Procedure · Unemployment and France Travail

Challenging a France Travail decision: benefit refusal, removal from the register, overpayment

Benefit refusal, calculation of entitlement, removal from the register or overpayment: a challenge always follows the same order. First a written complaint to your agency, then the regional mediator, compulsory before going to court for some decisions, and finally the court. Deadlines are short: 2 months for a removal or an overpayment.

At a glance

Who: Anyone affected by a France Travail decision, registered or not: refusal or calculation of benefit, sanction, removal from the register, change of category, request for repayment.
When: As soon as you receive the decision: 2 months from notification for a removal or an overpayment, and 10 days to respond to an announced removal.
Where: Your agency (personal space, Mes échanges avec France Travail), then the regional mediator by email or post, then the court named in the notice.
Cost: Free for the complaint and mediation.
How long: The mediator confirms your request within 7 days. While you appeal, a removal from the register still applies.

France Travail personal space, Mes échanges (francetravail.fr)

Step by step

Read the notice and note the deadline. The decision letter, also in your personal space (Mes courriers reçus), gives the reason, how to appeal and the deadlines. For a removal or an overpayment, you have 2 months from notification. Note the date: it starts the clock.
Announced removal: respond within 10 days. Before any removal, France Travail tells you about the planned decision. You have 10 calendar days from when the letter is sent, not when you receive it, to submit written comments, or to ask for a meeting with the agency director, with someone of your choice. The director notifies the decision within 15 days of the end of that period.
File a written complaint with your agency. Whatever the decision, start with a complaint from your personal space, under Mes échanges avec France Travail, or by letter to your agency. Explain what you dispute and why, and attach the evidence: payslips, employer certificate, proof of absence. Keep a copy: you will be asked for it later.
Contact the regional mediator. If you get no answer, or the answer doesn't settle the dispute, write to France Travail's regional mediator (contact details by region on francetravail.fr), by email or post, setting out the dispute with all your evidence. They confirm your request within 7 days and look for an amicable solution; if they don't uphold it, they must give you the reasons.
Follow the compulsory prior mediation. For a sanction, an end of registration, a change of category, certain allowances (ASS, the youth commitment contract allowance) and requests to repay public benefits paid in excess, going through the mediator is compulsory before going to the administrative court. Without this step, the court will reject your appeal.
Overpayment: ask for instalments or a write-off. If you do owe the money, ask for instalments from your personal space or in writing to your agency: France Travail sends you a repayment plan. If you cannot pay, ask for the debt to be written off, which the joint regional board examines. Don't ignore the notice: a month later, France Travail can serve you with an enforcement order (contrainte).
As a last resort, go to court. If the disagreement continues after mediation, go to the court named in the notice: administrative or civil depending on the decision, in the area of the agency that took it. Against an enforcement order, you have 15 days; without an appeal, it has the force of a judgment and allows seizure.

Documents to prepare

The disputed notice (letter or copy from Mes courriers reçus)
Your payslips, employer certificates and monthly update declarations for the period
Proof of your situation: sick note, appointment letter, proof of sending, job search records
A copy of your complaint and the agency's reply (essential for the mediator)

Pitfalls to avoid

Writing to the mediator without a prior complaint: mediation requires you to have contacted your agency first.
Letting the 2 months pass for a removal or an overpayment: your appeal comes too late.
Ignoring an enforcement order: without a court appeal within 15 days, it has the force of a judgment and allows seizure.
Thinking the appeal suspends the decision: a removal still applies during the appeal; keep looking for work and re-register when the period ends.
Challenging an RSA sanction with France Travail: the compulsory prior appeal goes to the president of the département council.

Template complaint or referral to the France Travail mediator (in French)

[Prénom Nom]
[Adresse]
Identifiant France Travail : [identifiant]
[Adresse électronique] – [téléphone]

[France Travail – agence de [ville] / Médiateur régional de France Travail [région]]
[Adresse]

[Ville], le [date]

[Lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception / Envoi par courrier électronique]

Objet : [réclamation / demande de médiation] concernant la décision du [date de la décision] – [refus d'allocation / radiation / trop-perçu / autre décision]

Madame, Monsieur,

Par un courrier du [date de la notification], France Travail m'a notifié [décrire la décision : le refus de mon allocation d'aide au retour à l'emploi / ma radiation de la liste des demandeurs d'emploi pour [durée] / une demande de remboursement d'un trop-perçu de [montant] pour la période du [date] au [date]].

Je conteste cette décision pour les raisons suivantes : [exposer les faits, par exemple : j'avais bien déclaré ma reprise d'activité lors de mon actualisation du [date] / j'étais en arrêt maladie à la date du rendez-vous, justificatif joint / l'attestation employeur comporte une erreur sur [élément]].

[Pour le médiateur : J'ai adressé une réclamation à mon agence le [date de la réclamation]. [La réponse reçue le [date] ne règle pas le litige. / Je n'ai pas reçu de réponse.]]

Je vous demande en conséquence de [réexaminer ma situation et annuler cette décision / rétablir mon inscription et le versement de mes allocations / annuler ce trop-perçu ou, à défaut, m'accorder un échelonnement ou une remise de dette].

Vous trouverez ci-joint : [liste des pièces : notification contestée, copie de la réclamation, bulletins de salaire, justificatifs].

