Employment basin to be revitalized (BER): social security contributions exemptions
Verified 08 December 2025 - Entreprendre Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
A company that settles or carries out an extension of establishment in a pool of jobs to be revitalized (BER) between 1er January 2007 and 31 December 2027 may benefit from exemptions from social security contributions.
An employment area to be revitalized (BER) is an area of French territory characterized by a demographic decline and an unemployment rate higher than the national rate.
There are 2 employment areas to revitalize:
- employment area Meuse Valley in the Grand-Est region
- Lavelanet employment area in Occitanie region.
To find out if your company is located in an BER, you can consult the list of municipalities belonging to an BER:

The company located in a BER may also benefit fromtax exemptions : exemptions from income tax, company property tax (CFE) and property tax on built properties (TFPB).
The exemption shall apply to a company which carries out certain activities in a specific area and on specific dates. To benefit from the exemption, the company must be up to date with its social obligations.
Nature of the company's activity
The exemption shall apply to a company which exercises a industrial, commercial or craft activity and is subject to VAT: titleContent, the business tax (IS) and the company property tax (CFE). This company is taxable in the BIC: titleContent.
The exemption shall also apply to a company which exercises a non-commercial activity and is taxable in the category of NCB: titleContent (such as the liberal professions and professions holding offices and offices).
Location and date of company establishment
The exemption from social security contributions is applicable to a company located in an BER between 1er January 2007 and December 31, 2027.
Establishments already present in these areas at 1er January 2007 does not qualify for the exemption.
Being up to date with your social obligations
In order to benefit from the exemption, the company must be up-to-date with its debts to the Urssaf or have subscribed to a plan to clear its debts.
This condition shall be assessed on the date on which its establishment is established or created in the zone or on the effective date of the extension of its establishment and on each of the following due dates.
The exemption applies to remuneration paid to employees, irrespective of the nature and duration of their employment contract.
The activity of the employee must be real, regular and essential to the proper execution of the employment contract.
Are excluded from the scheme :
- business managers holding a corporate office and an employment contract for their remuneration relating to their corporate office
- employees for whom the employer benefits from a measure which cannot be combined with the BER exemption.
When the employee is recruited on the occasion of a extension of establishment, the benefit of the exemption requires compliance with the following two conditions:
- Employees must be recruited, under DTA: titleContent or FIXED-TERM CONTRACT: titleContent at least 12 months within 12 months of the effective date of the extension of the establishment.
- The employer must not have made a dismissal for economic reasons within the 12 months preceding that effective date.
The following employer contributions are covered by the exemption:
- Social insurance contributions: sickness-maternity insurance, invalidity, death, old-age insurance
- Family allowances
- Contribution to the Final: titleContent
- Payment mobility transport
The exemption does not concern the following contributions:
- Accidents at work
- Occupational diseases
- Solidarity Contribution for Autonomy (CSA))
- CSG-CRDS
- Supplementary pension
- Unemployment
For companies who have established themselves in a BER between 1er January 2014 and December 31, 2027, the exemption shall apply for 5 years.
The exemption applies up to a maximum of 1.4 Smic per hour paid, i.e. €16.63 per paid hour.
The benefit of the exemption is subject to the de minimis rule. It allows aid to be granted on condition that it does not exceed a ceiling of €300,000 per employer for a period of 3 years.
Compliance with this ceiling shall be assessed at the time of the granting of each new de minimis aid. For each new de minimis aid granted, account must be taken of the total amount of aid de minimis granted in the previous 3 years.
In order to benefit from the exemption, the company must submit a declaration on labor movements to the Dreets: titleContent and the Urssaf no later than 30 April.
Annual Statement of Labor Movements (DMMO) in a Revitalized Employment Pool (BER)
This declaration on labor movements shall be transmitted for each of the following periods:
- The calendar year of establishment, establishment or extension of the establishment and the following calendar year
- The 2 calendar years following the period covered by the 1re declaration
- The 2 calendar years following the period covered by the 2e declaration
In case of extension of establishment, the employer must send to the Urssaf a specific declaration before the end of the 12the month following the effective date of the extension of the establishment.
Declaration for employees recruited during an extension of establishment in a BER
Exemption from social security contributions
Exemptions from contributions