Litigation Cost Estimator
Assess your potential exposure at the French employment tribunal (Conseil de prud'hommes) using the Macron scale (barème d'indemnisation, art. L.1235-3 Code du travail).
Macron Scale — Unfair Dismissal Indemnity Range
Important Notice
The Macron scale applies to unfair dismissal claims (licenciement sans cause réelle et sérieuse). It does not apply to cases of nullity (discrimination, harassment, whistleblower protection) where damages are uncapped with a minimum of 6 months' salary. Consult our experts for a comprehensive risk assessment.
Understanding the Macron Scale
Since September 2017, French law caps the damages awarded by employment tribunals for unfair dismissal. The scale (barème Macron) sets minimum and maximum indemnities expressed in months of gross salary, based on seniority and company size.
Key exceptions where the scale does NOT apply (uncapped damages):
- Discrimination or harassment
- Violation of fundamental rights
- Whistleblower retaliation
- Sexual or moral harassment
Litigation exposure — key questions
What is the « barème Macron » and when does it apply?
Article L.1235-3 of the Labour Code sets binding minimum and maximum damages — expressed in months of gross salary, scaled by seniority and company size — when a dismissal is ruled unfair (without real and serious cause) by the labour court. This calculator applies that scale to estimate exposure, which is why seniority and headcount are its key inputs.
Are there cases where the scale does not cap damages?
Yes — and they change the risk radically. When the dismissal is void (nullité) — discrimination, harassment, violation of a fundamental freedom, protected employees — article L.1235-3-1 applies instead: a floor of six months' salary and no ceiling. Assessing which regime a dispute falls under is the first step of any realistic exposure estimate.
Do small companies face the same minima?
Companies with fewer than eleven employees benefit from reduced statutory minima on the lower seniority bands, while the maxima remain those of the general scale. Headcount is therefore not a detail: it moves the floor of the estimate.
What does a prud'hommes dispute cost beyond damages?
Lawyer fees, management time across a procedure that commonly runs for many months, conciliation and hearing stages, possible appeal — and ancillary heads of claim (paid leave, overtime, procedural irregularities) that accumulate on top of the unfair dismissal award. The scale caps one head of claim, not the dispute.
Need a Risk Assessment?
Our team can evaluate your specific situation and advise on the best strategy to minimize litigation risk.