Procedure · Work and leaving a job

Claiming unpaid wages, overtime or a bonus from your employer in France

Late salary, forgotten overtime, a bonus that was due but never paid: you have 3 years to claim. Here is what to do and in what order, from gathering proof and sending a formal demand letter to the employment tribunal, and what the labour inspectorate can, or cannot, do for you.

At a glance

Who: Any private-sector employee whose employer has not paid, or not fully paid, their salary, overtime or a bonus that was due, including after the contract has ended.
When: As soon as a payment is missing; you have 3 years from the day the amount should have been paid.
Where: First with your employer, in writing; then before the employment tribunal if nothing happens.
Cost: Free for the letter; at the employment tribunal, a tax stamp (amount on service-public), unless you have legal aid.
How long: 3 years to act; only 6 months if the amount appears on a final settlement receipt you signed.

Template request for payment of wages (code.travail.gouv.fr)

Step by step

Check what you are owed. A monthly-paid employee is paid once a month, at the same time each month. A bonus is compulsory if your contract, a collective agreement, an established practice or a commitment by the employer provides for it. Overtime is due as soon as the employer asked for it, accepted it even implicitly, or your tasks made it necessary: the site's tool calculates the overtime premium.
Gather your evidence. Keep your payslips, your contract and anything showing the hours you worked: clocking records, rotas, emails, your diary. On the payslip, overtime must appear with its premium rate; for a bonus, find the document that provides for it.
Send a claim letter. Write to the employer, ideally by recorded delivery, listing the months and amounts owed (template below; code.travail.gouv.fr has one for overtime, with a calculation table). Give a precise deadline for payment, 8 days for example, and ask for a corrected payslip.
Do not stop working. Even without pay, the Labour Code does not allow you to stop working. Your options are a formal demand letter and the employment tribunal.
Get information from the labour inspectorate. It can tell you your rights and check that the rules are followed, in particular on working time; its contact details are posted in the workplace, and you do not have to tell your employer. But it does not settle an individual dispute over pay: only the judge can order the employer to pay.
Go to the employment tribunal. If you are still not paid, file a claim with the employment tribunal (cerfa form or plain paper, supporting documents, tax stamp). In urgent cases, the urgent applications panel (référé) can order payment of wages that are owed and not seriously disputed. The judge can also order payment with a daily penalty, award damages, or even end the contract at the employer's fault.

Documents to prepare

Your payslips and your employment contract (salary, working hours, bonuses provided for)
Your records of hours: clocking, rotas, emails, diary
The document that provides for the bonus: contract, collective agreement, employer memo
Your bank statements showing the missing or late transfers
A copy of your claim letter and its acknowledgement of receipt

Pitfalls to avoid

Letting 3 years go by: each unpaid amount becomes time-barred 3 years after the date it should have been paid.
Signing a final settlement without checking it: for the amounts on it, you only have 6 months left to challenge them.
Stopping work to put pressure on the employer: the Labour Code does not allow it, so use a formal demand or the courts.
Relying on the labour inspectorate to recover the money: it informs and inspects, but does not rule on a pay dispute.
Claiming overtime on a days-based annual contract (forfait jours): employees on an annual days-based arrangement, like senior executives (cadres dirigeants), are not covered by overtime rules.

Letter claiming unpaid wages (in French)

[Prénom Nom]
[Adresse]

[Nom de l'entreprise]
À l'attention de [Prénom Nom du destinataire], [fonction]
[Adresse de l'entreprise]

[Ville], le [date]

Lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception (ou remise en main propre contre décharge)

Objet : réclamation de [salaire / heures supplémentaires / prime] impayé(es)

Madame, Monsieur,

Salarié(e) de l'entreprise depuis le [date d'embauche] au poste de [intitulé du poste], je constate que les sommes suivantes ne m'ont pas été versées :
- [mois concerné] : [nature de la somme : salaire, heures supplémentaires, prime], [montant dû] ;
- [mois concerné] : [nature de la somme], [montant dû].

[Pour des heures supplémentaires : J'ai effectué [nombre d'heures] heures supplémentaires du [date] au [date], à votre demande, comme le montre le décompte joint. Elles n'apparaissent pas sur mes bulletins de paie.]
[Pour une prime : Cette prime est prévue par [mon contrat de travail / la convention collective / l'accord d'entreprise / l'usage dans l'entreprise].]

Je vous mets en demeure de me verser ces sommes dans un délai de [délai] à compter de la réception de ce courrier, et de me remettre un bulletin de paie rectifié.

À défaut, je me verrai contraint(e) de saisir le conseil de prud'hommes afin d'obtenir le paiement des sommes dues et la réparation du préjudice subi.

