Rupture conventionnelle of employment contracts for employees aged 57 and over:, as of September 1st, 26, the duration of your unemployment benefits is reduced to 20.5 months (instead of 27) – what workaround is available?

Employees aged 57 and over will be most severely affected by this reform, as their unemployment benefits will be reduced to 20.5 months (instead of 27 months).

There is a workaround: dismissal followed, if necessary, by a settlement agreement. With this arrangement, you continue to receive 27 months of unemployment benefits.

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A negotiated termination agreement (Rupture conventionnelle) is a mutually agreed way to end an open-ended employment contract (CDI).

Terminating an employment contract through an RCI entitles the employee to unemployment benefits (ARE).

However, as of September 1, 2026, the duration of compensation in this specific case will change.

Indeed, starting in September, the compensation period for employees who have entered into a negotiated termination agreement will differ from the standard duration.
 

I. What the Law of June 11, 2026 (No. 2026-470) will change regarding employee compensation.

Law No. 2026-470 of June 11, 2026, published in the Official Journal of the French Republic (JORF) on June 12, will reduce, starting September 1, 2026, the duration of unemployment benefits for all employees who terminated their permanent employment contract (CDI) through a mutually agreed termination of employment (RCI).

It was the social partners who initiated the reduction in the duration of unemployment benefits following a mutually agreed termination of employment (RCI). The agreement (Amendment No. 3 of February 25, 2026, to the Memorandum of Understanding of November 10, 2023, concerning unemployment insurance) was subsequently transposed into law by the legislature through the aforementioned law of June 11.

Regarding the impact on Unemployment Benefits (ARE), Unedic (National Interprofessional Union for Employment in Industry and Commerce) indicates on its website, in one of its fact sheets dedicated to negotiated terminations, that it is essential to first distinguish between the "standard" compensation period and the compensation period following a negotiated termination.

The compensation period following a negotiated termination is thus capped at 15 months for claimants under 55 years of age and 20.5 months for those over 55.

Furthermore, claimants aged 55 to 56 are eligible for a renewal of their benefits, meaning an extension of their compensation for another two months.

Claimants aged 57 and over are eligible for a renewal of their benefits, granting them an additional six and a half months of compensation.

Currently, the maximum duration of unemployment benefits is 18 months for claimants under 55; 22.5 months for claimants aged 55 to 56; and 27 months for those over 57.

Sources.

• Rupture conventionnelle = réduction de la durée d’indemnisation des allocations chômage suite à l’avenant du 25 février 2026 – salariés, cadres, cadres dirigeants [1]
• Salariés, cadres, cadres dirigeants : combien négocier sa rupture conventionnelle après les ordonnances Macron ?
• Protocole d’accord du 10 novembre 2023 relatif à l’assurance chômage [2]
• Avis du Conseil d’État sur le projet de loi portant transposition de l’avenant n°3 du 25 février 2026 au protocole d’accord du 10 novembre 2023 relatif à l’assurance chômage
• Rupture conventionnelle : ce qui change au 1er septembre 2026, site Service Public [3]
• Fiche thématique « Rupture conventionnelle », site Unedic [4].

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