Can an artist be a micro-entrepreneur?
Verified 01 January 2026 - Entreprendre Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
You are an artist-author, performer or technician of the show and you wish develop a new activity in parallel ? The exercise of a complementary activity as a micro-entrepreneur is possible. On the other hand, a number of incompatibilities limit this accumulation of statutes.
What applies to you ?
You are an artist-author
Status of artist-author
The artist-author designates the creator of original works in the field of literature (literary or scientific writing), dancing (choreographies), from theater (scenographies of live shows), music (musical compositions with or without words), cinema (translations in cinema and audiovisual) or graphic arts and plastics. The creator of software is also an artist-author.
The artist-author is a independent. Most often, he must perform a declaration of activity to collect income.
Warning
Actors, singers, dancers or musicians are performers, they are employed and report to the regime of intermittent performers.
Combining artist-author and micro-entrepreneur
A creative activity is necessarily the responsibility of social protection scheme for artist-authors. You cannot bill your artist-author works through a micro-company. Dual status is therefore not conceivable in the same profession.
On the other hand, the artist-author can practice in parallel, as a micro-entrepreneur, one or more ancillary activities:
- Activities outside the scope of the artist-author regime : these are non-artistic activities (sale of products, home delivery, guest house accommodation...).
- Activities incidental to the main artistic activity : these are activities in the extension of your activity as an author (workshops, courses, public meetings...). Income from these ancillary activities is subject to the artist-author regime up to €14,256 per year. Beyond this, you can also set up a micro-company and be paid a fee for these ancillary activities.
Warning
Before being able to declare ancillary income, the artist-author must first have collected and declared a principal artistic income for the current year or for one of the 2 previous years. For more details, it is possible to consult the Affiliation and social regime of the artist-author.
In case of a combination of micro-entrepreneur/artist-author, you will have 1 Siren number and 1 Siret number. The same Siret number must appear on all your invoices, regardless of the activity invoiced. A second Siret will only be assigned to you if you perform the 2 activities at 2 different addresses (only one Siret per establishment).
Note that you will fulfill the tax and social obligations attached to each of your professional activities. For example, the social contributions will be due for each of the activities with the Urssaf and the Urssaf Limousin (for the activity of artist-author). Similarly, you must mention in your tax return the income from the artistic activity and those from the activity carried out in micro-company.
Please note
The micro-entrepreneur must not exceed a turnover ceiling fixed at €188,700 for trade and accommodation activities and €77,700 for services and liberal activities (examples: sports coach, private teacher, web editor). Beyond that, it loses the benefit of this simplified tax system.
You are a performer
Status of the performer
The performer (also called executing) is the person who represents, sings, recites, declaims, plays or performs in any other manner a literary or artistic work, a variety, circus or puppet show.
Example :
Actors, singers, dancers or musicians are performers.
The performer reports to the regime of intermittent performers. It is considered a casual employee hired in CDD of use, fixed-term contracts that can be very short and renewable without any limitation of duration.
By falling under the intermittent performance regime, the performer benefits from compensation from France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi) during periods of professional inactivity. Intermittent status includes the right to all compensation received by employees, i.e. unemployment insurance, social security, leave and retirement.
FYI
The performer may give up the intermittent regime and practice as a micro-entrepreneur. He is in fact in a situation of self-production of his own show and is subject to the legislation for entertainment entrepreneurs. This situation is rare in practice, since there is a risk of reclassification as an employment contract if a subordinate relationship is established between the artist and his client.
Intermittent accumulation of entertainment and micro-entrepreneur
A performer compensated as an intermittent performer may not engage in the same professional activity billing yourself as a micro-entrepreneur. Indeed, it is not possible to combine the status of micro-entrepreneur with unemployment benefits linked to an identical activity.
On the other hand, an intermittent has the possibility of combining his activity as a performer with a micro-company not directly related to this activity.
Example :
An intermittent singer of the show can give singing lessons at home or sell musical instruments, as a micro-entrepreneur. The intermittent can also exercise independently an activity totally disconnected from his artistic practice. For example, he can deliver meals to his home to supplement his income.
The intermittent of the show creating a micro-company must respect the registration formalities and declare your turnover every month or every quarter to the Urssaf for the payment of its social contributions.
Please note
The micro-entrepreneur must not exceed a turnover ceiling fixed at €188,700 for trade and housing supply activities and €77,700 for the provision of services and liberal professions. Beyond that, it loses the benefit of this simplified tax system.
The payment of intermittent unemployment entitlements (ARE) is compatible with an activity of micro-entrepreneur without limitation of duration, provided that the latter is incidental and unrelated to the live performance. France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi) will adjust unemployment benefits on the basis of monthly turnover declarations.
You're a show technician
The technician of the show designates the person in charge of the setting up the technical environment (sound system, lighting, stage machinery, make-up) necessary for the conduct and safety of a live performance or event.
The performance technician may carry out his activity as an iintermittent of the show but also as micro-entrepreneur.
The intermittent technician of the show
Most often, the show technician exercises under the regime of intermittent performers. It is considered a casual employee hired in CDD of use, i.e. fixed-term contracts that can be very short and renewable without any time limit.
By falling under the intermittent performance regime, the technician of the show benefits from a compensation of France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi) during periods of professional inactivity. Intermittent status includes the right to all compensation received by employees, i.e. unemployment insurance, social security, leave and retirement.
The micro-entrepreneur technician
The performance technician may also carry out his activity, independently, as micro-entrepreneur. The micro-entrepreneur must not exceed a turnover ceiling fixed at €77,700 for the provision of services. Beyond that, it loses the benefit of this simplified tax system.
Please note
The technician setting up a micro-company must comply with the registration formalities and declare your turnover every month or every quarter to the Urssaf for the payment of its social contributions.
Intermittent accumulation of entertainment and micro-entrepreneur
A show technician compensated as an intermittent show technician may pursue the same professional activity billing yourself as a micro-entrepreneur.
Indeed, the payment of intermittent unemployment entitlements (ARE) is compatible with an activity of micro-entrepreneur without limitation of duration. France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi) will adjust unemployment benefits on the basis of monthly turnover declarations.
An intermittent performer also has the possibility to combine his technician activity with a micro-company not directly related to this activity.
Example :
An intermittent machinist of the show can give guitar lessons at home or sell products as a micro-entrepreneur. The intermittent can also exercise independently an activity totally disconnected from his artistic practice. For example, he can deliver meals to his home to supplement his income.
Who can help me?
The public service accompanying companies
Do you have a project, a difficulty, a question of everyday life?
Simple and free: you are called back within 5 days by THE advisor who can help you.
Social security for artists-authors (Agessa and Maison des artistes)
By phone
Monday to Friday: from 9am to 5pm
0 806 804 208 (price of a local call)
By mail
http://www.secu-artistes-auteurs.fr/contact
By post
60 rue du Faubourg Poissonnière
75010 Paris
Urssaf Limousin (Artists-authors)
By email (email)
https://www.artistes-auteurs.urssaf.fr/aa/accueil
By post
Urssaf Limousin
Pole artists-authors - TSA 70009
93517 MONTREUIL CEDEX
- France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi) - Spectacle
Regime of the Intermittent Performing Artist
Social affiliation of the artist-author
Social security for artists authors
Social security for artists authors
Social security for artists authors