Ending a home employment contract in France, correctly
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A particulier employeur does not follow the Code du travail dismissal procedure: the convention collective IDCC 3239 sets its own steps, notice periods and indemnities (art. 161 to 163 for a home employee, art. 119 to 121 for an assistant maternel). This page states each rule with its article, so that the contract ends the way the convention provides for both parties.
The rules in one minute
- Convocation to the entretien préalable by LRAR or hand delivery against signature, stating object, date and place — art. 161.1.1.1.
- Entretien from the 4th working day counted from the day after presentation; notification by LRAR between the 4th and the 30th working day after the entretien — art. 161.1.1.1.
- Notice: 1 week, 1 month or 2 months by seniority — art. 162.4.1. Indemnity from 8 months of seniority — art. 163.1.
- Assistant maternel: retrait d'enfant by LRAR, notice of 8 days, 15 days or 1 month — art. 119.1 and 120; indemnité de rupture from 9 months — art. 121.1.
The procedure for a salarié du particulier employeur
This applies to every home employee covered by the socle spécifique « salarié du particulier employeur » of the CCN, including a garde d'enfant à domicile. Art. 161.1.1 states that the convention's dismissal rules replace the Code du travail procedure of art. L.1232-2 and following.
Step 1 — the convocation (art. 161.1.1.1)
The employer convenes the employee to an entretien préalable by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt (LRAR) or by hand delivery against a signed receipt. The letter states the object of the entretien, its date and its place. The entretien may be held from the 4th jour ouvrable counted from the day after the letter is presented or handed over.
Step 2 — the entretien (art. 161.1.1.1)
The entretien is held in person. During it, the employer states the motif or motifs considered and hears the employee's explanations. The convention requires the dismissal to rest on a cause réelle et sérieuse, or on a faute grave or faute lourde. The entretien is the moment where both parties hear each other before any decision is notified.
Step 3 — the notification (art. 161.1.1.1)
The decision is notified by LRAR. The letter may be sent from the 4th jour ouvrable and at the latest on the 30th jour ouvrable counted from the day after the entretien. The notice period of art. 162.4.1 starts on the first presentation of this letter — that date is the reference for the end-of-contract calendar of both parties.
The notice period (art. 162.4.1 and 162.6)
Seniority is counted under the same contract. The dismissal notice column applies here; the resignation column is the one the employee applies when leaving on their own initiative (art. 162.6). No notice is due in case of faute grave or faute lourde.
| Seniority (same contract) | Dismissal notice — art. 162.4.1 | Resignation notice — art. 162.6 |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 6 months | 1 week | 1 week |
| 6 months to less than 2 years | 1 month | 2 weeks |
| 2 years and more | 2 months | 1 month |
The indemnité de licenciement (art. 163.1)
Due from 8 months of seniority, except in case of faute grave or faute lourde. Amount: 1/4 of the average gross monthly salary per year of seniority up to 10 years, and 1/3 per year beyond 10 years. The reference salary is the more favourable of the average of the last 12 months or of the last 3 months. The indemnity is not salary and is exempt from contributions within the legal limits. The indemnité compensatrice de congés payés for untaken leave (C. trav. L.3141-28) is paid in addition, with the final pay.
The rupture conventionnelle (art. 161.3)
The two parties may end the contract by mutual agreement. The indemnity agreed cannot be lower than the art. 163.1 indemnity. The agreement is made on the TéléRC forms; from its signature each party has 15 calendar days to retract (C. trav. L.1237-13), after which the DREETS has 15 jours ouvrables to homologate it (L.1237-14). The contract ends at the earliest the day after homologation.
Assistant maternel: the retrait d'enfant (art. 119 to 121)
The socle spécifique « assistant maternel » does not use the dismissal procedure above. Under art. 119.1, the parent-employer ends the contract by a retrait d'enfant notified by LRAR or handed over against signature. No motif is required; the retrait cannot rest on a discriminatory or unlawful ground. The notice runs from the first presentation or handover of the letter.
| Time the child has been received | Notice (either party) — art. 120 |
|---|---|
| Less than 3 months | 8 calendar days |
| 3 months to less than 1 year | 15 calendar days |
| 1 year and more | 1 month |
Indemnité de rupture (art. 121.1): from 9 months of accueil, 1/80 of the total gross salaries paid during the contract, excluding the indemnités d'entretien, de repas and kilométriques. It is not due in case of faute grave or faute lourde, nor when the contract ends because the agrément is modified, suspended or withdrawn. The rupture conventionnelle is not available for an assistant maternel (CASF art. L.423-2). The minimum hourly wage per child since 1 June 2026 is 4,20 € gross without the AM-GE title and 4,37 € with it (avenant n° 10 du 5 février 2026, extended by arrêté du 4 mai 2026).
