The 35-hour week in France: working time rules for sales staff
In short
- 35 hours is the overtime threshold, not a cap: maximums are 48 hours in a week and 44 hours on average over 12 weeks.
- Overtime costs plus 25% then plus 50% by default; autonomous executives can work on a forfait jours of up to 218 days a year.
- Five weeks of paid holiday plus 11 public holidays, against 5.6 weeks in the UK.
French law sets the legal working week at 35 hours (Code du travail, article L3121-27, checked 21 October 2026). Employees can work more, but every hour beyond 35 is overtime with a pay premium. For sales executives, most companies use a forfait jours instead: a yearly number of working days, with no hour count.
How does the 35-hour week work?
| Rule | France | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Reference week | 35 hours, overtime beyond (L3121-27) | No legal reference week |
| Maximum in one week | 48 hours (L3121-20) | No single-week cap |
| Average maximum | 44 hours over 12 consecutive weeks (L3121-22) | 48 hours, normally averaged over 17 weeks |
| Opt-out | Not possible | The worker can opt out of the 48-hour average |
| Overtime pay | Plus 25% for the first 8 hours, plus 50% beyond, unless an agreement sets other rates (L3121-36) | No statutory premium; set by contract |
| Annual overtime quota | 220 hours without an agreement (F2391), compulsory rest beyond (L3121-30) | None |
Sources: Code du travail, articles cited (code.travail.gouv.fr); service-public.gouv.fr F2391; GOV.UK, Maximum weekly working hours; all checked 21 October 2026. Next check: January 2027.
What is a forfait jours?
A forfait jours replaces the hour count with a number of days worked per year, at most 218 (L3121-64). It is open to executives (cadres) who organise their own schedule and do not follow the team's collective timetable (L3121-58), which fits most field sales, key account and sales management roles. Three conditions:
- A company or branch agreement that provides for the forfait and the categories of staff concerned.
- A written individual agreement with the employee, usually in the contract.
- Regular monitoring of the workload and a right to disconnect, organised as the agreement provides (L3121-64).
Inside sales and sales assistant roles with fixed hours usually stay on 35 hours, with any overtime paid or compensated in time off.
How much holiday do French employees get?
Paid holiday builds up at 2.5 working days (jours ouvrables, Monday to Saturday) per month worked, up to 30 working days a year (L3141-3): five weeks. On top, France has 11 public holidays (service-public.gouv.fr, fiche F2405). Only 1 May must be a day off for everyone; the others are days off if your collective agreement or company practice says so, and paid for employees with at least three months of service.
Holiday pay is at least one tenth of the total gross pay of the reference period (L3141-24), which for a salesperson includes commission. We explain the consequences in sales commission in France.
| France | United Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory paid holiday | 30 working days (Monday to Saturday count), 5 weeks | 5.6 weeks, 28 days for a 5-day week |
| Public holidays | 11, with 1 May compulsorily off | Not a right to paid leave as such; the employer can count them in the 5.6 weeks |
Sources: Code du travail L3141-3 and L3141-24; service-public.gouv.fr F2405 (verified 1 January 2026); GOV.UK, Holiday entitlement; all checked 21 October 2026.
What does this mean for a UK company hiring a salesperson?
Decide the working time arrangement before the offer, because it changes the cost: an executive on forfait jours has a predictable cost, while a non-executive on 35 hours who works 40 generates overtime at plus 25%. Our employer cost calculator gives the base cost of a French hire in pounds. When we recruit sales staff in France, the working time arrangement is part of the brief. The rest of the employer rules are in our guide to hiring sales staff in France.
What we cannot tell you
- The overtime rates, quota and forfait jours rules in your collective agreement, which can differ from the default rules quoted here.
- Whether a given salesperson qualifies for a forfait jours: it depends on their real autonomy, and a forfait set up without the conditions can be cancelled by a court, which then counts overtime from 35 hours.
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Is the working week in France really 35 hours?
The legal working week is 35 hours (Code du travail, article L3121-27), but it is a threshold, not a cap. Hours beyond 35 are overtime, paid at a premium. The maximums are 48 hours in a single week and 44 hours on average over 12 consecutive weeks (L3121-20 and L3121-22).
Do French sales executives work 35 hours?
Many do not count hours at all. Executives (cadres) with real autonomy over their schedule can be put on a forfait jours: they work a set number of days per year, at most 218, instead of a number of hours (L3121-58 and L3121-64). It requires a collective agreement that allows it and a written agreement with the employee.
How much overtime do you pay in France?
Without a collective agreement setting other rates, the first 8 overtime hours in a week are paid at plus 25% and the following ones at plus 50% (L3121-36). Without an agreement, the annual overtime quota is 220 hours per employee (service-public.gouv.fr, fiche F2391).
How many days of paid holiday do French employees get?
Two and a half working days (jours ouvrables) per month worked, up to 30 working days a year, which is five weeks (L3141-3). The UK statutory minimum is 5.6 weeks, 28 days for a five-day week, but French employees also get 11 public holidays, of which only 1 May must be a day off by law.
Sources and method
Every rule, rate and amount on this page was checked at the source on the date shown. I update the page when a source changes.
- Code du travail (code.travail.gouv.fr): L3121-20, L3121-22, L3121-27, L3121-30, L3121-36, L3121-58, L3121-64, L3133-6, L3141-3, L3141-24, checked 21 October 2026
- Service-public.gouv.fr, fiches F2391 (overtime quota) and F2405 (public holidays), checked 21 October 2026. F2405 verified by the publisher on 1 January 2026
- GOV.UK, Maximum weekly working hours and Holiday entitlement, checked 21 October 2026
Olivier Niel, Founder and Managing Director, Eagle Rocket
Olivier founded Eagle Rocket in 2020, a sales recruitment firm on a human scale. The firm works for a single fixed fee paid on success, and holds two in-depth interviews with each candidate before presenting them to a client.
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Rules and figures are checked against official French and UK sources (service-public.gouv.fr, the French Labour Code, URSSAF, gov.uk) on the date shown. Published by Eagle Rocket SARL (RCS Évreux 883 581 803). This guide is general information, not legal advice.