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

[Signature]

Pièces jointes : [décompte des sommes dues, copies des bulletins de paie]

Letter claiming unpaid wages (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

Work out your overtime and its premium with the site's tool
Write your claim or formal demand letter
Spot what is missing on your payslips, month by month
Prepare your employment tribunal claim if the employer does not pay

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

Overtime pay calculator Gross ↔ net converter Overtime Payslip explained Forfait jours Bonuses and variable pay Final pay settlement

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to claim unpaid wages?

3 years from the day the amount should have been paid, whether it is salary, overtime or a bonus. If the amount appears on a final settlement receipt you signed, the deadline drops to 6 months.

How do I prove my overtime?

With anything that shows the hours you worked: clocking records, emails, diary, rotas. A week-by-week breakdown, like the table in the code.travail.gouv.fr template, makes your claim precise. Without a collective agreement, the first 8 overtime hours in a week carry a 25% premium and the following ones 50%; the site's tool does the calculation.

Can the labour inspectorate force my employer to pay?

No. It informs, advises and checks that employment law is applied, but does not settle an individual pay dispute. It is the employment tribunal that can order payment, with a daily penalty if needed, and award damages.

Can I stop working, or resign, until I am paid?

Stop working, no: the Labour Code does not give you that right. Send the employer a formal demand in writing, then go to the employment tribunal, using the urgent procedure (référé) if needed. Resign, yes, but France Travail only treats your resignation as legitimate, and pays you benefit, if you produce an urgent-procedure order from the employment tribunal ordering the employer to pay you. The judge can also end the contract at the employer's fault, with the compensation for an unfair dismissal.

What if my company is in receivership or liquidation?

In safeguard proceedings, receivership or liquidation, payment of wages is covered by the wage guarantee scheme (AGS).

Is a bonus always compulsory?

Only if your contract, a collective agreement, an established practice or a unilateral commitment by the employer provides for it. Service-public has a tool showing the bonuses set by your collective agreement.

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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At a glance

Who

Any private-sector employee whose employer has not paid, or not fully paid, their salary, overtime or a bonus that was due, including after the contract has ended.

When

As soon as a payment is missing; you have 3 years from the day the amount should have been paid.

Where

First with your employer, in writing; then before the employment tribunal if nothing happens.

Cost

Free for the letter; at the employment tribunal, a tax stamp (amount on service-public), unless you have legal aid.

How long

3 years to act; only 6 months if the amount appears on a final settlement receipt you signed.

Step by step

Check what you are owed. A monthly-paid employee is paid once a month, at the same time each month. A bonus is compulsory if your contract, a collective agreement, an established practice or a commitment by the employer provides for it. Overtime is due as soon as the employer asked for it, accepted it even implicitly, or your tasks made it necessary: the site's tool calculates the overtime premium.

Gather your evidence. Keep your payslips, your contract and anything showing the hours you worked: clocking records, rotas, emails, your diary. On the payslip, overtime must appear with its premium rate; for a bonus, find the document that provides for it.

Send a claim letter. Write to the employer, ideally by recorded delivery, listing the months and amounts owed (template below; code.travail.gouv.fr has one for overtime, with a calculation table). Give a precise deadline for payment, 8 days for example, and ask for a corrected payslip.

Do not stop working. Even without pay, the Labour Code does not allow you to stop working. Your options are a formal demand letter and the employment tribunal.

Get information from the labour inspectorate. It can tell you your rights and check that the rules are followed, in particular on working time; its contact details are posted in the workplace, and you do not have to tell your employer. But it does not settle an individual dispute over pay: only the judge can order the employer to pay.

Go to the employment tribunal. If you are still not paid, file a claim with the employment tribunal (cerfa form or plain paper, supporting documents, tax stamp). In urgent cases, the urgent applications panel (référé) can order payment of wages that are owed and not seriously disputed. The judge can also order payment with a daily penalty, award damages, or even end the contract at the employer's fault.

Documents to prepare

Your payslips and your employment contract (salary, working hours, bonuses provided for)

Your records of hours: clocking, rotas, emails, diary

The document that provides for the bonus: contract, collective agreement, employer memo

Your bank statements showing the missing or late transfers

A copy of your claim letter and its acknowledgement of receipt

Pitfalls to avoid

Letting 3 years go by: each unpaid amount becomes time-barred 3 years after the date it should have been paid.

Signing a final settlement without checking it: for the amounts on it, you only have 6 months left to challenge them.

Stopping work to put pressure on the employer: the Labour Code does not allow it, so use a formal demand or the courts.

Relying on the labour inspectorate to recover the money: it informs and inspects, but does not rule on a pay dispute.

Claiming overtime on a days-based annual contract (forfait jours): employees on an annual days-based arrangement, like senior executives (cadres dirigeants), are not covered by overtime rules.