The system that allows French creditors to seize a portion of a debtor’s wage until the balance is paid in full has been adjusted in 2024. Here are the new pay brackets and limits.
Saisie des rémunérations – wage garnishment in English – is nothing new in France, but the legal limits regarding the amount available to creditors has been slightly revised in 2024 in favour of the debtor.
As of January 2024, debtors must be left with a minimum of €607.75 of their wage per month, up from €598.54 in January 2023. If a debtor earns less than €608 per month, the equivalent to France’s revenu de solidarité active (RSA), none of their earnings can be made available to creditors.
Above this amount, the amount available is split into multiple pay brackets according to an employee’s net salary per annum:
- 1/20 of €4,370 or less can be withheld
- 1/10 of €4,370 to €8,520 can be withheld
- 1/5 of €8,520 to €12,690 can be withheld
- ¼ of €12,690 to €16,820 can be withheld
- 1/3 of €16,820 to €20,070 can be withheld
- 2/3 of €20,070 to €25,200 can be withheld
- The entire amount above €25,200 can be withheld
These thresholds are increased by €1,690 per dependent upon presentation of supporting documents.
The intention of France’s wage garnishment system and its limits is a balancing act: to ensure that repayments are made in a timely fashion and in a way that doesn’t leave creditors out of pocket, but also to avoid putting a stranglehold on people struggling to repay the money they owe.
The rules are different regarding the payment of alimony, in which case the entire sum above €608 could be made available to the creditor.
A simulator for wage garnishment is available here.
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