The French social security system also has a separate scheme for salaried and self-employed non-salaried workers in agriculture.
The following information applies to salaried agricultural workers.
France's social protection system for the agricultural professions is run by the central agricultural social mutual fund (caisse centrale de la mutualité sociale agricole/ CCMSA) and by the local agricultural social mutual funds, with joint oversight from the Ministries in charge of Agriculture, the Economy, Finance and Health.
MSA is the dedicated point of contact for the social protection of its members. It manages benefits for health insurance, workplace accidents and occupational diseases, pensions and family, and also collects social security and unemployment insurance contributions. It is an institution with an elective setup that is representative of the entire population with ties to agriculture (farmers, employees and their dependents).
In addition to providing statutory social protection, MSA's health and social policy gives rise to solidarity, disability, and dependency-related programs. It is also in charge of preventing on-the-job risks for the agricultural professions and providing occupational health care in the sector.
The individuals covered by the scheme for salaried workers in the agricultural professions are exhaustively listed in Article L. 722-20 et seq of the French rural and maritime fishing Code
Gross annual SMIC for 35 hours per week in 2026: €22,404.24
| Contributions | Basis | Employer's share | Employee's share | Maximum rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illness, Maternity, Disability, Death | Total pay | 13 % | - | 13 % | |
| Old-age insurance | Total pay | 2.11 % | 0.4 % | 2.51 % | |
| Pay up to the ceiling | 8.55 % | 6.9 % | 15.45 % | ||
| Contribution basis | Employer's share | Employee's share | Maximum rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total pay | 5.25 % | - | 5.25 % |
The industrial accident rate can be either an overall group rate or an individual rate. It varies based on the risk category in which the farm or company has been placed. The group rate is set by ministerial decree.
Risk category-based group rate scale for 2026
| Contributions | Contribution basis | Employer's share | Employee's share | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General social contribution (Contribution sociale généralisée/ CSG)1 | 98.25% of pay up to 4 times the Social Security ceiling and 100% of pay beyond that amount | - | 9.2 % | 9.2 % |
| Social debt repayment contribution (Contribution au remboursement de la dette sociale/ CRDS)1 | 98.25% of pay up to 4 times the Social Security ceiling and 100% of pay beyond that amount | - | 0.5 % | 0.5 % |
| Forfait social (Corporate social contribution) | Certain pay components (excluding the bases below) that are exempted from social security contributions but liable to CSG |
20 % | - | 20 % |
| Certain pay into a company pension savings plan (PERE)2 |
16 % | - | 16 % | |
| Employee savings payments for companies with fewer than 50 employees; sums paid in profit sharing for companies employing 50 to 250 employees; Employers' supplementary providence contributions paid by companies with fewer than 11 employees. | Exempt | |||
| Employer's supplementary providence contributions payable by companies with 11 or more employees | 8 % | - | 8 % | |
| Special investment reserve at cooperative production companies | 8 % | - | 8 % | |
| Autonomy Solidarity Contribution (Contribution Solidarité Autonomie/ CSA) | Total pay | 0.3 % | - | 0.3 % |
| Labor-management relations contribution (Contribution dialogue social) | Total pay | 0.016 % | - | 0.016 % |
1. CSG and CRDS are only payable by individuals who are tax residents of France (unless the Shumacker exception applies).
