The calendarResigning from a CDI · notice
Resignation notice in France: when it starts, when it ends, and what extends it
French law sets no single length: the resignation notice for an open-ended contract (CDI) comes from a special text, the collective agreement, or failing that local custom (Labour Code, article L1237-1). It runs from the moment the employer learns of the resignation and is counted date to date. Paid leave fixed before the resignation, or a work accident during the notice, extends it; ordinary sick leave does not.
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Give the date your employer received your resignation, the length set by your agreement and your absences.
Example questions
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When does your resignation notice end?
Give the day your employer learned of your resignation, the length set by your collective agreement, any absence and any waiver: the calendar places each date. The example: a letter presented on 5 October 2026, one month of notice and leave already approved from 19 to 23 October.
Fictional example · notice calendar
The notice ends on 9 November 2026, after 5 days of suspension.
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 30 |
- The employer learns of the resignation
- Absence starts
- Absence ends
- End of the notice without the suspension
- End of the notice
The absence falls during the notice: it is suspended, then extended by as much.
Length to read in your collective agreement or your contract; the calendar counts date to date, rest days included.
How long is the notice for resigning from a CDI?
French law sets no general length: the existence and length of the notice come from a special text, the applicable collective agreement, or failing that the custom of the locality and the profession (Labour Code, article L1237-1). According to service-public, the employment contract can also set a length.
The length therefore varies with the profession, seniority or place of work. Employee and employer can lengthen it by mutual agreement, and some agreements release an employee who has found another job: read yours before sending the letter.
Sources: C. trav. L1237-1 · Service-public F2883
When does the notice start, and how is its end calculated?
Resignation notice runs from the moment the employer learns of the resignation: the first time the Post Office presents the registered letter, even if it is collected later, the day of hand delivery against a receipt, or the day of an oral announcement, according to service-public.
It is counted date to date, whatever the number of days in the month: a letter presented on 8 July 2026 opens a one-month notice that runs until 7 August 2026 inclusive.
Source: Service-public F2883
Does leave or a work stoppage extend the notice?
Paid leave fixed and approved before the resignation suspends the notice, which is then extended by the number of days taken; a resignation received during that leave starts the notice only on return. Leave agreed after the resignation and an annual company closure do not postpone it, unless suspension is agreed in writing, according to service-public.
Ordinary sick leave does not extend it: the contract ends on the planned date. A work accident, other than a commuting accident, or an occupational disease occurring during the notice suspends it, and its end moves back by the length of the stoppage (Labour Code, article L1226-7; Cass. soc., 18 July 1996, no. 93-43.581).
Sources: Service-public F2930 · Service-public F2614 · C. trav. L1226-7 · Cass. soc. 93-43.581
Can you leave the company before the notice ends?
Yes, with a waiver. If the employer decides it alone, it owes pay in lieu of notice (indemnité compensatrice): the pay and benefits you would have received until the end of the notice, paid-leave allowance included (Labour Code, article L1234-5). If you ask for it and the employer accepts, nothing is owed: have the agreement confirmed in writing.
Without a waiver, an employee who leaves before the end of the notice has no right to pay in lieu, and the employer can claim the unworked notice before the employment tribunal (conseil de prud’hommes), according to service-public.
Sources: C. trav. L1234-5 · Service-public F24660 · Service-public F2883
What moves the end of a resignation notice?
Compare the leave approval date with the resignation notice: leave fixed beforehand and leave agreed afterwards have different effects. Also distinguish ordinary sickness, workplace accidents and commuting accidents.
| Situation | Effect on the notice | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Paid leave fixed and approved before the resignation | Suspended, then extended by the number of days taken | Service-public F2930 |
| Resignation received during that leave | The notice starts only on return | Service-public F2930 |
| Leave agreed after the resignation | Not postponed, unless suspension is agreed in writing | Service-public F2930 |
| Annual company closure | Not postponed | Service-public F2930 |
| Ordinary sick leave | Not postponed: the contract ends on the planned date | Service-public F2614 |
| Work accident or occupational disease occurring during the notice | Suspended, then extended by the length of the stoppage | C. trav. L1226-7; F2614 |
Article L1226-7 covers a work accident "other than a commuting accident": a commuting accident does not suspend the notice on that basis.
Sources: Service-public F2930 · Service-public F2614 · C. trav. L1226-7
What does article L1237-1 of the Labour Code say about resignation notice?
The text that leaves the length of the notice to the law, the collective agreement, then custom.
En cas de démission, l’existence et la durée du préavis sont fixées par la loi, ou par convention ou accord collectif de travail.
En l’absence de dispositions légales, de convention ou accord collectif de travail relatifs au préavis, son existence et sa durée résultent des usages pratiqués dans la localité et dans la profession.
In English, briefly (our summary, not an official translation): On resignation, the existence and length of the notice are set by law, or by a collective agreement. Where no law or collective agreement deals with the notice, its existence and length result from the customs practised in the locality and the profession.
What do employees ask when they resign?
Can you resign without notice during pregnancy?
Yes. An employee whose pregnancy is medically confirmed can end her contract without notice and without owing a termination payment (Labour Code, article L1225-34). No procedure is required, but service-public advises putting it in writing to avoid any dispute.
Can you leave without notice to raise your child?
Yes, at the end of maternity or adoption leave, or within 2 months after the birth or the child’s arrival, telling the employer at least 15 days in advance (Labour Code, article L1225-66). Leaving to work for another company, however, requires the usual notice, according to service-public.
Must you resign by registered letter?
Not necessarily: a resignation announced orally starts the notice on the day of the announcement. To avoid any dispute over the date, service-public advises a registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt or hand delivery against a receipt.
Must you work your notice to follow your spouse?
Yes: an employee who resigns to follow the person they live with as a couple must work the notice, according to service-public. If the spouse moves home for a new job, the resignation is however a legitimate one for unemployment insurance.
Which texts is this notice calendar based on?
- Labour Code, article L1237-1 (resignation notice)Légifrance, in French
- Labour Code, article L1234-5 (pay in lieu of notice)Légifrance, in French
- Labour Code, article L1226-7 (suspension for a work accident or an occupational disease)Légifrance, in French
- Labour Code, article L1225-34 (resigning during pregnancy)Légifrance, in French
- An employee’s resignation (fiche F2883)Service-public.fr, in French · checked by the publisher on 8 July 2026
- Can an employee take paid leave during the notice? (fiche F2930)Service-public.fr, in French · checked by the publisher on 29 May 2026
- Sick leave during the notice: what are the consequences? (fiche F2614)Service-public.fr, in French · checked by the publisher on 24 October 2025
- Pay in lieu of notice for an employee (fiche F24660)Service-public.fr, in French · checked by the publisher on 9 September 2025
- Cour de cassation, social chamber, 18 July 1996, no. 93-43.581 (work accident during the notice)Légifrance, in French
- Labour Code, article L1225-66 (resigning to raise a child)Légifrance, in French
- Maternity or adoption: can the employee resign to raise a child? (fiche F39032)Service-public.fr, in French · checked by the publisher on 16 May 2025
Texts cited last checked: 26 September 2026