The filing deskPrivate-sector employee · Paid absence
Family-event leave in France: which days can you request and what proof do you need?
A private-sector employee in France can take paid leave for specified family events, with proof and no seniority requirement. The minimum is 4 jours ouvrables for their marriage or Pacs, 3 for the death of listed relatives, 12 or 14 for a child’s death and, since 14 June 2026, 10 for announcement of a child’s disability or qualifying illness. The applicable agreement may provide more. These jours ouvrables are not simply the employee’s scheduled working days.
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Give the event, employment status and collective text, without a detailed medical history.
Example questions
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Which statutory minimum applies to your family event?
Private-sector employees and the jours ouvrables in Labour Code article L3142-4. A company agreement or, failing that, a branch agreement can provide more favourable leave.
| Event | Minimum | Condition to check |
|---|---|---|
| Your marriage or Pacs | 4 jours ouvrables | Pacs and marriage are distinct events, each giving leave |
| Your child’s marriage | 1 jour ouvrable | A child’s Pacs is not the marriage specified by the statute |
| Death of spouse, Pacs partner, cohabitant, parent, parent-in-law or sibling | 3 jours ouvrables | For another relative, look for an entitlement in the agreement |
| Death of your child | 12 jours ouvrables, or 14 in the specified cases | 14 if under 25, or if the child was a parent, whatever their age |
| Death of a person under 25 actually and permanently dependent on you | 14 jours ouvrables | Document age and actual dependency |
| Announcement of disability, a chronic condition requiring therapeutic learning or cancer in your child | 10 jours ouvrables since 14 June 2026 | Medical proof; no age limit for the child |
For the death of a child under 25 or a person under 25 actually and permanently dependent on you, a separate 8-day congé de deuil is added. Do not turn the two leave entitlements into a return date without checking how each is taken.
Sources: L3142-1 · L3142-4 · L3142-1-1 · Service Public F2278 · Service Public F35134
Which days and evidence should you prepare for your request?
Select the event, your status and the relevant conditions. The desk separates the statutory minimum from the final entitlement under the agreement. Example: a qualifying medical announcement on 30 September 2026, 10 jours ouvrables minimum, an unread agreement and missing proof. It does not calculate a return date.
Fictional example · family-event leave
The statutory minimum can be identified; the final duration still needs the applicable collective text.
- Statutory minimum for this event
- 10 jours ouvrables
Evidence to prepare
- Medical proof of the announcement, supplied to the employer through the appropriate channel
Your next step
- Notify your employer promptly and propose the absence dates.
- Obtain the missing proof before finalising the request.
- Read the company agreement or, failing that, the applicable branch agreement.
- Confirm the jours ouvrables count and dates around the event.
The statutory minimum is not deducted from annual leave and does not reduce pay. No automatic absence-end date: weekly rest, public holidays and the collective text must be checked. Do not enter medical data here.
Must you have a year’s service or work full time?
No seniority condition applies. Permanent, fixed-term, temporary-agency and part-time employees can qualify; an apprentice is also an employee. An intern without an employment contract or a public-sector agent is outside this desk. First identify your employment status and applicable collective text.
Leave requires proof of the event. Selecting a checkbox does not prove the date or relationship: prepare the marriage certificate, Pacs proof, death certificate or appropriate medical proof.
Sources: L3142-1 · Service Public F34154 · Service Public F2278 · Service Public F34158
How are the days counted and is your pay maintained?
The statutory minimums use jours ouvrables: generally all days except weekly rest, usually Sunday, and public holidays normally not worked. Saturday may therefore count. An agreement using jours ouvrés must be read under its own counting rule; do not automatically convert 5 jours ouvrés into 5 jours ouvrables.
Leave under articles L3142-1 and L3142-1-1 does not reduce remuneration and is not deducted from annual paid leave (article L3142-2). If the event occurs while you are already on annual leave, an additional absence is generally not due unless a more favourable provision applies. The desk leaves that overlap for review rather than adding days to the ordinary balance.
