French Employment law – conseil de prud’hommes – A €50 fee will be required to file a claim with the Conseil de Prud’hommes starting March 1st, 2026.

A decree issued by the Council of State will specify the implementing provisions of Article 1635 bis Q, and these provisions will apply no later than March 1st, 2026.

Law n° 2026-103 of February 19th, 2026, the 2026 Finance Law, stipulates that anyone initiating proceedings before the Labor Court (or a Judicial Court) must pay a fee of €50, whether they are an employee or an employer, and regardless of the nature of the dispute (dismissal dispute, harassment, claim for back pay, etc.).

1) How to pay the €50 fee?

Payment must be made electronically, in the form of an electronic stamp duty.

You can purchase the stamp by clicking on the following link: Home - Purchase of electronic stamps.

2) Payment deadline.

In principle, payment must be made upon initiation of proceedings.

However, no case may be dismissed without first inviting the litigant to pay the legal aid contribution within one month of the request made by the court registry.

3) Cases of exemption.

Article 128 of Law No. 2026-103 of February 19, 2026, transcribed in Article 1635 bis Q of the General Tax Code, provides for several exemption scenarios:

• Beneficiaries of legal aid (this system allows the State to cover the costs related to proceedings, based on income level and household composition);

• The State;

• Proceedings brought before the juvenile court judge, the judge of freedoms and detention, the presiding judge of the judicial court responsible for overseeing measures depriving and restricting liberty as provided for in the Code on the Entry and Residence of Foreigners and the Right of Asylum and the Public Health Code, the guardianship judge, and proceedings brought before the commission provided for in Article L214-1 of the Judicial Organization Code;

• For procedures dealing with personal debt problems and for judicial reorganization and liquidation proceedings;

• For the procedures mentioned in Articles 515-9, 515-13, and 515-13-1 of the Civil Code;

• For the procedure mentioned in paragraph II of Article L20 of the Electoral Code;

• For payment order proceedings, including objections to payment orders;

• For proceedings brought before the family court judge pursuant to Article 373-2-7 of the Civil Code.

To read the full brief, click on the link below.

https://www.village-justice.com/articles/prud-hommes-saisir-conseil-prud-hommes-vous-coutera-une-contribution-euros,56355.html

Bibliographie.

Article 1635 bis Q du Code général des impôts : Article 1635 bis Q - Code général des impôts - Légifrance

Décision n°2026-901 DC du 19 février 2026 : Décision n° 2026-901 DC du 19 février 2026 - Légifrance

Article 128 de la loi n°2026-103 du 19 février 2026 de finances pour 2026 : LOI n° 2026-103 du 19 février 2026 de finances pour 2026 (1) - Légifrance

Site pour acheter le timbre Justice : Accueil - Achat de timbres électroniques

Formulaire à compléter pour signer le communiqué visant à dénoncer la contribution de 50 euros : Collectif des avocats contre la contribution de 50€ pour agir en justice.

Frédéric CHHUM avocat et ancien membre du conseil de l’ordre des avocats de Paris (mandat 2019-2021)

CHHUM AVOCATS (Paris, Nantes, Lille)

e-mail: chhum@chhum-avocats.com

www.chhum-avocats.fr

https://www.instagram.com/fredericchhum/?hl=fr

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