French payslip explained: how to read your bulletin de paie
Since 2018, every French payslip follows the same layout. Once you know it, any bulletin de paie becomes readable, even if you do not speak French.
Updated on 13 October 2026
The header
Employer details (name, address, SIRET number), your job title and classification (niveau, coefficient), the collective agreement that applies (convention collective) and the pay period.
Gross salary (salaire brut)
Your pay before any deduction: base salary (salaire de base), overtime (heures supplémentaires), bonuses (primes) and benefits in kind (avantages en nature), minus unpaid absences.
Social contributions (cotisations)
Grouped by risk: health (santé), work accidents, pension (retraite), family, unemployment (assurance chômage), then CSG and CRDS. Each line shows a base (assiette), a rate (taux), the employee share (part salariale) and the employer share (part patronale). Only the employee share is deducted from your pay.
Net pay
- Net à payer avant impôt: gross minus employee contributions, before income tax.
- Net imposable: the base for income tax. It is higher than net pay because part of the CSG and the CRDS are not tax-deductible.
- Montant net social: the amount to declare to the CAF for benefits.
- Net payé: what actually reaches your bank account, after income tax withheld at source (prélèvement à la source).
Paid leave (congés payés)
You earn 2.5 working days (jours ouvrables) of paid leave per month worked, 5 weeks per year. The counter is usually shown at the bottom of the payslip.
Keep it forever
French payslips state “à conserver sans limitation de durée”: keep them for life, they prove your pension rights.
Check your French payslip in seconds
PaieVerif reads your French payslip (bulletin de paie), compares it with the official rates and shows you what to double-check. Free, no account, your payslip stays on your phone. The app is in French.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between fiche de paie and bulletin de salaire?
None: fiche de paie, fiche de paye, bulletin de paie and bulletin de salaire all mean payslip.
How much of my gross salary will I get as net?
In the private sector, employee contributions are roughly 22% of gross for non-managers and 25% for managers (cadres), before income tax.
Read next
- French payslip glossary: French–English translation of every term
- Gross to net salary in France: what you actually take home
- Mistake on your French payslip? How to check it and get paid
Also answers: how to read a french payslip, french pay slip explained, bulletin de paie in english, fiche de paie translation.
This guide gives general information about French employment law. It is not legal advice: your collective agreement (convention collective) or contract may give you more. If in doubt, ask your payroll department, an employee representative, the labour inspectorate or a lawyer.