Sources: L3142-4 · L3142-2 · Service Public F12814
When should you notify your employer and request the dates?
Marriage, Pacs, a relative’s death or a qualifying medical announcement gives leave around the event, not necessarily on the same day. The official procedural pages do not impose one uniform notice period for all these events. Notify the employer promptly, propose the dates and keep copies of the request and proof. An arbitrary suggested interval is not a statutory notice deadline.
Additional congé de deuil is different: it can be taken within a year of the death, with at least 24 hours’ notice before each absence period (article L3142-1-1). That year does not postpone the separate ordinary death-related leave.
Sources: L3142-1-1 · Service Public F34154 · Service Public F2278 · Service Public F34158
What if the employer refuses or deducts annual leave?
Request the reason in writing, supply the event proof and identify the relevant agreement clause. An employer refusal can be challenged directly before the conseil de prud’hommes under the accelerated procedure on the merits (article L3142-3). The remedy does not replace checking the status, event and requested period.
For birth and paternity dates, use the dedicated paternity page. Annual leave earned during sickness follows a separate calculation on the sickness and paid-leave page.
Source: L3142-3
Which minimum changed in June 2026?
Leave for announcement of a child’s disability or specified illness increased.
Article 6 of Act 2026-492 of 12 June 2026, published in the 13 June Journal officiel, replaces five with ten in article L3142-4,6°. The current version and official page F34158 give 10 jours ouvrables. For an earlier event, read the law applicable then.
Sources: L3142-4 · Service Public F34158 · Loi 2026-492
Which counting unit does the statute use?
The legal unit is distinct from an employee’s scheduled working week.
Les jours de congés mentionnés au présent article sont des jours ouvrables.
In English, briefly (our summary, not an official translation): The minimum event-leave durations in this article are jours ouvrables, generally including Saturday but excluding weekly rest and normally unworked public holidays. The distinct additional congé de deuil is not automatically combined into one absence calendar.
What should you check before requesting this leave?
Can I take 4 days for marriage after already taking Pacs leave?
Yes. Pacs and marriage are distinct events. Using Pacs leave does not exhaust the entitlement for a later marriage. Check the applicable agreement and dates around each event.
Does a grandparent’s death automatically give 3 days?
No. Grandparents are outside the statutory list giving 3 days. An applicable agreement may still grant leave: no statutory minimum does not mean there is no possible entitlement.
Does any illness of my child give 10 days?
No. The statute specifies disability, a chronic condition requiring therapeutic learning or cancer. A diagnosis and proof are needed; there is no age limit for the child. Do not enter a detailed diagnosis in this tool.
Do 14 days for a child’s death always give 8 extra bereavement days?
No. A child aged 25 or older who was a parent gives 14 days of event leave, but the additional 8-day congé de deuil concerns a child under 25 or a person under 25 actually and permanently dependent on the employee.
Can I choose any absence dates I want?
Event leave is taken around the event and notified to the employer. Additional congé de deuil can be taken within a year of the death, with at least 24 hours’ notice for each period. Check the collective text and evidence.
Which official sources explain family-event leave?
- Labour Code, L3142-1: qualifying events and proofLégifrance
- Labour Code, L3142-4: durations and jours ouvrables, version from 14 June 2026Légifrance
- Labour Code, L3142-2: remuneration and annual leaveLégifrance
- Labour Code, L3142-1-1: additional congé de deuilLégifrance
- Labour Code, L3142-3: challenging refusalLégifrance
- Marriage or Pacs leaveService Public · Official page verified 27 March 2026
- Leave for death of a family memberService Public · Official page verified 13 February 2026
- Leave for announcement of a child’s disability or qualifying illnessService Public · Official page verified 15 June 2026
- Family event during annual paid leaveService Public
- Leave for your child’s marriageService Public · Official page verified 27 March 2026
- Act 2026-492 of 12 June 2026, article 6Légifrance, Journal officiel
Texts cited last checked: 1 October 2026