"I had a nasty throat infection in November, three days off. At the end of the month, nearly €90 was missing from my payslip and nobody at the training centre could explain why." This situation, common among apprentices, sums up the grey area perfectly: everyone knows a work-study student who falls ill has to send in a sick note, almost nobody knows what they will actually be paid — or what happens on the training side.
In short: a work-study student is an employee, so their sick leave follows the ordinary rules. They must send parts 1 and 2 of the sick-leave certificate to their CPAM (health insurance fund) and part 3 to their employer within 48 hours (article R. 321-2 of the French Social Security Code), and also notify their CFA — missing classes is an absence like any other and must be justified. On the money side, the health insurance system applies a 3-day waiting period: daily sickness benefits (IJ) only start on day 4, at roughly 50% of the basic daily wage. But the monthly-pay law (article L. 1226-1 of the French Labour Code) requires the employer, from 1 year of service onwards, to pay a top-up bringing pay to 90% of gross salary for 30 days — and many collective bargaining agreements waive the waiting period and go as far as 100% from day one. On an apprentice's already modest salary, the gap between these two scenarios is decisive: the first thing to do is read your collective agreement. Finally, in the event of a workplace or commuting accident — including on the journey between the CFA and the company — there is no waiting period and the benefits are higher.
Is a work-study student entitled to sick leave like any other employee?
Yes, with no special condition tied to their status. The apprenticeship contract and the professionalisation contract are employment contracts: the apprentice falls under the general social security scheme and pays health insurance contributions like any other employee. Article L. 6222-23 of the French Labour Code states that apprentices benefit from the provisions applicable to all employees, provided they do not conflict with the rules specific to young workers.
In practical terms, this means three things:
- you can be signed off by a doctor exactly like a regular employee, including during a week of classes at the CFA;
- your contract is suspended during the sick leave; it is not terminated or automatically shortened;
- you can receive daily sickness benefits from the health insurance system if you meet the eligibility conditions.
The point that surprises many work-study students: sick leave also covers training time. A sick note is not a "company-only sick note". If the doctor signs you off from Monday to Friday and you are at the CFA that week, you must not attend classes. The reverse is equally true: there is no such thing as a "half sick note" excusing you from the company while still sending you to class.
Key takeaway: sick leave suspends all contractual obligations — attendance at the company and attendance at the training centre.
What steps must you take, and by when?
The timeline is tight, and this is where most income losses occur. A sick note submitted late can be financially penalised by the CPAM (benefits can be reduced by up to 50% for the period of delay, in the event of a repeat offence within 24 months).
The 48 hours that count
| Recipient | Document | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| CPAM (or electronic transmission by the doctor) | Parts 1 and 2 | 48 hours |
| Employer | Part 3 | 48 hours |
| CFA / training organisation | Copy or proof of absence | Immediately, as per internal rules |
Since the rollout of the paperless sick-leave certificate, many doctors transmit parts 1 and 2 directly to the health insurance fund. Check this: the confirmation appears in your ameli account. But beware — electronic transmission never removes the obligation to send part 3 to your employer; that document remains your responsibility. And if the sick note is issued on paper, since 1 July 2025 it must be on the secure Cerfa form: a photocopy or scan is not accepted.
If you work far from home, keeping a small stock of pre-stamped envelopes ready to post at home saves you going out with a fever to buy a stamp on a Sunday evening; it sounds trivial, but it is exactly the kind of detail that causes a 48-hour deadline to be missed.
Notifying your CFA: the most frequently forgotten step
The CFA is not informed by the CPAM or by the employer. It is up to you to do it, as quickly as possible. Most internal rules require a phone call or email the same morning, followed by written proof within 48 hours.
Why it matters:
- unjustified absences at the CFA can lead to a warning, or even exclusion if repeated;
- for some qualifications, minimum attendance is a condition for being allowed to sit the exam;
- the employer often receives an attendance record sent by the CFA: an unjustified absence from training can be reclassified as an unjustified absence from work, with a deduction from your pay as a result.
Will you be paid during your sick leave?
That is the real question. The answer combines two layers: social security benefits, then, possibly, the employer's top-up.
Layer 1: daily sickness benefits from the health insurance system
To receive daily benefits for leave of less than 6 months, the health insurance system (source: ameli.fr, section "Arrêt de travail pour maladie") requires, either:
- having worked at least 150 hours during the 3 calendar months (or 90 days) preceding the leave;
- or having paid contributions on earnings at least equal to 1,015 times the hourly minimum wage over the preceding 6 months.
A work-study student working 35 hours a week meets the first condition in a little over a month of contract. On the other hand, an apprentice signed off in their very first weeks may find they have no entitlement — it is rare, but it happens, particularly with contracts starting in September and sick leave from mid-September.
The amount: the daily benefit equals 50% of the basic daily wage, calculated on the average gross pay of the last 3 months. Since 1 April 2025, the pay taken into account is capped at 1.4 times the SMIC (around €2,614 gross per month since the June 2026 SMIC increase), giving a maximum daily benefit of €42.97 gross per day: a ceiling that practically never affects an apprentice. On an apprentice's salary, the order of magnitude speaks for itself.
Worked example (for guidance only): a 21-year-old apprentice in their 1st year, paid the statutory minimum of €989.52 gross per month (53% of the SMIC since 1 June 2026). Basic daily wage ≈ (989.52 × 3) / 91.25 ≈ €32.53. Daily benefit ≈ €16.27 per day. For 10 days off with a 3-day waiting period: 7 × 16.27 ≈ €114 in benefits, against roughly €330 in salary for the same period. The net loss, without an employer top-up, exceeds €200.
