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Labour law (5/5): undeclared work
Undeclared work is professional activity with no official declaration. It is forbidden by law.
Key points of the sheet
- For example: the employer does not declare the employee before hiring. Or the payslip shows fewer hours than the hours worked.
- This work may seem practical or cheap. But it can have serious consequences for the employer and the employee.
- An employer who does not declare an employee risks up to 3 years in prison and a 45,000 euro fine. In some situations it is up to 5 years and 75,000 euros, for example for a person under 18.
- The employer can also receive additional penalties. Examples: closure of the company for 3 months maximum, no work under a public contract.
- The company must pay back the public aid it received and pay more than the unpaid social contributions. It also pays the employee the equivalent of 6 months' salary.
- An undeclared employee pays no contributions to unemployment insurance or to a pension. He has no right to social security (sécurité sociale) in case of illness or a work accident, and he has no paid leave.
- He cannot defend himself in a dispute with the employer. He can be dismissed from one day to the next, without notice.
- If he received social benefits (RSA, CAF…), he may have to pay them back or pay a fine.
Words to know
- concealed work (travail dissimulé)
- It is another name for undeclared work: professional activity with no official declaration.
- payslip (bulletin de paie)
- Showing on this document fewer hours than the hours worked is an example of undeclared work.
- additional penalties (sanctions complémentaires)
- The employer can receive them, for example closure of the company for 3 months maximum.
- social contributions (cotisations sociales)
- The company must pay an amount higher than the social contributions it did not pay.
- social security (sécurité sociale)
- An undeclared employee has no right to it in case of illness or a work accident.
- paid leave (congé payé)
- An undeclared employee has no paid leave.
Test yourself: 3 questions
An employer who does not declare an employee risks up to:
In French, the language of the exam: Un employeur qui ne déclare pas un salarié risque jusqu'à :
An employer who does not declare an employee can be punished with up to 3 years in prison and a 45,000 euro fine.
The company must pay the undeclared employee the equivalent of:
In French, the language of the exam: L'entreprise doit verser au salarié non déclaré l'équivalent de :
The company must pay the employee the equivalent of 6 months' salary.
Does an undeclared employee have paid leave?
In French, the language of the exam: Un salarié non déclaré a-t-il des congés payés ?
The sheet says that an undeclared employee has no paid leave.
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Questions on the ministry's list that rest on this sheet
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Source
Sheet “Le droit du travail (5/5)” of the French Ministry of the Interior: formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr. Content published under the Etalab Open Licence 2.0. This page is a plain-language adaptation made by Hexaciv, which is not an official site: if in doubt, the ministry's text is the one that counts.
Ministry sheet read on 23 October 2026, still identical on 25 October 2026.