Hiring aids for apprenticeships

Verified 03 November 2025 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

The conditions for receiving support for the hiring of an apprentice are different depending on the date of signature of the contract.

Please note

The Ministry of Labor proposes a guide to simplifying procedures for the employer.

Since February 24, 2025

Conditions differ depending on the size of the company.

Less than 250 employees

The following conditions must be met by all:

  • The contract must be a apprenticeship contract.
  • The contract must be concluded between February 24, 2025 and the December 31, 2025.
  • The apprentice must prepare a diploma or an equivalent professional qualification, any level going up to the level master (Bin +5) maximum, i.e. the level 7 (Master, DEA, DESS, engineering degree) of the national framework of professional certifications.
  • The employer must not have previously received assistance in hiring an apprentice for the same apprentice and for the same certification professional.
250 employees and more

The following conditions must be met by all:

  • The contract must be a apprenticeship contract.
  • The contract must be concluded between February 24, 2025 and the December 31, 2025.
  • The apprentice must prepare a diploma or an equivalent professional qualification, any level going up to the master level (Bac +5) maximum, i.e. the level 7 (Master, DEA, DESS, engineering degree) of the national framework of professional certifications.
  • The employer must not have previously received assistance in hiring an apprentice for the same apprentice and for the same certification professional.

Companies with more than 250 employees must also respect one of the two following conditions:

  • Reach at least 5% contracts promoting professional integration (apprenticeship contract, professionalization contract, etc.) in the total annual number of employees, on 31 December of the year following that in which the contract was concluded (i.e. 31 December 2026). This rate of 5% shall be equal to the ratio between the number of employees under employment-promotion contracts and the total annual number of employees of the company.
  • Reach at least 3% work-study programs (apprenticeship or professionalization contract) and have experienced a progression of 10% on 31 December of the year following that in which the contract was concluded (i.e. 31 December 2026), compared to the annual number of employees in these categories (apprenticeship contracts and professionalization contracts) on 31 December of the previous year (i.e. 31 December 2025).

FYI  

Once the date of December 31, 2026 has passed, the Paying Services Agency (PSA) will send the company a “ attestation on honor ” to be completed, so that it can declare whether or not it has reached its obligations of objectives. The ASP carries out checks in particular via the DSN: titleContent, to verify the achievement of the objectives.

The amount differs depending on the size of the company:

Less than 250 employees

The amount of the aid is €5,000 maximum.

It shall be granted only for the 1re year of the contract.

This amount is prorated according to the actual duration of the apprenticeship.

250 employees and more

The amount of the aid is €2,000 maximum.

This amount is prorated according to the actual duration of the apprenticeship.

Please note

Regardless of the size of the company, if it is an apprentice disability, the amount of aid shall be €6,000 (maximum). For more details, you can consult the content on the help athiring a person with a disability.

The employer has no specific request to make as such.

Just declare the hiring of an apprentice.

The employer must forward the apprenticeship contract to his Skills operator (OPCO) at the latest 6 months after the conclusion of the contract.

According to OPCO, the deposit is made either online via their website or by mail.

The OPCO then forwards the apprenticeship contract to the relevant departments of the Ministry responsible for vocational training, which in turn forwards it to the Payment Services Agency (PSA). The employer is then informed of this transmission, which constitutes acceptance.

The payment of the aid depends on the size of the company:

Less than 250 employees

The payment of the aid is automatic, monthly, before payment of salary.

Thus, the employer receives the aid each month from the date of signature of the apprenticeship contract, depending on the duration of the contract of learning, in the 12-month limit maximum.

The amount of aid due for the first and last month of the contract shall be prorated according to the number of days worked in two situations:

  • If the duration of the contract is less than one year
  • If the contract is terminated before the anniversary date of the contract.

For contracts in progress at 1er November 2025, the proratization does not apply to the first month of the contract.

250 employees and more

The payment of the aid is automatic, monthly, before payment of salary.

Thus, the employer receives the aid each month from the date of signature of the apprenticeship contract, depending on the duration of the contract of learning, in the 12-month limit maximum.

The amount of aid due for the first and last month of the contract shall be prorated according to the number of days worked in two situations:

  • If the duration of the contract is less than one year
  • If the contract is terminated before the anniversary date of the contract.

For contracts in progress at 1er November 2025, the proratization does not apply to the first month of the contract.

FYI  

For companies of 250 employees or more, once the date of December 31, 2026 has passed, the ASP will transmit to the company a “ attestation on honor to be completed so that it can declare whether or not it has met its objective obligations. The ASP carries out checks in particular via the DSN: titleContent, to verify the achievement of the objectives.

