Congés payés for the 1 June 2025 to 31 May 2026 reference period: days earned and holiday pay.
| Days off | 1/10 rule | Maintained | You get |
|---|
Estimate only, check your payslip, your collective agreement or service-public.fr. Fractions of a day are rounded up. Maintained salary assumes your normal pay that month.
This congés payés calculator is for employees and employers in France who want to check paid leave in English for the reference period running from 1 June 2025 to 31 May 2026. It counts the days you have earned, including days built up during sick leave, and then works out holiday pay under both legal methods set by the French Labour Code, so you can see which one your payslip should use. Figures checked October 2026.
Quick answer: In France you earn 2.5 working days of paid leave per month worked, up to 30 days a year. Holiday pay is the higher of one tenth of your gross pay in the reference period or the salary you would have earned. This congés payés calculator shows that €3,000 a month plus €1,200 overtime gives €1,488 for two weeks off.
In This Guide
What Are Congés Payés?
Congés payés are the paid annual leave every employee in France earns, whether full time, part time, permanent or on a fixed term contract. According to service-public.fr, you earn 2.5 jours ouvrables (working days counted Monday to Saturday) for each month of actual work, which adds up to 30 days, or five weeks, over the reference period from 1 June to 31 May.
The rules in plain words: days earned = 2.5 × months worked + 2 × months off sick, rounded up, capped at 30, and holiday pay = the higher of (gross pay in the period ÷ 10 × days taken ÷ days earned) or (your normal salary for the days off). Many employers count in jours ouvrés (Monday to Friday) instead, which gives 25 days a year, the same five weeks.
How Much Holiday Pay Do I Get in France?
You get whichever is higher: 10% of the gross pay you earned in the reference period, shared across your days of leave, or the pay you would have received had you kept working. Take Camille, a project manager in Lyon on €3,000 gross a month who also earned €1,200 of overtime between June 2025 and May 2026. Her 1/10 base is €37,200, so her full 30 days are worth €3,720. Two weeks off is 12 jours ouvrables, giving €1,488.00 under the 1/10 rule. Under maintained salary, 10 working days in a month with 22 working days pays €1,363.64. Her employer must pay €1,488.00, which is €124.36 more.
| Camille's leave | 1/10 rule | Maintained salary (22 day month) | She is paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 week (6 days) | €744.00 | €681.82 | €744.00 |
| 2 weeks (12 days) | €1,488.00 | €1,363.64 | €1,488.00 |
| 3 weeks (18 days) | €2,232.00 | €2,045.45 | €2,232.00 |
| 5 weeks (30 days) | €3,720.00 | €3,409.09 | €3,720.00 |
The 1/10 rule usually wins when you earned overtime or commission, while maintained salary wins after a pay rise during the year, because it uses your current salary rather than last year's average. The 1/10 base includes basic pay, overtime, seniority and attendance bonuses, pay reconstituted for sick or maternity leave and last year's holiday pay, but not a year end bonus or profit sharing.
How to Use the Congés Payés Calculator
Step 1: Enter Months Worked and Sick Leave
Type the months you actually worked between 1 June and 31 May, plus any months off on non work related sick leave. Weeks of paid leave, maternity or paternity leave and work accidents count as worked time, so include them in months worked.
Step 2: Add Your Pay
Enter your current gross monthly salary and any other gross pay earned in the period that counts towards the 1/10 base, such as overtime or monthly bonuses. Leave out a 13th month or profit share.
Step 3: Enter the Leave You Are Taking
Enter the days off in jours ouvrables, where one week counts as 6 days. Then enter how many Monday to Friday working days fall in that month, usually 20 to 23, which the maintained salary method uses.
Step 4: Compare the Two Methods
You see days earned in both counting systems, the result under each method and the amount you should be paid. The table shows one to five weeks at a glance. If you are comparing France with the UK, the holiday pay calculator applies the British 5.6 week rule to the same kind of salary.
When Can You Take Your Congés Payés?
Your employer sets the leave period and the order of departures after consulting staff representatives, and the period must always include 1 May to 31 October. You cannot take more than 24 working days in one go, and at least 12 consecutive working days must fall within that summer window unless you agree otherwise. Once dates are fixed, the employer can only change them with at least one month's notice, except in exceptional circumstances.
Days earned in the period ending 31 May 2026 are normally taken from 1 May 2026 onwards. In practice, Camille's 30 days could be three weeks in August, one week at Christmas and a week in spring, and because 6 of her main days fall outside May to October she could also qualify for 2 fractionnement days.
Do You Earn Paid Leave While Off Sick in France?
Yes. Since a law passed in April 2024 to bring France into line with EU law, an employee off sick for a non work related illness earns 2 working days of leave per month, up to 24 days a year, while sick leave after a work accident or occupational illness counts as normal work at 2.5 days. An employee off sick for 4 months who worked the other 8 earns 20 + 8 = 28 days.
Other rules that change the numbers:
- Fractionnement: if part of your main four weeks is taken outside 1 May to 31 October, you can earn 1 extra day for 3 to 5 days taken outside that window, or 2 extra days for 6 or more, unless you waived them.
- Part time staff earn the same 2.5 days a month; a day of leave simply covers fewer hours.
- Leaving a job: unused days are paid out as an indemnité compensatrice using the same two methods.
- Collective agreements often add days for seniority, so check yours.
For a move across the Channel, the UK government's living in France guide covers residence, healthcare and tax for British workers, and the Italy TFR calculator helps if your next contract takes you to Italy, where leaving pay works very differently.
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How we checked this tool: the Tools Veria Editorial Team built this tool by hand, checked it against the official rules or published standards where they apply, and tested it against worked examples. Results are estimates for planning, not personal financial or tax advice. Read our editorial policy and disclaimer, or report an error.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days of congés payés do I get per year?
You get 2.5 working days (jours ouvrables) per month worked, which is 30 days or five weeks over a full reference period from 1 June to 31 May. Counted in jours ouvrés, Monday to Friday, that is 25 days.
What is the 10% rule for congés payés?
The 10% rule (règle du dixième) pays one tenth of your total gross pay in the reference period for all your leave. On €37,200 of gross pay, 30 days of leave are worth €3,720, or €124 per day.
Which is better, the 1/10 rule or maintained salary?
Neither is chosen by the employer: the law says you receive whichever is higher. The 1/10 rule usually wins if you earned overtime or commission, and maintained salary wins after a recent pay rise.
Do I earn paid leave when I am on sick leave in France?
Yes. Non work related sick leave now earns 2 working days per month, up to 24 days a year. Sick leave after a work accident earns the normal 2.5 days per month.
How is a part day of congés payés rounded?
Fractions are rounded up to the next whole day. An employee who worked 5 months earns 12.5 days, which becomes 13 days of paid leave.
Are congés payés paid out when I leave my job?
Yes. Untaken days are paid as an indemnité compensatrice de congés payés with your final pay, using the higher of the 1/10 rule and maintained salary. With €36,000 of gross pay in the period, 10 untaken days are worth €1,200.