URSSAF, CESU URSSAF and the chèque emploi service universel: how it works in France
URSSAF (Union de Recouvrement des cotisations de Sécurité Sociale et d'Allocations Familiales) is the French public body that collects the social contributions funding the entire welfare system: healthcare, pensions, family benefits and unemployment. It ensures every declared worker in France earns rights.
What is CESU URSSAF?
The CESU URSSAF — or chèque emploi service universel — is a simplified declaration service created by URSSAF. It allows any private individual employer to legally hire a domestic worker (cleaning, gardening, personal care, tutoring, childcare, etc.) in just a few minutes, online, on the official URSSAF website.
With CESU URSSAF, the employer declares the worker, pays the corresponding social contributions, and receives a 50% income tax credit on the amounts paid (within the legal cap).
Why the chèque emploi service universel matters
The chèque emploi service universel secures hundreds of thousands of jobs in France. For workers, every hour worked and declared through CESU URSSAF opens rights: healthcare, paid leave, retirement pensions, and unemployment compensation. It is a pillar of declared employment and a key tool against undeclared work.
ADL's role: connecting CESU URSSAF with the fight against homelessness
For someone experiencing homelessness, a return to declared employment is life-changing: stable income, social rights, a steady address, and the ability to show payslips when renting a home.
ADL acts as a bridge between private employers who want to hire through CESU URSSAF and vulnerable individuals trained and supported by our association. The URSSAF contributions paid in this framework directly fund the worker's social protection — and every declared hour is one more step away from the streets.
In practice: a private employer declares their worker via CESU URSSAF, pays the contributions, and the person accompanied by ADL benefits from a legal job, an income and open social rights. A virtuous circle, fully framed by URSSAF.
