Extra hours and increased hours of a childminder in France
The normal care time is set in the contract. Hours worked beyond it, up to 45 hours a week, are heures complémentaires, paid at the normal rate or a negotiated rate. Beyond 45 hours a week they are heures majorées: the increase is set by written agreement between the parties and cannot be lower than 10%. The rule applies to every type of care, including after-school care, where holiday weeks are often much longer than school weeks.
Extra hours: up to 45 hours a week
- Lower threshold: beyond the weekly hours set in the contract.
- Upper threshold: up to and including 45 hours in the week.
- Rate: normal hourly rate, or a higher rate if it was negotiated in writing.
- Payment: on top of the monthly salary, in the month they were worked — they are not smoothed in advance.
Increased hours: beyond 45 hours a week
Each hour beyond 45 hours in the week is paid at the normal hourly rate plus the agreed increase, at least 10%. The minimum is a floor: you can agree on more. Write it down, otherwise the rate is hard to enforce. The average working time must not exceed 48 hours over 4 months without the childminder's written agreement.
Week by week, never on an average
Hours are counted week by week, Monday to Sunday, never on a monthly or yearly average. In after-school care (périscolaire), a school week may have few hours but a holiday week can exceed 45 hours: those hours are increased when they are planned, and they enter the monthly salary with their increase instead of being « drowned » in the yearly average.
To know which weeks are school holidays, use the official school calendar of the child's zone (A, B or C, or the académie calendar overseas). Example: a 50-hour holiday week = 45 hours at the normal rate + 5 increased hours; a 20-hour school week has none.
Declaring on Pajemploi
Extra and increased hours are added to the pay declared for the month in which they were worked. Keep them separate: they do not have the same hourly value, and correct figures are needed for contributions and for the CMG.
Frequent mistakes
- Applying an increase from the first hour beyond the contract: it is only due beyond 45 hours a week.
- An oral agreement on the increase: write it in the contract.
- Forgetting to pay extra hours: every hour beyond the contract is due, even at the normal rate.
- Regular overruns: rather than piling up extra hours, amend the contract's care time.
Frequently asked questions
From how many hours is a childminder paid increased hours?
Beyond 45 hours in the week. The increase is at least 10%; the exact rate is set in the contract.
Are extra hours below 45 hours paid more?
No, they are paid at the normal hourly rate, unless a higher rate was agreed in writing.
In after-school care, are increased hours calculated on the yearly average?
No, week by week. A holiday week beyond 45 hours includes increased hours even if the yearly average is lower.