2. For more information: read the MSA document on employee savings
| FNAL contributions | Contribution basis | Employer's share | Employee's share | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Businesses involved in the lines of work listed in points 1 to 4 of article L. 722-1 of the French rural and maritime fishing code (Code rural et de la pêche maritime) and other employers of fewer than 50 employees | Pay capped at the social security ceiling | 0.1 % | - | 0.1 % |
| Other employers with 50 employees and up | Total pay | 0.5 % | - | 0.5 % |
| Contributions | Contribution basis | Employer's share | Employee's share | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unemployment insurance (AC) | Up to 4 times the social security ceiling (single bracket) | 4 %* | - | 4 %* |
| Wage guarantee insurance (AGS) (not including temporary workers employed by temping agencies) | Up to 4 times the social security ceiling | 0.25% | - | 0.25% |
| Wage guarantee insurance (AGS), for temporary workers employed by temping agencies | Up to 4 times the social security ceiling | 0.03% | - | 0.03% |
* Rate increased or reduced pursuant to the bonus-malus scheme
For more information: complete table of MSA contribution rates for 2026
All agricultural companies using electronic payroll (DSN or Déclaration Sociale Nominative) or a simplified agricultural employment contract (Tesa or Titre emploi simplifié agricole) must pay their social security contributions and charges on a monthly basis. The payment dates vary according to the average workforce of the company or the farm.
Employers with fewer than 11 workers can nevertheless opt to pay contributions and charges on a quarterly basis (15 April, 15 July, 15 October and 15 January). Those opting for the quarterly basis must submit a written request to their local MSA fund using the special form.
Find out more about monthly payment of contributions
In 2026, an appointment with a general practitioner categorized as conventionné secteur 1, meaning that there is no surcharge, costs 30 €. While declaring a médecin traitant (primary care physician) is not mandatory, it determines reimbursement rates.
In certain situations, a patient may consult a doctor other than their primary care physician: a medical emergency, the absence of the primary care physician, or being far from home.
The remainder is out-of-pocket but can be reimbursed by a supplementary health insurance fund.
Pharmaceuticals that are either fully or partially reimbursed by the MSA Fund must have been medically prescribed by a health care professional. Reimbursement is possible if both of the two following requirements are met at the same time:
The reimbursement rate varies depending on the medication's medical benefit (100%, 65%, 30%, or 15%). However, there is still an excess of €1 per box of reimbursable medication.
Transportation expenses on medical grounds
Transportation expenses may be covered in the following circumstances:
In specific cases (transportation of over 150 km, more than one journey, by air, etc.), a prior request for approval is required. It must be provided by the doctor and sent to MSA's medical examiner's office (service du contrôle medical). If there is no reply within a period of 15 days, this is considered a prior approval.
In all cases, there is a €4 excess per medical transport, capped at €8 per day and €50 per year.
Find out more about the reimbursement rates for health care
2. Daily medical leave benefits
Conditions
The eligibility requirements for daily medical leave benefits vary according to the length of leave prescribed:
The member must send pages 1 and 2 of their medical leave prescription to their MSA fund within 48 hours.
As of 1st January 2024, the duration of medical leave prescriptions prescribed via remote consultation is now limited to a maximum of 3 days if they are not prescribed by the primary care physician.
Calculation and payment
Gross monthly SMIC for a 35-hour week in 2026 : €1,867.02
The daily benefits correspond to 50% of the basic daily salary. Their amount is calculated based on an average of the insured's gross salary for the 3 months prior to the medical leave prescription, or for the 12 months prior to the leave period if their employment is seasonal or periodic, with a cap of 1.4 times the applicable monthly minimum wage or Smic in force on the last day of the month preceding the medical leave prescription.
Daily benefits are paid by MSA every 14 days once the 3-day waiting period has expired. Such 3-day waiting period may be paid by the employer.
The maximum number of daily benefits over a 3-year period is set at 360. For long-term conditions, daily benefits may be paid for a maximum period of 3 years, calculated from the start date to the end date, for each condition.
Find out more about medical leave
| Child(ren) expected | Prenatal leave* | Postnatal leave | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st or 2nd | 6 weeks | 10 weeks | 16 weeks |
| 3rd or more | 8 weeks | 18 weeks | 26 weeks |
| Twins | 12 weeks | 22 weeks | 34 weeks |
| Triplets or more | 24 weeks | 22 weeks | 46 weeks |
*Subject to her doctor's approval, an employee may request to carry over part of her prenatal leave to after childbirth, up to a maximum of 3 weeks.