The control compliance of apprenticeship contracts is reinforced by the OPCO. In addition, the Payment and Services Agency (ASP) may ask the employer to send the payslips concerned.

Between January 1 and February 23, 2025

The following conditions must be met by all:

  • The contract must be a apprenticeship contract
  • The contract must have been concluded between 1er January and the February 23, 2025
  • The apprentice must prepare a diploma or a professional title less than or equal at level 4 (Maximum Baccalaureate level) of the national framework for professional qualifications (or baccalaureate + 2 years in the French Overseas Territories)
  • The company must count less than 250 employees.

The amount of the aid is €6,000 maximum.

The amount is prorated according to the number of months actually worked in the year.

The aid shall be granted only for the 1re year of the contract.

Please note

If it is an apprentice in a situation of disabilityHowever, the amount of aid is different. For more details, you can consult the content on the help athiring a person with a disability.

The employer has no specific request to make as such.

Just declare the hiring of an apprentice.

The employer must forward the apprenticeship contract to his Skills operator (OPCO) at the latest 6 months after the conclusion of the contract.

According to OPCO, the deposit is made either online via their website or by mail.

The payment of the aid is automatic, monthly. He intervenes before the payment of the salary.

Thus, the employer receives the aid each month from the date of signature of the apprenticeship contract, depending on the duration of the contract of learning, in the 12-month limit maximum.

For companies of 250 employees or more, once the date of December 31, 2026 has passed, the ASP will transmit to the company a “ attestation on honor to be completed so that it can declare whether or not it has met its objective obligations. The ASP carries out checks, in particular via the DSN, making it possible to verify the achievement of objectives.

Warning  

The control compliance of apprenticeship contracts is reinforced by the OPCO. In addition, the Payment and Services Agency (ASP) may ask the employer to send the payslips concerned.

Before 2025

It's the apprenticeship assistance paid for employment contractslearning concluded between 1erJanuary 2023 and the December 31, 2024, and for professionalization contracts concluded between 1er January 2023 and April 30, 2024.

Three conditions must be met:

  • The contract must be a apprenticeship contract or a professionalization contract.
  • The apprenticeship contract must have been concluded between 1er January 2023 and the December 31, 2024. The professionalization contract must have been concluded between 1er January 2023 and April 30, 2024.
  • The apprentice must prepare a diploma or a professional title less than or equal at level 7 (Tray+5) of the national framework for professional qualifications (master's degree, engineering diploma, etc.).

Warning  

Companies with 250 or more employees must meet the following additional requirements:

Companies with 250 or more employees can benefit from the aid if they comply one of the two following conditions:

  • Reach at least 5% contracts favoring professional integration (apprenticeship contract, professionalization contract, etc.) in the total annual number of employees, as at 31 December 2025 (if the contract was concluded in 2024). This rate of 5% shall be equal to the ratio between the number of employees under employment-promotion contracts and the total annual number of employees of the company.
  • Reach at least 3% work-study programs (apprenticeship or professionalization contract) and have experienced a progression of 10% work-study placements at December 31, 2025 (if the contract was concluded in 2024), compared to the annual number of employees in these categories (apprenticeship contracts and professionalization contracts) at December 31, 2024.

Please note

Once the date of December 31, 2025 has passed, the ASP will transmit to the company a “ attestation on honor to be completed, so that it can declare whether or not it has achieved its objective obligations. The ASP carries out checks in particular via the DSN: titleContent, to verify the achievement of the objectives.

The amount of the aid is €6,000 maximum.

The amount is prorated according to the number of months actually worked.

The aid shall be granted only for the 1re year of the contract.

The employer has no specific request to make as such.

Just declare the hiring of an apprentice.

The employer must have forwarded the apprenticeship contract to its Skills operator (OPCO) by June 30, 2025.

According to OPCO, the deposit is made either online via their website or by mail.

The payment of the aid is automatic, monthly. He intervenes before the payment of the salary.

Thus, the employer receives the aid each month from the date of signature of the apprenticeship contract, depending on the duration of the contract of learning, in the 12-month limit maximum.

For companies of 250 employees or more, once the date of December 31, 2025 has passed, the ASP will transmit to the company a “ attestation on honor to be completed so that it can declare whether or not it has met its objective obligations. The ASP carries out checks in particular via the DSN: titleContent, to verify the achievement of the objectives.

Warning  

The control compliance of apprenticeship contracts is reinforced by the OPCO. In addition, the Payment and Services Agency (ASP) may ask the employer to send the payslips concerned.

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The public service accompanying companies

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