will be based on your ability to do work and your average annual salary for your ten most profitable years, up to a given threshold.
Additional help if you are self-employed
As a self-employed worker in France, a Help service is available to offer support if you face financial, medical, social, or family difficulties.
This service, provided by Assurance Maladie, Urssaf, Caf, and the pension service, starts with a questionnaire, and a relevant local body will contact you with potential solutions for your specific needs.
Read more: Do self-employed people have to take out mutuelle health insurance?