The documents at the end of the contract
Whatever the way the contract ends, the same documents are produced by the employer from the CESU or Pajemploi account and received by the employee. The detail of each one is on the URSSAF end-of-contract documents page.
| Document | Who produces it | Who receives it | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificat de travail (employment certificate) | The employer, from the CESU or Pajemploi account | The employee | C. trav. art. L.1234-19 |
| Reçu pour solde de tout compte (final settlement receipt) | The employer, listing the sums paid at the end of the contract | The employee, who signs it — it may be contested within 6 months of signature, for the sums it lists | C. trav. art. L.1234-20 |
| Attestation employeur France Travail | The employer, generated from the CESU or Pajemploi account | The employee, for the unemployment-benefit file | C. trav. art. R.1234-9 |
| Last payslip | Produced by CESU or Pajemploi once the last pay is declared — at the latest the 5th of the following month | The employee | CESU / Pajemploi declaration rules |
| Indemnité compensatrice de congés payés (untaken paid leave) | Paid by the employer with the final pay | The employee | C. trav. art. L.3141-28 |
Quick answer
A particulier employeur ends a home employment contract under the CCN IDCC 3239, not the Code du travail procedure (art. 161.1.1): convocation by LRAR or hand delivery, entretien from the 4th working day, notification by LRAR between the 4th and the 30th working day after the entretien (art. 161.1.1.1). The notice is 1 week, 1 month or 2 months by seniority (art. 162.4.1), the indemnity is due from 8 months of seniority (art. 163.1), and the certificat de travail, reçu pour solde de tout compte and attestation France Travail are produced from the CESU or Pajemploi account. For an assistant maternel, the contract ends by retrait d'enfant (art. 119.1) with a notice of 8 days, 15 days or 1 month (art. 120) and an indemnité de rupture from 9 months (art. 121.1).
At the same moment, on the other side
While the employer sends the convocation and then the notification, the employee receives each letter, attends the entretien and gives explanations, works the notice period, then receives the documents and signs the reçu pour solde de tout compte — which remains contestable for 6 months (C. trav. L.1234-20). The same articles govern both sides; the employee-side pages state them from that side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Procedure, notice, indemnity, rupture conventionnelle, assistant maternel.
Q.Does the Code du travail dismissal procedure apply to a particulier employeur?
Q.How long is the dismissal notice period for a home employee?
Q.When is an indemnité de licenciement due, and how much?
Q.Is a rupture conventionnelle possible with a home employee?
Q.How does the contract of an assistant maternel end?
Sources
- Convention collective nationale des particuliers employeurs et de l'emploi à domicile (IDCC 3239) — consolidated text on Légifrance: socle commun, socle spécifique « salarié du particulier employeur » (art. 161 to 163) and socle spécifique « assistant maternel » (art. 119 to 121).
- Avenant n° 10 du 5 février 2026 — arrêté d'extension du 4 mai 2026 (JO n° 0108, 8 mai 2026) — minimum wages of annexes 5 (assistant maternel) and 6 (salarié du particulier employeur), applicable from 1 June 2026.
- code.travail.gouv.fr — Code du travail numérique (Ministère du Travail): contribution pages for IDCC 3239 and the Code du travail articles cited on this page (L.1234-19, L.1234-20, R.1234-9, L.3141-28, L.1237-13, L.1237-14).
- cesu.urssaf.fr / pajemploi.urssaf.fr — URSSAF services through which the particulier employeur declares pay and produces the end-of-contract documents.
Rules verified on 24/08/2026 on Légifrance and code.travail.gouv.fr. Page published 2026-08-24T00:00:00+00:00, last updated 2026-08-24T00:00:00+00:00.
Important: AdminLanding is a technology platform, not a law firm. We do not practice law, provide legal advice, or act as lawyers (avocats), notaries (notaires), bailiffs (commissaires de justice), or any regulated legal professional as defined by French Law No. 71-1130 of December 31, 1971. This page states the published rules of the convention collective and the Code du travail, for information purposes only — it does not constitute personalized legal advice. Verify your situation with the official sources (code.travail.gouv.fr, Légifrance) or a qualified professional before acting.
Which procedure applies: for a particulier employeur, the dismissal procedure of the convention collective IDCC 3239 applies instead of the Code du travail procedure (CCN art. 161.1.1: the rules are those of the convention; art. 161.1.1.1: entretien préalable from the 4th jour ouvrable counted from the day after the first presentation of the convocation, then notification by registered letter from the 4th to the 30th jour ouvrable counted from the day after the entretien). The Code du travail reaches this sector only through the closed list of art. L.7221-2, which does not include the L.1232-2 procedure.
Calculate the dates and the amounts — free
Notice end date, end-of-contract indemnity, paid-leave indemnity and the documents hand-over calendar, computed from the rules of the convention collective IDCC 3239 for both parties. No account needed for the calculation.
Open the end-of-contract calculatorSave the dates to your account — reminders for the notice end, the documents hand-over and the settlement window (free).
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