In the event of a premature birth, the total duration of maternity leave is not reduced: any unused prenatal leave is automatically carried over to the postnatal period.
Since 2023, the employer is required to schedule a pre-return-to-work medical examination with the occupational physician within eight calendar days of the agricultural employee's return to work following maternity leave.
Statutory paternity leave is 25 days*, or 32 for multiple births. 7 days must be taken immediately after the child's birth. The rest of the leave can be split into 2 other periods of a minimum of 5 days within 6 months of the birth.
*Days are counted from Monday to Sunday, including bank holidays.
To be eligible for daily maternity/paternity leave benefits, the parent-to-be must have been a member of a health insurance scheme for at least 6 and have completed a minimum period of salaried employment.
Monthly social security ceiling in 2026 : €4,005
The daily benefit is calculated from the salary received during the 3 months prior to the medical leave prescription (12 months for employees in seasonal or intermittent employment), up to the monthly social security ceiling in force. The maximum amount is therefore €104.02 per day in 2026.
It is paid by the MSA every 14 days, without waiting period.
Effective July 1, 2026, existing leave benefits may be supplemented by a new program, called “additional birth leave,” allowing new parents—including adoptive parents—to take one or two additional months of leave. This leave is available to both parents, regardless of their employment status.
Additional birth leave must be taken within 9 months of the child's birth or arrival in the family home. Parents may take it all at once or alternate between them, and may split it into two 1-month periods if they wish. This is an individual and personal right that cannot be transferred from one parent to the other.
Compensation will decrease gradually: they will amount to 70% of the previous net salary during the first month, then 60% during the second month, up to the monthly social security ceiling, set at €4,005 as of January 1, 2026.
To be eligible, you must have taken all of your existing maternity and paternity leave. For more information.
Only members with a recognized disability at the statutory retirement age are entitled to a disability pension. There are 3 categories of disability pension:
| Disability category | Percentage of average annual salary1 | Minimum monthly pension |
|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | 30% | €338.31 |
| Category 2 | 50% | |
| Category 3 | 90%2 | |
| 1. Average of the salaries received during the 10 best working years. 2. 50% increased by 40% by the supplementary benefit for care giver assistance. |
||
These earnings must not exceed the authorized limit known as the comparison threshold*, which is the more favorable of the following:
*If the more favorable amount is less than the annual gross minimum wage (SMIC), the comparison threshold used is the SMIC.
If the total amount of combined income (pension + earned income) is less than the comparison threshold, the pension is not reduced.
If the total income exceeds the comparison threshold, the portion of the disability pension above the threshold is divided by 12 to determine the monthly excess amount. The monthly disability pension paid is then reduced by half of the calculated excess.
Surviving spouses
Surviving spouses under the age of 55 who have a permanent disability that reduces their ability to work by two-thirds but who are not personally entitled to a disability pension may be granted a widow's or widower's disability pension. The amount of the pension is equal to 54% of the disability pension that the deceased received or would have received.
A 10% increase is granted to beneficiaries who had at least three dependent children.
2. The additional disability allowance
The additional disability allowance (allocation supplémentaire d'invalidité/ ASI) is a benefit that is paid as a supplement to a disability benefit in case of low income, until the claimant is old enough to qualify for the elderly solidarity allowance (allocation de solidarité aux personnes âgées/ Aspa) or reaches statutory retirement age.
To qualify for the additional disability allowance (ASI), the insured must:
The amount of the ASI corresponds to the difference between the monthly ceiling and the amount of income of the insured or the couple.
If certain requirements are met, the surviving spouse may be eligible for a salaried agricultural employees' death payment. In order to qualify, an application must be submitted to the MSA fund of the deceased at the time of the death. The deceased must have been employed or receiving a pension at least during the 3 months preceding the death. The death payment is paid as a flat-rate lump sum and is adjusted every year (€4,009 as at 1st April 2026).
It is paid out in the following order:
In addition to the 14 working days of leave granted by employers, parents may, upon request, take additional bereavement leave compensated by the MSA through daily benefits.
