Mutual Termination Agreements: Reduction of Unemployment Benefit Duration from 1 September 2026
Employees whose employment contract ends following an individual mutual termination agreement (rupture conventionnelle) effective from 1 September 2026 will receive unemployment benefits for a shorter period. The duration of unemployment benefits paid by France Travail following a dismissal remains unchanged.
| Employee’s age at the end of the employment contract | Current benefit duration | New benefit duration |
| Under 55 | 18 months | 15 months (reduction of 3 months) |
| 55 to 56 | 22.5 months | 20.5 months (reduction of 2 months) |
| 57 and over | 27 months | 20.5 months (reduction of 6.5 months) |
Specific benefit periods apply in certain French overseas territories.
The relevant date is the effective termination date of the employment contract, rather than the date on which the mutual termination agreement (Cerfa form) is signed.
Accordingly, a mutual termination agreement signed before 1 September 2026 will nevertheless be subject to the new unemployment benefit periods if the employment contract ends on or after that date.
For employees who are not protected employees, if the mutual termination agreement is signed no later than 23 July 2026, the employment contract may end before 1 September 2026, allowing the employee to benefit from the current, longer unemployment benefit periods.
Employees who are at least 55 years old when their employment ends may apply for an extension of their unemployment benefits in order to reach the standard benefit duration.
However, this extension remains subject to the approval of France Travail, which will assess each application on a case-by-case basis after the first year of compensation, taking into account the jobseeker’s efforts, such as actively seeking employment or making progress with a professional project (training, career change, business creation, etc.).
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We remain at your disposal to answer any questions you may have and to assist you in anticipating the impact of these new rules.
References: Law No. 2026-470 of 11 June 2026 implementing Amendment No. 3 of 25 February 2026 to the Protocol Agreement of 10 November 2023 relating to unemployment insurance (Official Journal of 12 June 2026); Amendment No. 2 of 10 April 2026 amending the Unemployment Insurance Convention of 15 November 2024, the General Regulations annexed thereto, Application Agreement No. 1 and the related annexes, approved by Order of 19 June 2026 (NOR: TRSD2614637A).