FRA9 · 31/08/2026 · Society & lifestyles
What changes in France in September 2026
Pensions, unemployment, sick leave, e-invoicing, renovation, gas, medicines and schools: the practical 1 September briefing.
Pensions, unemployment, sick leave, e-invoicing, renovation, gas, medicines and schools: the practical 1 September briefing.
1 September in one minute
France’s 2026 rentrée is not only about schools. Rules change on the same day for employees, pension savers, businesses, homeowners, patients and pupils. The practical effect depends on the contract, birth year, company size or renovation file. This briefing separates measures already in force from points still awaiting implementing texts.
Pensions: a revised timetable for people born from 1964 to 1968
The rise in the statutory retirement age adopted in 2023 is suspended until 2028. For people born in 1964, retirement is set at 62 years and nine months with 170 qualifying quarters; it rises step by step to 63 years and nine months and 172 quarters for the 1968 generation. Age 64 now applies from the 1969 generation rather than 1968. Long-career cases also need a fresh calculation.
Work: unemployment after mutual termination and sick leave
For mutually agreed terminations that actually end from 1 September, the announced maximum unemployment-benefit period falls to 15 months for people under 55 and 20.5 months from age 55 in mainland France; implementing texts should still be checked. A first sick-leave certificate is meanwhile capped at 31 days and each extension at 62 days unless the prescriber records a medical reason for a longer period.
Business: e-invoicing becomes operational
Every business established in France must be able to receive electronic invoices from 1 September 2026. Large companies and mid-sized businesses must also issue them from that date. SMEs, very small businesses and micro-enterprises move to mandatory issuing on 1 September 2027. Invoices pass through a state-approved platform; emailing an ordinary PDF is not, by itself, the compliant process.
Housing and energy: keeping gas can block the grant
From 1 September, MaPrimeRénov’ support for a major renovation of an individual house is no longer awarded when the completed project retains gas heating. Separately, the official September gas benchmark is €172.05 per MWh including tax, up from €162.89 in August, a 5.6% monthly increase. This is a reference figure rather than a regulated tariff, so the actual contract and indexation formula still matter.
Health: medicine substitution and reimbursement
When a pharmacist offers an eligible hybrid or biosimilar medicine and the patient refuses it without a medical non-substitution instruction, third-party payment may no longer apply. The patient then pays the full price upfront and reimbursement may be based on the substitute product. The rule does not replace medical advice; its immediate effect is on payment at the pharmacy counter.
High schools: phone ban, local arrangements
The ban on using phones and connected devices extends to French high schools for the 2026 rentrée. Each school sets storage and enforcement arrangements in its rules, with medical exceptions. Pupils return on Tuesday 1 September in mainland France and Thursday 3 September in Corsica. The Toussaint holiday starts after classes on Saturday 17 October.
The next dates to watch
The first data points on the new season arrive quickly. Insee is scheduled to publish second-quarter existing-home prices at 08:45 on 8 September and July industrial production at 08:45 on 9 September, followed by an economic outlook briefing on 10 September. For any personal case, keep the official page for that procedure and check its update date before acting.
