The calendarDisability · work
RQTH in France: the MDPH request, the 4-month answer, the duration, the renewal and what it changes at work
The RQTH, France’s recognition as a disabled worker (reconnaissance de la qualité de travailleur handicapé), is requested from the MDPH by the person themselves; an AAH request opens it automatically. The CDAPH has 4 months after the complete file: its silence means rejection (article R241-33 of the CASF). The RQTH is granted for 1 to 10 years, or with no time limit if the impairment is definitive. Renewal is requested 4 months before the end.
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General legal information with official references and dated checks. It is not personalised advice: for a decision that commits you, have your situation checked by a qualified professional.
Let’s look at your situation
Say where your RQTH request stands and what you need at work.
Example questions
Your question carries over after signup. Maximum 400 characters. Avoid health data and names.
When should you expect the answer, and when should you renew?
Choose your situation and give the date of the complete file or the end date of your RQTH: the calendar places the expected answer, the recommended renewal date and the end of the rights. The example: a complete file filed on 14 September 2026.
Fictional example · RQTH calendar
Answer expected by 14 January 2027 at the latest.
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
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| 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 |
| 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 |
- Complete file filed
- End of the 4 months: without an answer, the request is rejected
Without a CDAPH answer by this date, your request is implicitly rejected: that rejection is challenged by a prior appeal to the MDPH.
The 4 months run from the complete file, including a medical certificate less than one year old. An AAH request automatically opens the RQTH procedure.
Which documents should you attach to the RQTH request?
The file is admissible once all of them are in: that is when the 4 months start.
- Document 1
MDPH request form
The single form Cerfa 15692, on paper or online if your MDPH offers an online service.
- Document 2
Medical certificate less than one year old
On the Cerfa 15695 model; the MDPH team can ask for a more recent one if the disability may change quickly (CASF, article R146-26).
- Document 3
Supporting documents on the list
Those named on the form or in the online service, sent or scanned for the MDPH where you live.
- Document 4
Elements of a life plan, where relevant
Your goals for work or training, if you wish to state them.
Who can get the RQTH?
Anyone whose chances of getting or keeping a job are actually reduced by the impairment of one or more physical, sensory, mental or psychological functions (Labour Code, article L5213-1). Service-public adds an age condition: over 16, or 15 to start an apprenticeship.
Between 15 and 20, the disabled child education allowance (AEEH), the disability compensation benefit (PCH) or a personalised schooling plan count as RQTH, as does a referral to an Ésat, a sheltered work establishment, or to a vocational rehabilitation establishment (article L5213-2).
Sources: C. trav. L5213-1 · C. trav. L5213-2 · Service-public F1650
How do you request the RQTH from the MDPH?
The request is strictly personal: the person or, if needed, their legal representative files it with the MDPH (maison départementale des personnes handicapées, the departmental disability centre) where they live, online if it offers an online service, or by form. The employer cannot file it on your behalf (fiche F1650).
A request for the adult disability allowance (AAH), first or renewal, automatically opens an RQTH procedure (Social Security Code, article L821-7-3). The file is admissible once complete, including a medical certificate less than one year old (CASF, the Social Action and Families Code, article R146-26).
Sources: Service-public F1650 · CSS L821-7-3 · CASF R146-26
How long does the RQTH last, and when should you renew it?
The CDAPH, the MDPH’s rights commission, grants it for 1 to 10 years, or with no time limit to a person whose impairment is definitive in the light of scientific knowledge (CASF, article R241-31). The notification states the duration, and the right starts on the date of the decision.
Renewal is not automatic: request it 4 months before the end. A renewal request filed before the end date extends the RQTH until the next decision (fiche F1650 and Mon Parcours Handicap).
Sources: CASF R241-31 · Service-public F1650 · Mon Parcours Handicap
What does the RQTH change at work?
The employer takes, according to your actual needs, the appropriate measures to let you get a job, keep it, do it, progress in it or follow suitable training, including accessible software and a workstation accessible when teleworking, unless the burden is disproportionate given the available aid. Refusing these measures can amount to discrimination (Labour Code, article L5213-6).
You count among the beneficiaries of the employment obligation, which requires employers with at least 20 employees to reach 6% of their total workforce (articles L5212-1, L5212-2 and L5212-13). The RQTH changes neither the salary nor the employment contract (fiche F1650).