*This leave also applies to all dependents under the age of 25 in the household.
This leave lasts 8 days, which may be split into 2 periods, and must be taken within the year following the child's death.
The daily allowance is paid without a waiting period and is calculated based on wages earned during the 3 months preceding the leave, or the 12 preceding months in the case of seasonal or intermittent employment. Wages are taken into account up to the monthly Social Security ceiling (€4,005 for the year 2026).
A lump-sum allowance is also paid to families following the death of a child under the age of 25. The amount of the allowance depends on the number of dependent children as well as the parents' income (N – 2).
As of April 1, 2026, the lump-sum allowance amounts to €2,319.32 when the household's income for the year 2024 does not exceed the applicable threshold (for example, €99,940 for a family with one dependent child); if income exceeds this limit, the amount of the allowance is reduced to €1,159.68.
As of January 1, 2025, foreign nationals must provide proof of a residence permit and proof of residence in France for at least 9 months to be eligible for this allowance.
The MSA automatically grants the allowance as soon as it is notified of the death by the civil registry office. The allowance cannot be combined with the death payment.
Agricultural salaried workers, apprentices, students, and interns are covered for work-related accidents or illnesses if certain requirements are met. The occupational illnesses that are recognized and covered by MSA appear on specific tables.
All industrial accident/ occupational illness-related care is covered by the member's MSA fund at 100% of the health insurance rate (medical costs, pharmaceuticals, etc.). Only the flat-rate contribution of €2 and the non-refundable fixed charge remain payable by the insured.
The daily benefits are calculated from the salary received in the month preceding the leave of absence:
The daily salary may not exceed €320.66.
The benefits are paid by the MSA every 14 days, without waiting period.
In the event of permanent disability, the employee may receive:
This annuity is calculated based on the degree of disability and the insured person's annual salary. The annual salary used for this calculation corresponds to the total compensation received during the 12 months preceding the work-related accident or illness.
Retirement pensions for salaried employees in agriculture are composed of a basic retirement pension and a supplementary retirement pension with the Agirc-Arrco.
Pensions are calculated on the same bases as for the general scheme. If the agricultural employee has also contributed to the general scheme for employees, the last scheme to which he was affiliated will calculate and pay the retirement pension for the whole career. The member only needs to submit a single application for retirement, to any of the funds to which he has contributed, and will receive a single retirement pension, calculated and paid as if the member had belonged to a single scheme.
1. Conditions
To receive a pension at maximum rate (50%), there are conditions of age and number of contributory quarters.
a) Statutory minimum retirement age
The legal retirement age varies depending on the date of birth. It is set at 62 for people born between 1955 and August 31, 1961. For subsequent generations and effective September 1, 2026, following the suspension of the pension reform, the legal retirement age is :
| Birth year | Statutory retirement age |
|---|---|
| 1963 | 62 years 9 months |
| 1964 | 62 years 9 months |
| 1965 (between January 1 and March 31) | 62 years 9 months |
| 1965 (between April 1 and December 31) | 63 years |
| 1966 | 63 years 3 months |
| 1967 | 63 years 6 months |
| 1968 | 63 years 9 months |
| 1969 or thereafter | 64 years |
To receive a full-rate pension from the statutory retirement age, you must have accrued a certain number of contributory quarters, which varies according to year of birth. A reduction will be applied to the amount of the pension of members who claim their pension at the statutory age without having the necessary number of quarters (reduction).
Early retirements for long career or health reasons
Age of automatic full rate
From the age of 67, the pension is calculated at full rate (50%) regardless of the number of contributory quarters.
Length of insurance
The length of insurance, which represents all quarters accrued by the member, is used to determine the settlement rate of the pension.
Validation of a quarter does not depend on the number of hours worked; it depends on the amount of eligible income that the member has received. To validate a quarter, you must receive within the year an income at least equal to 150 x the gross hourly SMIC in force as at 1st January of the year (€12.31 in 2026). But the number of quarters accrued under all schemes combined cannot exceed 4 per calendar year.
