Every year, as a self-employed business owner in France, you pay the Urssaf (the French social contributions collection agency) a small contribution for your own training. In return, a training fund can reimburse all or part of your courses: accounting, digital marketing, IT, food hygiene… Many business owners never use it. This guide explains, in plain words, which fund applies to you, how much it pays in 2026 and how to apply without having your file rejected.
Information checked on 18 October 2026 on the official websites
Every self-employed worker in France pays a training contribution (CFP). It is added to your social contributions and paid to the Urssaf once a year, in November. The Urssaf then passes this money to a training insurance fund (FAF, fonds d’assurance formation) that depends on your activity. That fund reimburses your training, provided you are up to date with this contribution.
| Your status | CFP amount (official sheet checked on 1 January 2026) |
|---|---|
| Retailer (commerçant) | €120 per year (0.25% of the annual social security ceiling), €163 with a declared collaborating spouse (0.34%) |
| Craftsperson (artisan) | €139 per year (0.29%) |
| Liberal profession | €120 per year (0.25%), €163 with a declared collaborating spouse (0.34%) |
| Micro-entrepreneur | A percentage of turnover: 0.1% for a commercial activity, 0.3% for a craft activity, 0.2% for a liberal activity |
Good to know: a micro-entrepreneur whose turnover is zero for 12 consecutive months cannot have training funded. And a business owner who has just registered has not yet paid any CFP: in principle, they must wait for their first contribution (AGEFICE makes an exception for a few training courses that are mandatory before starting, such as the operating licence for restaurants, the permis d’exploitation).
Find your row, then read the detailed section below. If in doubt, the name of the fund printed on your Urssaf certificate is what counts.
| Scheme | For whom | Amount in 2026 | When to apply | Where to apply |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AGEFICE | Self-employed managers in trade, industry and services (sole trader, micro-entrepreneur in trade, majority manager of a SARL, sole partner of an EURL…) and their collaborating spouse | Up to €3,000 per year if your CFP is at least €7 (up to €5,000 for a diploma or a qualification listed in the RNCP, the French national register of professional certifications). €600 per year if your CFP is below €7 | Between 4 months and 15 calendar days before the start | Only through an AGEFICE reception point (Point d’accueil) |
| FAFCEA | Heads of craft businesses (registered in the national business register, crafts section), collaborating spouse or partner, family helper | A maximum number of hours per year and a maximum hourly cost depending on your sector. Since 1 September 2026: €600 per year and per business if your CFP is €85 or less | Complete file received at the earliest 3 months before, at the latest on the first day | Online, in the FAFCEA “Mon espace entreprise” area |
| FIF PL | Liberal professions (except doctors, who depend on the FAF-PM), including micro-entrepreneurs in a liberal activity | An annual ceiling set for each profession (example: €900 per year for lawyers in 2026). E-learning funded at 50% | Ideally before, at the latest 10 calendar days after the start | Online, in the FIF PL member area |
| CPF for the self-employed | Any self-employed worker up to date with the CFP | €500 per year of activity, up to €5,000. €150 contribution payable by you in most cases | Before enrolling, on the platform | moncompteformation.gouv.fr |
| OPCO (your employees) | Your company’s employees, depending on the collective agreement (AKTO for hotels, cafés, restaurants; Opco EP for many craft and service sectors…) | Depends on the sector. AKTO example, hotels-cafés-restaurants with fewer than 11 employees: €2,000 per year | AKTO: 30 calendar days before the start | Your OPCO’s online area |
Do you run an SAS or SASU, or are you a minority or equal manager of a SARL? You are treated as an employee for social security purposes (assimilé salarié): AGEFICE states that you do not fall under its scheme. The funds presented here for the self-employed therefore do not apply to you; ask your company’s OPCO and check your rights on Mon Compte Formation.
AGEFICE funds professional training related to your activity, whether job-specific or cross-cutting, training that is mandatory to practise, and the diploma courses listed by AGEFICE. Excluded: personal development unrelated to your activity, coaching, consulting and audits, courses of less than 3 hours, car and motorcycle driving licences, VAT, registration fees and travel costs invoiced by the training provider. The provider must hold the Qualiopi certification (the French quality label for training providers).
Micro-entrepreneur in trade: your CFP is 0.1% of your turnover. As a rough guide, you therefore need about €7,000 of annual turnover to reach the €7 that unlocks the €3,000 budget.
Find an AGEFICE reception point ↗ · 2026 application form (PDF, in French) ↗ · List of supporting documents 2026 (PDF, in French) ↗
Food hygiene, risk assessment and allergen labelling are funded up to 8 hours per topic, per year and per trainee (food sector). Courses of less than 4 hours are not funded. Since 1 July 2026, only Qualiopi-certified providers can be funded. After the training, you have 2 months at most to send the paid invoice and the attendance certificate, otherwise FAFCEA refuses payment.
