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Wage Portage CDI or CDD: Which Contract Should a Consultant Pick?
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Torn between a permanent contract and a fixed-term one to start in wage portage? The question comes up at almost every first meeting, and the answer isn't the same for a senior developer as for an expert testing the waters.
A wage portage CDI is an open-ended employment contract signed with a portage company, which employs you for assignments at one or several clients. The CDD stops at 18 months at most.
Are you a consultant or freelancer? Estimate your net pay in 2 minutes from your day rate with the WEEPO wage portage salary simulator.
What is a CDI in wage portage, exactly?
A portage CDI works like a standard CDI, with one twist: the contract is signed to carry out assignments for client companies you found yourself. According to service-public.fr, most CDI rules apply. The contract must reach you within 2 working days of signing.
You negotiate your day rate with the client. The portage company invoices, then pays you a salary. You contribute to unemployment, pension and health cover like any employee. The framework comes from the sector's collective agreement (IDCC 3219), covered in our guide to the wage portage collective agreement.
CDI or CDD in wage portage: which one should you pick?
The CDI suits a consultant who chains assignments, the CDD someone with a single signed mission who wants to test portage. The choice doesn't change your status as a portage employee. It affects duration, security between missions and paperwork such as a bank file.
Wage portage CDI or CDD: the comparison
| Criterion | CDI | CDD |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | Open-ended | Fixed term (renewable twice) or flexible end date, 18 months maximum including renewals |
| Between missions | Unpaid gaps, cushioned by the 10% financial reserve | Precarity allowance paid at the end of the contract |
| Bank file | Usually more reassuring | More limited |
| Typical profile | Regular missions, long project | First mission, portage trial |
What is the maximum length of the CDD?
A portage CDD can be signed for a fixed term, renewable twice, or for a flexible end date. The maximum length of the CDD is 18 months, renewals included, and an agreement can push the end date back by 3 months at most. If your missions run longer, the CDI becomes the natural option.
What happens between two missions on a CDI?
Periods without an assignment at a client aren't paid. On a CDI you can draw on your financial reserve, built up at 10% of the base salary of your last mission and paid into your activity account. On a CDD, the end-of-contract precarity allowance plays that cushioning role.
A gap between missions needs planning. We cover the right reflexes in wage portage without a mission: management and risks.
And for a consultant or freelancer, what changes?
For a consultant, a wage portage CDI turns variable income into a steady salary with employee-level social cover. The WEEPO 2026 Barometer, built on 20,000 payslips of portage consultants, shows a median day rate of €526: half of consultants sit between €450 and €600.
Take a data consultant billing €526 a day. Over 19.5 days, they get close to the median turnover of €10,260 a month. As a benchmark, the Barometer's median net salary is €4,200 a month. On fees, WEEPO charges 3% management fees, capped at €550 per mission, plus 2% of additional fees (professional liability, occupational health, factoring and financial guarantee, CVAE).
The minimum salary depends on your level: 75% of the PMSS for a senior consultant (€3,003.75) and 85% for an expert (€3,404.25), full time, with a 2026 PMSS of €4,005. Median time in portage reaches 29 months, longer than a CDD allows: one more argument for the CDI. To size up your case, the net salary calculation in portage takes two minutes, and the WEEPO portage company holds the "Zero Hidden Fees" label awarded by the Fedep's.
Portage CDI and a mortgage: what a bank looks at
A bank first looks at how stable your income is, and a CDI usually reassures more than a CDD or a freelance activity just getting started. In portage you show payslips, which helps your file against a freelancer with no track record. Our article on a mortgage with wage portage lists the documents to bring.
Want to compare both contracts on your own mission? See how wage portage works at WEEPO, from first contract to invoicing. For the general rules, the French Labour Ministry page on portage remains the reference.
Frequently asked questions
Is wage portage a CDI or a CDD?
Both exist. A portage contract can be a CDI or a CDD, and the length of your missions guides the choice.
How long can a CDD last in wage portage?
18 months at most, renewals included. The end date can be pushed back by 3 months by agreement.
What do you earn between two missions on a CDI?
No salary for the gap, but the 10% financial reserve can cushion it.
Can you have several clients on a single CDI?
Yes. The CDI is signed for assignments at one or several client companies.
Should a freelance consultant choose the CDI?
If your missions last and follow each other, yes, since the 29-month median beats the CDD limit. For a single first mission, the CDD works as a trial.
Key takeaways
- A wage portage CDI is an open-ended contract signed for assignments at one or several clients.
- The CDD caps at 18 months, renewals included.
- Between missions, the 10% reserve (CDI) or the precarity allowance (CDD) softens the blow.
- The CDI reassures more for a mortgage.
- Run your net pay numbers before you sign.
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Responsable Marketing & Communication chez Weepo, je suis passionnée par l'animation du réseau et l'accompagnement de nos consultants. J'organise des événements parisiens et accompagne nos équipes régionales pour créer des moments d'échange enrichissants dans l'écosystème du portage salarial.
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