Procedure · Work and leaving a job

Using your personal training account (CPF) in France: choosing a course, signing up, avoiding scams

Your personal training account (compte personnel de formation, CPF) is topped up every year you work and stays with you throughout your career, even when unemployed. Here is how to use it on Mon compte formation, what you still pay yourself, when to tell your employer and how to spot scams.

At a glance

Who: Any private-sector employee, and anyone with rights already built up, even when unemployed (the account is then no longer topped up).
When: Whenever you like: your rights do not disappear when you change job or situation.
Where: On moncompteformation.gouv.fr or the Mon compte formation app; signing up for a course requires a FranceConnect+ identity.
Cost: Course fees are paid from your CPF, minus a compulsory flat-rate contribution (amount on service-public), with some exceptions; travel and meals are not covered.
How long: During working hours: ask your employer at least 60 days beforehand (120 days for a course over 6 months); they have 30 days to reply.

Mon compte formation (moncompteformation.gouv.fr)

Step by step

Get FranceConnect+ ready. You open your account and log in with your social security number and a password. To sign up for a course, you also need a FranceConnect+ identity: La Poste's digital identity (identité numérique La Poste) or France Identité (with the new identity card), even if you already have a FranceConnect account. If you do not meet their conditions (being 18 or over, having a smartphone…), an alternative identity check exists, which takes about four weeks: plan ahead.
Think your project through. A career development adviser (conseiller en évolution professionnelle, CEP) helps you choose a course free of charge and in confidence, without you having to tell your employer. Service-public shows which provider to contact depending on your situation and where you live.
Choose an eligible course. The CPF pays for courses leading to a certification (RNCP diplomas and titles, certifications from the specific register), skills assessments (if you have not had one funded by public money in the last 5 years), accreditation of prior experience (VAE), starting a business or, under conditions, a driving licence. Since February 2026, caps limit its use for the specific register, skills assessments and light-vehicle licences (car, motorbike), and these licences must be co-funded by a third party, except for jobseekers.
Check what you will pay yourself. A compulsory flat-rate contribution remains payable by you: a fixed amount, indexed and reviewed every 1 January. You are exempt if your employer tops up your account or if you use your occupational prevention account (C2P), and your employer or your skills operator (OPCO) can pay it for you. The 2027 draft budget plans to raise it, including for requests confirmed from 2 October 2026: check the amount shown before you confirm.
Ask your employer if it is during working hours. Outside working hours (evenings, RTT days off, holidays), you do not need to ask anything and those hours are unpaid. During working hours, ask for leave of absence at least 60 calendar days before the start (120 days if the course lasts more than 6 months): the employer has 30 days to reply, no reply means yes, and your salary continues. They can refuse.
Sign up from your account, and top up the funding. Only you can sign up for a course, and only from your account on the official website, never through a link you received. If your rights are not enough, your employer, your OPCO, France Travail, the region or Agefiph can top up the funding; some top-ups are reserved for specific courses.
Protect your account. Cold-calling CPF holders by phone, text, email or social media has been banned since the law of 19 December 2022: never give your details to anyone who contacts you about it. Forward suspicious texts to 33 700 and report calls on SignalConso. In case of fraud, change your password, keep the evidence, file a police report and use Besoin d'aide, then Signalement de fraude, in your account.

Documents to prepare

Your La Poste digital identity or France Identité (FranceConnect+), or the alternative identity check
The exact name of the course and the certification it leads to
The course timetable, to know whether it falls during working hours
Your leave of absence request and the employer's reply, if the course is during working hours
A means of payment for the flat-rate contribution, or your employer's agreement to cover it

Pitfalls to avoid

Answering a call, text or email about your CPF: cold-calling is banned, and the Caisse des dépôts asks you never to share sensitive details (password, bank details) by phone or message.
Believing a caller who says your rights are about to disappear: they stay yours when your situation changes (new job, unemployment).
Sending your leave request too late: at least 60 days before the start, 120 days for a course over 6 months.
Forgetting the extra costs: travel and meals are not covered by the CPF.
Choosing a course outside Mon compte formation: only courses offered there can be paid for with your CPF.

Leave of absence request for a CPF course (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 : demande d'autorisation d'absence pour une formation financée par mon compte personnel de formation

Madame, Monsieur,

Je souhaite suivre la formation « [intitulé de la formation] », dispensée par [nom de l'organisme de formation] et préparant à [certification visée], du [date de début] au [date de fin], pour une durée totale de [nombre d'heures], dont [nombre d'heures sur le temps de travail] sur mon temps de travail selon le calendrier joint.

Cette formation sera financée par mon compte personnel de formation. Je vous demande donc l'autorisation de m'absenter pendant les heures de formation qui ont lieu sur mon temps de travail.

Je vous remercie de me faire connaître votre réponse dans le délai prévu par le Code du travail, à défaut de quoi ma demande sera réputée acceptée.

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

[Signature]

Pièce jointe : [programme et calendrier de la formation]

Leave of absence request for a CPF course (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

Help you choose a CPF-eligible course for your project
Write your leave of absence request to your employer
Tell you whether a call or message about your CPF looks like a scam, and what to do
Compare salaries in your current job and in the job you are aiming for after the course

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

Career-change CV

Frequently asked questions

What do I need to sign up for a course on Mon compte formation?

