Acrede Accolade October 2013 Oct. 2013 | Page 14

Understanding French Payroll French payroll sometimes appears complex compared to that of the English, just because of the length of the French payslip! T his seems difficult to comprehend, especially when you understand why there are so many lines of deductions for taxes on wages. In general, an employee in France pays between 20% and 25% of taxes on his salary spread over 5 major points: 1. Health and social security 2. Retirement 3. Unemployment insurance 4. Taxes 5. Other The deductions are calculated on a basis of Bands A, B or C that represent the monthly limits of social security. The monthly ceiling for social security in France is €3036 and you should know that there are 8 ceilings divided as follows: - Band A = 1 scale (plafond) who is €3086 - Band B = 1 to 4 monthly ceilings from €3086, €6172, €9258 to €12344 - Band C = 4 to 8 monthly ceilings from €12344, €15430, €18516 to €21602 Photography: Gary Wallis. www.wallispictures.com 14 The French social legislation has set a National minimum wage at €9.43 per hour, or €1430.22 per calendar month. This amount is reviewed and amended if needed twice a year on 1st January and/or 1st July, depending on the Government in place and inflation levels. Accolade OCTOBER 2013