Employer Contributions to Professional Security Contract (CSP) Limited to Three Months

On March 18, 2026 (n° 24-21.643), the French Court of Cassation’s social chamber confirmed that the employer’s contribution to the professional security contract (CSP) corresponds to the notice indemnity the employee would have received, capped at three months’ salary, plus all associated mandatory contributions. A conventional notice period that exceeds three months does not lead to an increase in this contribution.

This ruling provides welcome legal security for employers whose collective agreements stipulate long notice periods. Here is an analysis from DAIRIA Law.

Facts of the Case

A law firm terminated the employment of an employee lawyer for economic reasons. In accordance with its obligations, the employer proposed that the employee subscribe to the professional security contract (CSP), as provided for by Articles L. 1233-65 and subsequent articles of the French Labour Code.

The employee accepted the CSP. The employer paid France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi) the contribution stipulated under Article L. 1233-69 of the Labour Code, calculated based on three months’ salary plus the relevant contributions.

France Travail contested the amount of this contribution, arguing that it should be calculated based on the entirety of the contractual notice period applicable to the employee lawyer, which exceeded three months under the national collective agreement for employee lawyers. The organization claimed that the contribution should correspond to the entire notice indemnity the employee would have received, without any cap.

The law firm challenged this interpretation in court. The Court of Appeal sided with France Travail and ordered the employer to pay an additional contribution calculated on the entirety of the contractual notice period. The employer filed an appeal in cassation.

Legal Issue Presented

The question submitted to the Court of Cassation was: When the employee’s contractual notice period exceeds three months, should the employer’s contribution to the CSP be calculated on the entire notice period, or is it capped at three months’ salary?

This question revolved around the interpretation of Article L. 1233-69 of the Labour Code, which stipulates that the employer contributes to the financing of the CSP by paying an amount equal to the employee’s