Your account opens with your social security number and password, but signing up for a course requires a FranceConnect+ identity: La Poste's digital identity or France Identité, even if you already use FranceConnect elsewhere. If you cannot meet the conditions to get one, the site offers an alternative identity check, which takes longer.

Do I have to pay anything to use my CPF?

In principle yes: a compulsory flat-rate contribution, a fixed amount reviewed every 1 January and shown on service-public. You are exempt if your employer tops up your account, if you use your C2P, or if you use the top-up linked to a permanent incapacity of at least 10% to retrain.

Can my employer refuse my course?

Not if it takes place outside your working hours: you do not even have to tell them. During working hours, they can refuse the absence; without a reply within 30 calendar days, it is accepted. Nor can they force you to use your CPF.

What happens to my rights if I lose my job?

They stay, whatever the reason your contract ended. While unemployed, your account is no longer topped up, but you can use the rights you have built up, and France Travail can add funding.

How do I spot a CPF scam?

A call, text, email or social media message about your CPF, a promised gift, a course sold under pressure: cold-calling CPF holders is banned. Hang up, do not click any link, do not give any personal details and only log in on moncompteformation.gouv.fr.

I have been a victim of CPF fraud, what should I do?

Change your password straight away, look in your account for any files you do not recognise and keep all the evidence. Report the fraud from your account (Besoin d'aide, then Signalement de fraude) and file a police report: getting your rights back depends on the review of a copy of the report. The free 116 006 line refers you to a victim support association.

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.

When this comes in handy

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At a glance

Who

Any private-sector employee, and anyone with rights already built up, even when unemployed (the account is then no longer topped up).

When

Whenever you like: your rights do not disappear when you change job or situation.

Where

On moncompteformation.gouv.fr or the Mon compte formation app; signing up for a course requires a FranceConnect+ identity.

Cost

Course fees are paid from your CPF, minus a compulsory flat-rate contribution (amount on service-public), with some exceptions; travel and meals are not covered.

How long

During working hours: ask your employer at least 60 days beforehand (120 days for a course over 6 months); they have 30 days to reply.

Step by step

Get FranceConnect+ ready. You open your account and log in with your social security number and a password. To sign up for a course, you also need a FranceConnect+ identity: La Poste's digital identity (identité numérique La Poste) or France Identité (with the new identity card), even if you already have a FranceConnect account. If you do not meet their conditions (being 18 or over, having a smartphone…), an alternative identity check exists, which takes about four weeks: plan ahead.

Think your project through. A career development adviser (conseiller en évolution professionnelle, CEP) helps you choose a course free of charge and in confidence, without you having to tell your employer. Service-public shows which provider to contact depending on your situation and where you live.

Choose an eligible course. The CPF pays for courses leading to a certification (RNCP diplomas and titles, certifications from the specific register), skills assessments (if you have not had one funded by public money in the last 5 years), accreditation of prior experience (VAE), starting a business or, under conditions, a driving licence. Since February 2026, caps limit its use for the specific register, skills assessments and light-vehicle licences (car, motorbike), and these licences must be co-funded by a third party, except for jobseekers.

Check what you will pay yourself. A compulsory flat-rate contribution remains payable by you: a fixed amount, indexed and reviewed every 1 January. You are exempt if your employer tops up your account or if you use your occupational prevention account (C2P), and your employer or your skills operator (OPCO) can pay it for you. The 2027 draft budget plans to raise it, including for requests confirmed from 2 October 2026: check the amount shown before you confirm.

Ask your employer if it is during working hours. Outside working hours (evenings, RTT days off, holidays), you do not need to ask anything and those hours are unpaid. During working hours, ask for leave of absence at least 60 calendar days before the start (120 days if the course lasts more than 6 months): the employer has 30 days to reply, no reply means yes, and your salary continues. They can refuse.

Sign up from your account, and top up the funding. Only you can sign up for a course, and only from your account on the official website, never through a link you received. If your rights are not enough, your employer, your OPCO, France Travail, the region or Agefiph can top up the funding; some top-ups are reserved for specific courses.

Protect your account. Cold-calling CPF holders by phone, text, email or social media has been banned since the law of 19 December 2022: never give your details to anyone who contacts you about it. Forward suspicious texts to 33 700 and report calls on SignalConso. In case of fraud, change your password, keep the evidence, file a police report and use Besoin d'aide, then Signalement de fraude, in your account.

Documents to prepare

Your La Poste digital identity or France Identité (FranceConnect+), or the alternative identity check

The exact name of the course and the certification it leads to

The course timetable, to know whether it falls during working hours

Your leave of absence request and the employer's reply, if the course is during working hours

A means of payment for the flat-rate contribution, or your employer's agreement to cover it

Pitfalls to avoid

Answering a call, text or email about your CPF: cold-calling is banned, and the Caisse des dépôts asks you never to share sensitive details (password, bank details) by phone or message.

Believing a caller who says your rights are about to disappear: they stay yours when your situation changes (new job, unemployment).

Sending your leave request too late: at least 60 days before the start, 120 days for a course over 6 months.

Forgetting the extra costs: travel and meals are not covered by the CPF.

Choosing a course outside Mon compte formation: only courses offered there can be paid for with your CPF.