CDI Notice Period in France: How Long, Can You Shorten It, and What to Do Before Going Freelance

You've decided to leave. One question always trips people up: how long will you still have to work? The CDI notice period has no magic number, and that's exactly what catches consultants and managers who are planning a freelance move.

The CDI notice period has no single legal length once the trial period is over: French law doesn't set the length of a resignation notice. It comes from your collective agreement, then your employment contract, then the customs of your trade or area (source: Service-Public, page checked in July 2026).

Are you a consultant or freelancer? Before you hand in your letter, estimate your net pay in wage portage from your day rate in two minutes with the WEEPO salary simulator.

How long is a resignation notice period in a CDI?

The length of a resignation notice in a CDI comes from three sources, in this order: the collective agreement, the employment contract, then custom. No single figure fits everyone. Three months is common for managers (cadres), but it's never automatic, so read your contract and your agreement before you set a leaving date.

CDI notice period: three sources, one order

Look for the notice length in the Code du travail and you won't find a number: the law points to the rules of your own company. The table shows the order to follow. How do you find your own notice? Check the collective agreement named on your payslip, then open its chapter on ending the contract.

Manager notice in a CDI: three months, really?

There's no general rule for managers. Three months is common in practice (Legalstart, updated August 2026), and some agreements impose it, like the one above. A manager whose agreement says one month has no reason to serve three.

Under six months of service: shorter steps

Many agreements scale the notice with seniority. Under the IDCC 1351 agreement, a manager with under six months of service gets 7 to 30 days depending on the band, against 2 months between six months and one year. Check your own steps before you count the weeks.

Trial period: 48 hours, sometimes 24

During the trial period, an employee who leaves gives 48 hours' warning, or 24 hours if they've been there under 8 days (article L1221-26 of the Code du travail). It's not a real notice period any more.

Resigning without notice in a CDI: when, and at what cost?

You can only resign without notice in a CDI if your employer agrees to waive it, or in a few cases the law provides. Without that agreement, skipping the notice can lead to a claim for payment before the labour court. Negotiating beats walking out on impulse.

A notice waiver is best requested in writing. If the employer accepts, no compensation for the notice is due. If the employer waives it alone, it must pay that compensation. The legal cases for leaving at once are narrow, for example after maternity or adoption leave. If you're already in portage, our guide on resigning without notice in wage portage covers the other side.

Paid leave during the notice period

Your employer can't force you to take paid leave during your notice. Leave set before you announced your departure pauses the notice, which then resumes. Unused days are paid out when the contract ends. To put numbers on it, see our guide to the final pay settlement calculation.

Resignation letter for a CDI: with or without notice, what to include?

A resignation letter with notice stays simple: you announce your departure, then state the start and end dates of the notice. Send it so you can prove it was received, by registered letter or hand delivery with a signed receipt.

A letter without notice adds one line: the waiver request and a mention of your employer's agreement, preferably in writing. Without agreement, give the notice dates as usual.

Mutual termination: why the question changes

With a rupture conventionnelle, the CDI ends on the date you agree with your employer in the termination agreement. The notice logic disappears and it becomes a negotiation of its own. Our guide to mutual termination in wage portage walks through the steps.

Notice period and the freelance move: what to do in those weeks?

During your notice you're still an employee: you're paid, and bound by a duty of loyalty to your employer. Nothing stops you from planning what comes next, though: pick your status, sound out future clients, settle a start date. Reread your non-compete clause before you do anything.

For an IT consultant, the choice is between micro-entreprise, SASU and portage. Our guide on going freelance as a consultant compares the three. Portage spares you from creating a company: you're an employee of the portage firm, you invoice through it and receive a salary. Want to understand wage portage in detail? Start with the dedicated page, then reread the non-compete clause in wage portage.

At WEEPO, the WEEPO wage portage company charges 3% management fees, capped at €550 per assignment, plus 2% additional fees (professional liability insurance, occupational health, factoring and financial guarantee, CVAE). The minimum day rate accepted is €300 excluding VAT. Details are on the page about wage portage management fees.

Take Karim, a backend developer at an IT services firm who leaves his CDI after a three-month notice. He aims for a €500 day rate. Over 20 billed days, that's €10,000 of monthly revenue. His 3% management fee comes to €300, well under the €550 cap, and the 2% additional fees to €200. To get to net pay, he can simulate his salary in wage portage. This case is purely illustrative.

Real benchmarks come from the WEEPO Barometer 2026, built on 20,000 payslips of portage consultants: median day rate €526, half of consultants between €450 and €600, median revenue €10,260 a month, median net salary €4,200 and median portage tenure of 29 months. These are medians, not a promise: your own day rate is what matters. To go from billed day to net pay, reread day rate to net salary.

Portage also has a floor. The IDCC 3219 collective agreement sets the minimum salary at 75% of the monthly social security ceiling (PMSS) for a senior consultant and 85% for an expert, full time. With a 2026 PMSS of €4,005, that's €3,003.75 and €3,404.25. On a CDI, a 10% financial reserve is built up.

Is your notice already running? Compare what you earn today with what an assignment in portage would bring: the wage portage or CDI page lays out the differences in status, protection and income.

Frequently asked questions

How long is a resignation notice in a CDI?

It depends on the collective agreement, then the contract, then custom. There's no single legal length. For managers three months is common, but some agreements set far less.

Can you leave a CDI without notice?

Yes, if your employer agrees to waive it, or in a few cases set by law. Otherwise the employer can claim payment for the unserved notice before the labour court.

How do you find out your CDI notice period?

Find the collective agreement on your payslip, then read its chapter on ending the contract. Your contract may also set the length, and custom fills the gap if it's silent.

Can you take paid leave during your notice?

Only if you ask. Your employer can't impose it. Leave set before you resigned pauses the notice, and unused days are paid out at the end.

Do you have to wait for the end of your notice to sign with a portage company?

You can plan your activity and compare offers during the notice, but you stay an employee of your current employer until the last day. Ask the portage company to start your contract on that last day.

Key takeaways

• French law doesn't set the length of a resignation notice: collective agreement first, then contract, then custom.
• A notice waiver needs your employer's agreement, preferably in writing.
• Your employer can't force paid leave on you during the notice.
• Use those weeks to prepare your freelance status, without forgetting your duty of loyalty.
• Portage spares you from creating a company: simulate your net pay before you hand in your letter.

Related articles

• Resignation Without Notice in Wage Portage: 2026 Guide
• Going Freelance in France in 2026: Which Status to Pick?
• Daily Rate to Net Salary: What You Really Keep in 2026