Pay transparency rules in France
Not yet. France missed the deadline, but the government tabled its transposing bill in the Senat on 10 September 2026. The rules would start no later than a year after the law is passed. France already runs its own gender-equality Index for employers with 50 or more staff.
France sends its bill to Parliament
What happened
On 10 September 2026 the French government put its pay-transparency bill before the Senate. It is using a fast-track process, but both houses of Parliament still have to pass it.
What it means for you
Job ads would have to show a pay range, and you could not ask candidates what they earn now or earned before. There is no fixed start date yet. The rules would start on a date the government sets, no later than one year after the law is passed.
Dates to know
- Within 1 year of the law passingThe latest date most of the rules can start.
Source: Senat. We check this page every week. Last checked .
France has not yet transposed the EU Pay Transparency Directive (Directive (EU) 2023/970). It missed the 7 June 2026 deadline, but on 10 September 2026 the government tabled its transposing bill in the Senat under the accelerated procedure. As tabled, most private-sector rules would take effect on a date set by decree and no later than one year after the law is promulgated.
France already has the Index de l’egalite professionnelle, under which employers with 50 or more staff publish a gender-equality score each year by 1 March, so the Directive builds on an existing reporting culture. The bill would require a pay range in job adverts, ban asking candidates about current or previous pay, expand the right to pay information, and require employers to act where an unjustified gap of 5 percent or more appears.
What is the current status in France?
France missed the deadline. The government tabled its transposing bill in the Senat on 10 September 2026; it is not law yet.
After review by the Conseil d'Etat, the bill was approved in the Council of Ministers and tabled in the Senat on 10 September 2026 as bill no. 944 (2025-2026). It has triggered the accelerated procedure, which shortens the back-and-forth between the Senat and the Assemblee nationale, but both chambers still have to pass the text. Earlier reporting put the government's target at 1 January 2028; the tabled bill instead says the private-sector rules take effect on a date set by decree and no later than one year after promulgation. The pay-gap indicator by category of workers doing equal work or work of equal value comes later for smaller firms: within three years of promulgation for employers with 100 to 149 staff, and within six years for 50 to 99. Much of the detail, including the exact indicators, is left to decrees, so it can still change.
What does France already require?
Employers with 50 or more staff already publish a gender-equality Index score each year by 1 March under existing French law.
The Index de l’egalite professionnelle scores employers on pay-gap and progression measures. The Directive is expected to keep France’s 50-employee threshold and build the new transparency duties on top of this existing framework.
What will change for employers once France legislates?
Job adverts will need to show a pay range, employers cannot ask candidates about current or previous pay, pay-secrecy clauses are banned, and gender pay-gap reporting expands, with penalties of up to 1 percent of payroll.
Under the bill as tabled, publishing a job advert without a pay range is prohibited, and where there is no advert the employer must give the candidate the starting pay range in writing before or during the interview. Employers may not ask candidates about their current or past pay, and contract clauses that stop employees disclosing their pay are banned. Employers with 50 or more staff declare pay-gap indicators every year; the indicator by category of workers is declared every three years for employers with 50 to 249 staff. Failing to declare, declaring wrongly or not acting on an unjustified gap can lead to a financial penalty capped at 1 percent of payroll, and discrimination committed by the same employer against several people is punishable by up to two years' imprisonment and a EUR 7,500 fine.
Hiring in France?
What Teamed carries in France, today and next
Teamed is the legal employer in France, so France's existing gender-equality Index sits with Teamed where it applies, and the new pay-transparency rules land on us too.
These sit with us
- Annual gender-equality Index score, due 1 March
- Pay range in job adverts, when required
- No salary-history questions to candidates
- Requests from employees for pay information
- Pay-secrecy clauses kept out of contracts
You keep
The role, the budget and the pay decision. Your people still report to you.
Nothing new binds yet. The bill reached the Senat on 10 September 2026 and Parliament has still to pass it.
At a glance
| Pay shown in job ads | Proposed |
|---|---|
| Salary-history question banned | Proposed |
| Gender pay-gap reporting from | 50 or more (proposed) |
| First report due | Not yet set |
| Penalties | Up to 1 percent of payroll (proposed) |
Key figures
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Transposition status | Not transposed; government bill tabled in the Senat on 10 September 2026 (no. 944), accelerated procedure (source) |
| EU transposition deadline | 7 June 2026 (missed by France) (source) |
| Entry into force (as tabled) | Date set by decree, no later than one year after promulgation (category pay-gap indicator phased to 3 years for 100-149 staff, 6 years for 50-99) (source) |
| Existing French rule | Index de l’egalite professionnelle: employers with 50+ staff publish a gender-equality score yearly by 1 March (source) |
| Penalties (proposed) | Financial penalty capped at 1 percent of payroll for reporting and gap-remedy failures; discrimination against several people up to 2 years imprisonment plus a EUR 7,500 fine (source) |
| Joint pay assessment trigger (EU baseline) | Unjustified gap of 5 percent or more in a worker category (source) |
Frequently asked questions
Has France transposed the EU Pay Transparency Directive?
Not yet. France missed the 7 June 2026 deadline. The government tabled its transposing bill in the Senat on 10 September 2026. As tabled, the rules start on a date set by decree and no later than one year after the law is promulgated.
Does France already require gender pay reporting?
Yes. Employers with 50 or more staff publish a gender-equality Index score each year by 1 March. The Directive is expected to build on this existing framework.
Can we ask a French candidate about their current pay?
Once the new law is in force, no. The bill bans asking candidates about their current or previous pay and prohibits publishing a job advert without a pay range.
Pay transparency is moving at different speeds across the EU. When Teamed is your legal employer in France, these duties sit with us: compliant pay ranges, the salary-history rule, employee pay-information requests, and reporting where it applies. We track the law as it changes so your hiring stays compliant.
