Source date: 2026-06-11
Mutual agreement termination: what changes on September 1, 2026 Published on June 12, 2026 - Entreprendre Service Public / Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister's Office)
As of September 1, 2026, employees leaving under a mutual agreement termination will no longer be entitled to the same maximum duration of unemployment benefits as before. Here is an explanation of the changes.
The law transposing Amendment No. 3 of February 25, 2026 to the Agreement Protocol of November 10, 2023 relating to unemployment insurance modifies various provisions regarding compensation for employees who have entered into a mutual agreement termination.
A mutual agreement termination is a method of terminating an employment contract for an employee on a permanent contract (CDI). The employer and employee mutually agree on the terms of contract termination. It is neither a dismissal nor a resignation.
The law transposing Amendment No. 3 of February 25, 2026 modifies the maximum duration of unemployment benefit payments for employees in the event of a mutual agreement termination.
Starting September 1, 2026, the maximum duration of compensation for employees leaving their position under a mutual agreement termination will be as follows:
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for individuals under 55 years of age, the compensation period is reduced to 15 months (compared to 18 months currently);
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for individuals aged 55 and over, the compensation period is reduced to 20.5 months (compared to 22.5 months for beneficiaries aged 55 to 56 and 27 months for beneficiaries aged at least 57, currently);
Residents of Overseas France, excluding Mayotte, see their compensation period reduced to 20 months for individuals under 55 and 30 months for those aged 55 and over (compared to 18 months and 22.5 months currently).
Implementing texts are still pending.
Legal texts and references
See also
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Mutual agreement termination for an employee in the private sector
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Draft law transposing Amendment No. 3 of February 25, 2026 to the Agreement Protocol of November 10, 2023 relating to unemployment insurance Vie-publique.fr
Source: Service-Public professionals