Layer 2: the employer top-up (monthly-pay law)
This is what changes everything. Article L. 1226-1 of the French Labour Code provides that an employee with at least one year of service with the company receives a top-up from the employer:
- 90% of gross pay for the first 30 days;
- then 66.66% for the following 30 days (durations increase with length of service).
This statutory top-up applies after a 7-day waiting period (article D. 1226-3) and requires the supporting document to have been sent within 48 hours. In other words, the law alone offers little protection to a first-year work-study student off sick for 3 days.
Fortunately, many collective bargaining agreements are more generous: pay maintained at 100%, waiting period abolished or shortened, reduced length-of-service requirement. The rules vary widely from one sector to another. Look up the name of your collective agreement on your payslip (it must appear there), then read the text on Legifrance.
What about subrogation?
When the employer uses subrogation, it continues to pay your salary (or the maintained portion) and receives the daily benefits directly on your behalf. You therefore see nothing arriving from the CPAM: everything goes through payroll, on the usual dates. This is the most comfortable situation — and the most common in large companies.
Without subrogation, the daily benefits are paid to you by the CPAM roughly every 14 days, with a lag that can create a one-month cash-flow gap. For a work-study student paying rent, that is the real practical difficulty. If your budget is tight, look at the schemes listed in our guide to financial aid and the page on the activity bonus for work-study students.
Illness, workplace accident, commuting accident: very different regimes
Many work-study students report as "illness" what is in fact a workplace accident. The mistake is costly.
| Situation | Waiting period | Social security compensation | Medical costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-occupational illness | 3 days | ≈ 50% of the daily wage | Standard reimbursement |
| Workplace accident | None | 60% of the daily wage for the first 28 days, then 80% | Covered at 100% (social security rate), with no upfront payment |
| Commuting accident | None | Same regime as a workplace accident | Same |
A key point for work-study students: the journey between home and the workplace is covered as a commuting accident, and an accident occurring between the company and the training venue even counts as a workplace accident (service-public.fr). Falling off your bike on the way to class is not an "illness".
The reporting process is also tightly framed: you must inform your employer within 24 hours (except in cases of force majeure), and the employer has 48 hours (excluding Sundays and public holidays) to declare the accident to the CPAM. They give you an accident at work form allowing you to avoid paying medical costs upfront. If the accident occurs during a practical workshop session at the CFA, you are still an employee of the company: notify the CFA and your employer immediately so that the accident is declared on time.
The reflex that saves you: in the event of a fall, a cut or a work- or commute-related health incident, get it medically documented the same day and write to your employer by email (written record) describing the precise circumstances, time and place.
The INRS also points out that young workers are more exposed to workplace accidents than their older colleagues, particularly through lack of experience in the role. In a workshop, on a building site or in a kitchen, never cut corners on protective equipment: wearing S3-rated safety shoes or cut-resistant protective gloves is not an administrative formality, it is what keeps you off sick leave.
What are the consequences for your training and your exams?
This is the number one worry with long absences: "am I going to lose my year?"
Short leave (a few days)
No consequences for your qualification. You catch up on the classes you missed. Ask your classmates for the materials from day one — a simple spiral-bound notebook or a pocket scanner to digitise handouts saves valuable time when you return.
Long leave (several weeks or months)
Two mechanisms come into play:
- The contract duration is not automatically extended. The apprenticeship contract ends on the scheduled date, even if you were absent for 2 months. However, article L. 6222-11 of the French Labour Code allows, in the event of exam failure, an extension of up to one year (new contract or amendment).
- Attendance requirements can be adapted. Talk to the CFA: course materials made available, catch-up sessions, sometimes a switch to distance learning for the period. CFAs are familiar with these situations and usually have a disability or medical-social liaison officer able to arrange accommodations.
After at least 60 days of leave for a non-occupational illness or accident (30 days for a workplace accident), a return-to-work medical examination with the occupational health and prevention service is mandatory, no later than 8 days after your return. It can lead to workstation adjustments. Since decree no. 2026-503 of 12 June 2026, it is no longer required if a pre-return examination took place within the 30 days before the return to work and concluded that no adjustment was needed. The topic is covered in more depth in our article on the apprentice's medical examination.
Can you be dismissed for being frequently ill?
No, not on the grounds of the illness itself: that would be discrimination based on health status (article L. 1132-1 of the French Labour Code). For an apprenticeship contract, termination after the first 45 days of practical training in the company can only take place by written agreement of both parties, by resignation of the apprentice after referral to the mediator, or by dismissal for force majeure, gross misconduct, unfitness established by the occupational physician or permanent exclusion from the CFA. The details are set out in our guide to terminating an apprenticeship contract.
Six reflexes so you lose nothing
- Get it documented the same day. Backdated sick notes are frowned upon by the CPAM and sometimes refused.
- Send part 3 to your employer within 48 hours, even if the doctor has transmitted the other two electronically.
- Notify the CFA by email as well as by phone, to keep a written record.
- Check the name of your collective agreement on your payslip and read the "sickness" article.
- Respect the permitted outing hours stated on the sick note: a CPAM check can suspend your benefits.
- Anticipate the cash-flow gap: without subrogation, allow up to a month before the first benefit payment arrives.
One final piece of advice, valid all year round: a good proportion of short absences in work-study programmes are mild winter ailments picked up on public transport. Santé publique France reminds us every autumn how effective simple measures are — ventilating rooms, washing hands, vaccination for at-risk individuals. Keeping a compact first aid kit and an electronic forehead thermometer at home is no substitute for a doctor, but it lets you describe your symptoms precisely during a teleconsultation or appointment, and therefore obtain the right sick note first time.
Finally, if your sick leave costs you time in your search for a company for the following year, don't panic: vacancies continue to be posted all year round. Calmly resume your search for work-study vacancies once you have recovered, and while you're at it, check the actual impact on your pay with the salary simulator.