Some periods of interruption of work (unemployment, maternity, disability, etc.) will be considered equivalent to pension insurance quarters even if they do not give rise to contributions (cf. Articles L. 351-2 to L. 351-6-1 of the French Social Security Code).
| Year of birth | Length of insurance |
|---|---|
| 1963 | 170 quarters |
| 1964 | 170 quarters |
| 1965 (between January 1 and March 31) | 170 quarters |
| 1965 (between April 1 and December 31) | 171 quarters |
| 1966 or thereafter | 172 quarters |
2. How retirement pensions are calculated
Annual basic pension amount =
Average yearly earnings1 x Rate2 x (Length of insurance under the agricultural salaried workers' scheme / length of insurance required based on year of birth)
1. The average yearly earnings (SAM) are calculated on the basis of the 25 best years of the career, up to the social security ceiling, which is €48,060 in 2026.
2. The settlement rate varies according to the length of insurance under all schemes combined. A reduction factor is applied to the maximum rate of 50%, determined according to the number of missing quarters in order to benefit from full rate, taking account of the length of insurance and age (the most beneficial rate for the member is chosen). The minimum rate is fixed at 37.5% (cf. reduced rate).
Periods of employment abroad in a country that has signed a social security agreement with France can be included when determining the member's retirement pension payment rate.
1. The survivor's retirement pension (pension de réversion)
Subject to age (minimum age 55) and income, an individual can apply for a survivor's retirement pension if their spouse or ex-spouse has died and was either drawing or would have been eligible for an agricultural pension.
The survivor's pension represents 54% of the pension of the deceased member.It cannot be less than €334.92 (minimum amount, January 2026) if the deceased spouse or former spouse had accumulated 60 quarters under the general social security system. If the deceased had accumulated fewer than 60 quarters, this minimum amount is reduced proportionally.
The survivor's pension is increased by 11.1% if the beneficiary:
The pension amount is also increased by 10% when the beneficiary has raised at least three children.
2. The widow(er)'s allowance (allocation de veuvage)
The widow(er)'s allowance is awarded as temporary financial support for 2 years for surviving spouses aged under 55, and whose income during the 3 calendar months before the application does not exceed €2,698.42 (2026). Entitlement can only be examined on the express request of the applicant to the MSA to which his or her spouse was affiliated. The deadline for filing the claim is two years following the death.
It amounts to €719.58 monthly from 01/01/2026. This amount may be reduced on a means-tested basis.
The children of an agricultural worker may be eligible for an orphan's pension if both of their parents are deceased or absent. They may receive an orphan's pension for each deceased parent.
The pension is paid:
until the age of 21;
until age 25 (or without an age limit if the child can prove, before turning 21, a permanent disability rating of at least 80%), depending on income. The child's earnings must not exceed an amount equal to = 55% of the gross hourly minimum wage X 169 X 12.
The orphan's pension is equal to 54% of the deceased's basic pension. The minimum monthly amount is set at 108.57 € gross as of January 1, 2026. If there are multiple orphans, the pension is divided equally among the beneficiaries.
The orphan's pension is retroactive to the month of death if the application is filed within one year of the death. The application must be submitted online or by mail to the MSA with which the deceased was enrolled.
The elderly solidarity allowance enables individuals with little money for their retirement (personal or survivor's) to draw a minimum income if they meet the eligibility requirements. To be eligible, you must:
For non-European Union nationals, you must also have held a residence permit for at least 10 years.
The benefit amount is calculated on a differential basis, meaning it equals the difference between the monthly income ceiling and the household's monthly income.
MSA pays the same benefits based on the same requirements as the general social security scheme's Family Benefits Funds (Caisses d'Allocations Familiales/ CAF).
Find out more about family benefits (MSA website)
Employees under the agricultural regime are entitled to common law unemployment benefit.