Je vous prie d'agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées.

[Signature]

Template complaint or referral to the France Travail mediator (in French): replace each part in square brackets, proofread, date and sign. The letter is in French because it goes to a French employer or administration.

Every letter template

What Nego does for you

Explain the letter from France Travail: reason, deadline, how to appeal
Write your complaint, then your referral to the regional mediator, with the right documents
Check the calculation of your benefit or an overpayment with the unemployment simulator
Prepare a request for instalments or a debt write-off

Nego follows the checked steps on this page, does the calculations with the site's tools and drafts your letters. It does not replace the administration: the procedure is completed on the official service.

Going further

Unemployment benefit simulator Unemployment benefit

Frequently asked questions

Is the mediator compulsory?

For sanctions, ends of registration, changes of category, the ASS, the youth commitment contract allowance and overpaid public benefits, yes: you must have contacted the mediator before going to the administrative court. For other decisions, it is optional; the notice explains what to do.

How long do I have to challenge a removal from the register?

2 months from the decision: complaint to France Travail, then the mediator, which is compulsory, then the administrative court for the area of the agency that decided. The removal applies while you appeal.

France Travail says I was overpaid: what should I do?

Check the reason and the period in the notice. If it is a mistake, complain within 2 months, then contact the mediator. If you do owe the money, ask for instalments or a write-off. France Travail can claim back an overpayment up to 3 years after payment, 10 years in the case of fraud or false declaration.

Which court should I go to?

The one named in the notice: administrative or civil depending on the type of decision, and in the area of the agency that took the decision, not necessarily where you live.

What does the joint regional board do?

Made up of employee and employer representatives, it sits in each France Travail regional office and can grant rights by way of exception: opening entitlement after a resignation, counting undeclared periods of work, writing off a debt. A refusal is not a sanction: it simply applies the rule.

Official sources

Rules checked on 27 October 2026 against the sources above. This page explains the procedure; it replaces neither the administration nor legal advice.

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Challenging a France Travail decision: benefit refusal, removal from the register, overpayment

At a glance

Who

Anyone affected by a France Travail decision, registered or not: refusal or calculation of benefit, sanction, removal from the register, change of category, request for repayment.

When

As soon as you receive the decision: 2 months from notification for a removal or an overpayment, and 10 days to respond to an announced removal.

Where

Your agency (personal space, Mes échanges avec France Travail), then the regional mediator by email or post, then the court named in the notice.

Cost

Free for the complaint and mediation.

How long

The mediator confirms your request within 7 days. While you appeal, a removal from the register still applies.

Step by step

Read the notice and note the deadline. The decision letter, also in your personal space (Mes courriers reçus), gives the reason, how to appeal and the deadlines. For a removal or an overpayment, you have 2 months from notification. Note the date: it starts the clock.

Announced removal: respond within 10 days. Before any removal, France Travail tells you about the planned decision. You have 10 calendar days from when the letter is sent, not when you receive it, to submit written comments, or to ask for a meeting with the agency director, with someone of your choice. The director notifies the decision within 15 days of the end of that period.

File a written complaint with your agency. Whatever the decision, start with a complaint from your personal space, under Mes échanges avec France Travail, or by letter to your agency. Explain what you dispute and why, and attach the evidence: payslips, employer certificate, proof of absence. Keep a copy: you will be asked for it later.

Contact the regional mediator. If you get no answer, or the answer doesn't settle the dispute, write to France Travail's regional mediator (contact details by region on francetravail.fr), by email or post, setting out the dispute with all your evidence. They confirm your request within 7 days and look for an amicable solution; if they don't uphold it, they must give you the reasons.

Follow the compulsory prior mediation. For a sanction, an end of registration, a change of category, certain allowances (ASS, the youth commitment contract allowance) and requests to repay public benefits paid in excess, going through the mediator is compulsory before going to the administrative court. Without this step, the court will reject your appeal.

Overpayment: ask for instalments or a write-off. If you do owe the money, ask for instalments from your personal space or in writing to your agency: France Travail sends you a repayment plan. If you cannot pay, ask for the debt to be written off, which the joint regional board examines. Don't ignore the notice: a month later, France Travail can serve you with an enforcement order (contrainte).

As a last resort, go to court. If the disagreement continues after mediation, go to the court named in the notice: administrative or civil depending on the decision, in the area of the agency that took it. Against an enforcement order, you have 15 days; without an appeal, it has the force of a judgment and allows seizure.

Documents to prepare

The disputed notice (letter or copy from Mes courriers reçus)

Your payslips, employer certificates and monthly update declarations for the period

Proof of your situation: sick note, appointment letter, proof of sending, job search records

A copy of your complaint and the agency's reply (essential for the mediator)

Pitfalls to avoid

Writing to the mediator without a prior complaint: mediation requires you to have contacted your agency first.

Letting the 2 months pass for a removal or an overpayment: your appeal comes too late.

Ignoring an enforcement order: without a court appeal within 15 days, it has the force of a judgment and allows seizure.

Thinking the appeal suspends the decision: a removal still applies during the appeal; keep looking for work and re-register when the period ends.

Challenging an RSA sanction with France Travail: the compulsory prior appeal goes to the president of the département council.