FAFCEA “Mon espace entreprise” (account creation and online filing) ↗ · Scales by sector ↗ · Procedure and documents ↗
Not funded: skills assessments, career changes, courses of less than 3 hours, incidental costs and any training unrelated to your profession. Depending on your profession, some topics are excluded or restricted: for example, for lawyers, general IT and foreign languages are not covered. Check your profession’s sheet before enrolling.
FIF PL member area (“Créer mon compte” button) ↗ · Funding in 3 steps ↗ · Attendance and payment certificate (PDF) ↗
Like employees, self-employed workers in France have a personal training account (CPF, compte personnel de formation). It is credited with €500 per year of activity, up to a limit of €5,000 (pro rata if the activity lasted only part of the year). It comes on top of your training fund, but the same course cannot be paid for by both: AGEFICE refuses any course for which the CPF has been used, even for a remaining balance, and FIF PL also excludes courses linked to the CPF.
Tip: keep the CPF for long or certifying courses that your fund covers poorly, and use your fund (AGEFICE, FAFCEA, FIF PL) for the year’s short courses. The fund’s budget is renewed every year; it does not accumulate.
For the employees of your small business, it is not your own business-owner fund that pays, but the OPCO (opérateur de compétences, the skills operator) of your collective agreement, under the skills development plan. To find out which one, use the official France compétences search tool: Quel est mon OPCO? ↗ (with your IDCC code, or your département and activity).
What about FNE-Formation? We found no official source confirming that FNE-Formation (a state training grant) is open to small businesses in 2026; AKTO’s FNE page states that applications are closed. Before counting on it, ask your OPCO adviser.
This is the document that opens all your rights. Without it, no fund will consider your file.
Practical ideas for a small business. Actual funding always depends on your fund’s criteria and on the written agreement you receive.
Reading a balance sheet, tracking cash flow, setting prices, mastering invoicing software.
Funding side: cross-cutting training accepted by AGEFICE; “job-specific management” at FAFCEA (and courses offered by the CMAs for craftspeople); at FIF PL, only if the profession includes it (for lawyers, designed for lawyers).
Google Business Profile, social media, website, online advertising, customer reviews.
Funding side: at AGEFICE, as a standard course or through the specific Cap Digital scheme, which does not use up your annual budget.
Spreadsheets, office software, backups, basic cybersecurity, AI at work.
Funding side: AGEFICE accepts several courses on the same software if the programme shows progression. At FIF PL, it depends on the profession (general IT is excluded for lawyers).
In commercial catering in France (traditional restaurants, fast food, cafeterias), at least one person in the establishment must have completed a specific 14-hour course with a provider approved by the regional prefect, unless they can show 3 years of experience as a manager or operator.
Funding side: restaurant owner registered as a retailer: AGEFICE (mandatory training). Employees: AKTO’s Espace Formation catalogue. Food craftsperson: FAFCEA, 8 hours maximum per topic and per year.
Mandatory in France to open a bar or a restaurant with an alcohol licence.
Funding side: AGEFICE funds it even for a newly registered business owner, with supporting documents (receipt of the declaration made at the town hall).
Welcoming tourists, communicating with suppliers or customers abroad.
Funding side: at AGEFICE if the link with your activity is clear; at FIF PL, excluded for some professions (including lawyers). The CPF is an alternative for a language certification.
These examples do not guarantee any funding: each file is assessed by the fund according to its criteria for the year and the funds available.
It depends on the fund and on your contribution. In 2026: up to €3,000 at AGEFICE if your CFP is at least €7 (€600 below that); at FAFCEA, a number of hours and an hourly cost depending on your sector, limited to €600 per year if your CFP is €85 or less; at FIF PL, a ceiling set for each profession. The CPF comes on top (€500 per year, up to €5,000), but not for the same course.
Download your training contribution certificate from your Urssaf account: the name of the fund (AGEFICE, FAFCEA, FIF PL…) is printed on it. This document is what counts.
No, except at FIF PL, which accepts an application up to 10 calendar days after the start. At AGEFICE, the application must be submitted at least 15 calendar days before; at FAFCEA, no later than the first day.
Yes, if you have paid your CFP and your turnover has not been zero for 12 consecutive months. Since your contribution depends on your turnover, the budget may be smaller: €600 at AGEFICE if your CFP is below €7, €600 at FAFCEA if it is €85 or less.
Not AGEFICE: managers treated as employees (SAS, SASU, SA, minority managers of a SARL) do not fall under it. Ask your company’s OPCO and check your rights on Mon Compte Formation.
Their training can be funded by the OPCO of your collective agreement. For example, in hotels, cafés and restaurants, AKTO covers up to €2,000 per year for a business with fewer than 11 employees in 2026, and offers a catalogue of courses whose teaching costs are fully covered.
Information checked on 18 October 2026. The funds revise their criteria during the year (FAFCEA did so on 15 May and again on 1 September 2026): always reread the criteria in force on the date of your application.
General information guide with no contractual value. Only the training fund you belong to can confirm funding, through a written agreement. Links to official websites only.