French Payroll for German Companies

Your company is based in Germany and you have — or plan to have — one or more employees in France: a sales representative, a technician, a remote hire, a small local team. The work is simple; the French payroll around it is not. French social contributions, URSSAF registration and the monthly DSN filing are unforgiving, and they are all in French. I handle that entire side for you, in English, so you can employ in France with confidence.

You do not need a French subsidiary

A common misconception is that you must create a French entity to employ someone in France. You do not. A German company can employ staff in France as a registered foreign employer without an establishment ("entreprise étrangère sans établissement en France"). You register with the French social security system and file French payroll — without the cost, delay and accounting burden of setting up a subsidiary.

Creating a French entity can still make sense once your local team grows or if you need a commercial presence. Both routes are possible; the right one depends on your plans. I can walk you through the trade-offs before you commit.

What French payroll actually involves

• Registration as a foreign employer with the relevant French bodies (URSSAF foreign-companies centre).
• Compliant employment contracts aligned with French labour law and the applicable collective agreement.
• Monthly payslips with correct gross-to-net calculation, employee and employer contributions.
• The DSN (Déclaration Sociale Nominative) — the mandatory monthly electronic filing that reports pay and contributions to the French authorities.
• Year-round compliance: sick leave, paid holidays, end-of-contract settlements, rate changes.

Read more: DSN filing for foreign employers and do you need a French entity to hire in France?

What it costs

A German employer pays exactly the same French social contributions as a domestic one. Employer charges run from a few percent of gross near the minimum wage up to about 42% of gross for higher salaries, with a strong reduction on lower pay. As a rule of thumb, a €2,500 gross salary costs around €3,150 per month.

Estimate your own figures with my free calculators:

• Cost of an employee in France — total employer cost;
• Gross to net salary in France — the employee's take-home pay;
• Employer social contributions in France explained — the full breakdown.

Why German companies work with me

• A single, dedicated contact — not a call centre. You deal with me directly.
• Everything in English — clear communication, plain explanations, no French jargon dumped on you.
• A genuine French payroll specialist — 16+ years of French payroll, URSSAF and DSN expertise, so compliance is handled properly.
• No EOR premium — you employ your own people directly; I run the payroll, without the per-employee margin an Employer of Record adds. See French payroll vs EOR.