Sources: C. trav. L5213-6 · C. trav. L5212-2 · Service-public F1650
Which time limits matter for the RQTH?
From filing the file to the end of the rights, the dates set by the texts.
| Step | Time limit | Good to know | Text |
|---|---|---|---|
| CDAPH decision | 4 months after the complete file | Silence means rejection | CASF R241-33 |
| Duration of the RQTH | 1 to 10 years | No time limit if the impairment is definitive | CASF R241-31 |
| Renewal request | 4 months before the end | Filed before the end date, it extends the RQTH until the decision | Service-public F1650 |
| Medical certificate attached | Less than one year old | More recent if the disability may change quickly | CASF R146-26 |
| Notice in case of dismissal | Doubled, 3 months at most | Unless an agreement or custom already provides 3 months | C. trav. L5213-9 |
Sources: CASF R241-33 · CASF R241-31 · Service-public F1650 · CASF R146-26 · C. trav. L5213-9
What does article R241-31 of the CASF say about how long the RQTH lasts?
The text that bounds the duration of CDAPH decisions and opens the RQTH with no time limit.
Les décisions de la commission sont motivées. Elles sont prises au nom de la maison départementale des personnes handicapées. Leur durée de validité ne peut être inférieure à un an ni excéder dix ans sauf dispositions législatives ou réglementaires spécifiques contraires.
La reconnaissance de la qualité de travailleur handicapé et l’orientation vers le marché du travail, prévues par l’article L. 5213-2 du code du travail, sont attribuées sans limitation de durée à toute personne qui présente, compte tenu des données de la science, une altération définitive d’une ou plusieurs fonctions physique, sensorielle, mentale, cognitive ou psychique qui réduit ses possibilités d’obtenir ou de conserver un emploi.
In English, briefly (our summary, not an official translation): Decisions of the commission are reasoned and taken on behalf of the MDPH; their validity cannot be less than one year or more than ten years, unless specific statutory or regulatory provisions say otherwise. The RQTH and the referral to the labour market are granted with no time limit to anyone who, in the light of scientific knowledge, has a definitive impairment of one or more physical, sensory, mental, cognitive or psychological functions that reduces their chances of getting or keeping a job. Article R241-33 adds that four months of silence from the commission means rejection.
What do employees ask before or after the RQTH?
Do you have to tell your employer that you have the RQTH?
No, telling the employer is not compulsory, and the RQTH is not needed to work or train. Telling them does, however, let them put the workstation adjustments in place (fiche F1650).
What happens if the CDAPH does not answer within 4 months?
Its silence for more than 4 months, counted from the admissible file, means a rejection decision (CASF, article R241-33). Like a written refusal, this rejection is first challenged by a mandatory prior MDPH administrative appeal to the MDPH.
Is the dismissal notice longer with the RQTH?
Yes: the statutory notice is doubled for beneficiaries of the employment obligation, without exceeding 3 months, unless the collective agreement or custom already provides at least 3 months (Labour Code, article L5213-9).
Does the RQTH give a right to early retirement?
Not on its own: access to early retirement depends on the assessment of the disability, in particular the recognised level of incapacity (fiche F1650).
How do you prove your RQTH?
With the CDAPH notification, to keep: it certifies the disabled worker status and states its duration (Mon Parcours Handicap).
Which texts is this RQTH calendar based on?
- Labour Code, article L5213-1 (definition of a disabled worker)Légifrance, in French
- Labour Code, article L5213-2 (recognition by the CDAPH)Légifrance, in French
- Labour Code, article L5213-6 (appropriate measures)Légifrance, in French
- Labour Code, articles L5212-1, L5212-2 and L5212-13 (employment obligation)Légifrance, in French
- Social Security Code, article L821-7-3 (AAH request and RQTH)Légifrance, in French
- Social Action and Families Code, article R146-26 (admissible file)Légifrance, in French
- Social Action and Families Code, article R241-31 (duration of decisions)Légifrance, in French
- Social Action and Families Code, article R241-33 (4 months of silence)Légifrance, in French
- Recognition as a disabled worker (fiche F1650)Service-public.fr, in French · checked by the publisher on 24 March 2026
- Recognition as a disabled worker (RQTH)Mon Parcours Handicap, in French · page read on 25 September 2026
- Labour Code, article L5213-9 (doubled notice)Légifrance, in French
Texts cited last checked: 26 September 2026