How to test your activity in an activity and employment cooperative (CAE)?

Verified 13 August 2026 - Entreprendre Service Public / (Prime Minister)

You are future entrepreneur or at the very beginning of your activity. The activity and employment cooperative (CAE) allows you to test your activity while having the status of employee of this cooperative. It proposes a personalized support.

An activity and employment cooperative (CAE) is a company that has chosen a cooperative status.

The EACs exist under the following statutes: Cooperative production businesses (Scop), cooperative businesses of collective interest (Scic) or the mere cooperative.

This structure makes it possible to test an entrepreneurial project on a real scale.

So you are accompanied in a individual by the EAC and supported by the other entrepreneurs of the cooperative.

The EAC takes care of the administrative tasks related to your activity (tax, social, accounting obligations, etc.). You can thus devote yourself to the development of your business (customers, know-how, etc.).

You sign one contract of salaried contractor with the EAC (a Cesa: titleContent) and then become associate employee.

Anyone who wants to test a company project can apply for an activity and employment cooperative (CAE).

The EAC checks if you hold the experience or the diplomas necessary to practice. The EAC also ensures that your project is thoughtful, and that you are motivated.

As a candidate for entry into a CAE, you may be in one of the following situations:

  • You are jobseeker receiving compensation
  • You benefit from a social minimum income (RSA: titleContent, ASS: titleContentetc.)
  • You are unemployed, young graduate
  • You are part-time employee. You must then ensure that you meet your obligations to your employer, including any non-compete clause .
  • You're already contractor independent but you want to work in a more cooperative environment (you will then have to change your status to enter a CAE)
  • You are leader single associate of any of the following businesses: SASU: titleContent, EURL: titleContent.

FYI  

In any case, when applying for a CAE, you must be registered with France Travail. You must not be a full-time employee.

All types of activity are possible in an activity and employment cooperative (CAE). Only those that require registration to a professional order (architect, nurse, doctor, lawyer, notary, accountant, etc.) can be difficult to develop. These are the regulated liberal professions.

The sectors of activity represented in EACs are diverse: digital, services, building, training, transport, etc.

Some activities may be the subject of a notice unfavorable the EAC if they entail significant charges and investments or commercial contracts: a commercial lease or the need to hire for example.

Likewise, your activity must be covered by theprofessional indemnity insurance (RCP) EAC.

Please note

As the cooperative is legally responsible for the activity hosted and holds commercial contracts concluded for that activity, it must assess the risks and the solvency of it, before accepting a application.

Coaching by a cooperative of activities and employment (CAE) allows to :

  • Have a legal existence (with unique identification number Siren and Siret of the cooperative), without being obliged to register your activity
  • To be relieved of your accounting and your administrative tasks managed by the EAC (tax, social and financial obligations)
  • Benefit frommanagement tools shared (e.g. quotation and invoice templates)
  • Dedicate yourself to development of your activity
  • Test your capacity to manage a company (real-life scenario)
  • Access to networks of professionals
  • To be trained by experts, be supported by the collective
  • Save the cost of:

The cooperative of activities and employment (CAE) is manager your commitments in the context of your activity (payment of your invoices, quotation, etc.).

Please note

As an associate salaried contractor, you can request access to the documents of accounting management your activity at the EAC. It has an obligation to provide them to you once a month.

1Signing a Cape contract: activity test

By joining an activity and employment cooperative (CAE), you must sign a contract. In general, it is a contract to support the company project, called Cape.

The Cape contract can last up to 12 months and is renewable 2 times. It therefore has in total a maximum duration of 3 years.

Under a EAC, the Cape contract is not intended to last long.

Please note

It is not an employment contract but it allows you to have social protection.

2Signing of a Cesa contract: becoming an associate employee

The signing of an associate salaried entrepreneur contract (Cesa) with the cooperative allows to officially become EAC salaried contractor . The Cesa can only be proposed in the framework of an EAC. This is an open-ended contract. Your remuneration depends on your level of activity.

In a maximum period of 3 years after signing the Cesa contract, you must present yourself to the « cooperative shareholder », that is to say become a partner of the EAC.

Each partner participates in the major decisions of the EAC (for example, the choice of shared services for administrative, accounting and commercial monitoring, the guidelines of the cooperative) according to the principle: 1 person = 1 vote.

Your candidacy must be put to the vote of the partners at a general meeting.

To identify yourself to your customers and suppliers, you will use the Siret number EAC. Nevertheless, you can sell and charge your services or goods to your customers using your own trade name.

Please note

You can leave the cooperative at any time if you wish either for build your company, or terminate your company project.

You benefit from a social protection during the contract Cape: titleContent and during the contract Cesa: titleContent.

These include paid leave, sickness and occupational accident benefits, unemployment insurance and pension benefits.

Please note

You keep your registration at France Labor and your allowances (Unemployment benefit to help people return to work: ARE) during the contract Cape: titleContent. If you continue with a contract Cesa: titleContent, you are no longer registered with France Travail.

At the beginning of the accompaniment, with a Cape contract

You receive a fee, which is a financial assistance. It's not a salary.

If you continue the support with a Cesa contract

By continuing to be accompanied by a CAE with which you sign an Associated Employee Contractor (Cesa) contract, you receive a salary composed of 2 parts:

  • A share fixed is paid each month after deduction of social security contributions related to your activity
  • A share variable which depends on your turnover.

Your turnover is directly paid into the bank account of the EAC: titleContent.

She takes a contribution on your turnover, on average 10%, for the services it offers (accounting, pay, training, etc.).

Create an application file

You must participate in a group presentation meeting.

Then you must build a file to present your project.

The case is examined by the EAC.

If your file is accepted, the co-op makes you sign a accompanying agreement.

Find the EAC that suits you

To find a CAE, depending on the territory or industry, you can use thesearch tool online:

Where can I find an activity and employment cooperative (CAE)?

You can contact directly the EAC Federation :

Who shall I contact

You can also contact France Travail (formerly Job center).

Who shall I contact

Who can help me?

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