French Paid Leave: How Many Days Off Do Employees Get?

Annual Paid Leave: The Basics

French employees are entitled to a minimum of 5 weeks of paid annual leave per year, one of the most generous statutory entitlements in the world. Article L.3141-3 du Code du travail (Each employee is entitled to leave of two and a half working days per month of actual work) establishes that employees accrue 2.5 working days of leave per month of work, totaling 30 working days (jours ouvrables) — or 25 business days (jours ouvrés) — per year.

The reference period for accruing leave runs from June 1 to May 31 of the following year (unless a collective agreement sets a different period). Employees can typically use their accrued leave from June 1 onward.

How Leave Accrual Works

Leave is accrued based on actual work during the reference period. Certain absences are treated as equivalent to actual work for leave accrual purposes:

This last point is particularly significant: following the EU Court of Justice’s case law and a 2026 legislative reform, employees on sick leave continue to accrue paid leave entitlements — at a rate of 2 days per month for non-work-related illness, with specific rules for work-related illness.

Taking Leave: Employer’s Obligations and Rights

The employer has both the obligation to ensure employees take their leave and the right to organize the timing. The main vacation period runs from May 1 to October 31, during which the employee must take at least 12 consecutive working days (2 weeks) of their main leave.

Key rules for organizing leave include: the employer sets the leave schedule after consulting the CSE; the employer can refuse specific dates for operational reasons but must ensure the employee can take their leave within the reference period; and unused leave is generally lost at the end of the reference period (though many companies allow carryover by practice or agreement).

RTT Days: The Extra Paid Time Off

In addition to the 5 weeks of paid leave, many French employees benefit from RTT days (Réduction du Temps de Travail), which compensate for working more than 35 hours per week. The number of RTT days depends on the actual weekly working hours:

Public Holidays (Jours Fériés)

France has 11 public holidays per year listed in Article L.3133-1 du Code du travail. Only May 1 (Labor Day) is a mandatory paid day off for all employees. For the other 10 holidays, the treatment depends on the collective agreement and company practice — though in practice, most employees get all 11 holidays off with pay.

The Journée de solidarité (Solidarity Day) is an additional unpaid working day (typically Whit Monday) introduced to fund elderly care. Employees work this day without additional pay, or a company agreement may designate a different day or deduct an RTT day.

Special Leave Entitlements

French law provides various types of special paid leave for personal events, known as congés pour événements familiaux (leave for family events) under Articles L.3142-1 to L.3142-5 du Code du travail:

Collective agreements frequently provide more generous entitlements. These special leave days are in addition to annual paid leave and are paid at the employee’s normal rate.

Total Time Off: The Full Picture

When you add it all up, a typical French employee’s total annual time off can be substantial:

For foreign employers budgeting headcount and productivity, this is a critical factor. A French employee working on a standard schedule is typically available for approximately 210-220 working days per year, compared to 230-240 in many other countries.

Need help navigating French employment law? DAIRIA Avocats specializes in advising foreign employers operating in France. Contact us at s.coly@dairia-avocats.com or try DAIRIA IA, our AI-powered legal assistant at dairia.ai