Acre relief for new micro-entrepreneurs in 2026
France no longer hands this relief to every new business: you must fit one of the listed situations and claim it yourself.
Figures checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
What Acre relief saves you
Contributions saved
€1,272
| Standard rate | 21.2 % |
| Rate with Acre | 15.9 % |
| Contributions with Acre | €3,816 |
Until the end of the third calendar quarter after you start, if you apply within 60 days.
Acre (aide à la création ou à la reprise d’entreprise) is a temporary cut in the social contributions a new micro-entrepreneur pays to the Urssaf, the agency that collects them. Since 1 January 2026 it is no longer automatic: you have to apply within 60 days of your official start date and belong to one of the groups set by the 2026 social security budget law, for example jobseekers receiving unemployment benefit, people on RSA or ASS income support, some young founders, or people setting up in a priority urban neighbourhood. If your business starts on or after 1 July 2026 you pay 75 % of the normal rate: 15.9 % instead of 21.2 % for craft or commercial services, 19.2 % instead of 25.6 % for freelance work. An electrician receiving €24,000 during the relief period saves €1,272. The relief ends on the last day of the third calendar quarter after the quarter in which you started.
From automatic to on request
Until 2025, every new micro-entrepreneur got the relief without asking. The 2026 social security budget law ended that (Urssaf, Acre rules from 2026). Now the relief is a claim you file with the Urssaf within 60 days of starting, and only certain profiles are eligible. Miss the deadline and you pay the full rate from the first euro, even if you met every condition.
The size of the cut also changed mid-year. Businesses started up to 30 June 2026 keep the very low rates the Urssaf published for them. From 1 July 2026, service-public describes a rate equal to 75 % of the normal one, which is a 25 % exemption (service-public sheet F11677).
Reduced rates by type of activity
| Activity | Normal rate | Acre, start up to 30 June 2026 | Acre, start from 1 July 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selling goods | 12.3 % | 6.2 % | 9.3 % |
| BIC services (commercial, craft) | 21.2 % | 10.6 % | 15.9 % |
| Unregulated freelance (BNC) | 25.6 % | 12.8 % | 19.2 % |
| Cipav professions | 23.2 % | 13.4 % | 17.4 % |
BIC (bénéfices industriels et commerciaux) covers commercial and craft services; BNC (bénéfices non commerciaux) covers unregulated freelance work such as consulting or design. The Cipav is the pension fund for a list of regulated professions, explained on the Cipav page.
The eligible groups
The Urssaf list is closed: if you are not on it, there is no Acre.
- jobseekers receiving benefit, or registered without benefit for six of the last eighteen months;
- people receiving RSA (minimum income) or ASS (specific solidarity allowance);
- young people aged 18 to 25 (29 with a disability), under-30s without benefit or with a recognised disability;
- employees taking over a company in safeguard, receivership or liquidation proceedings;
- holders of a Cape business support contract or recipients of PreParE parental benefit;
- founders based in a priority urban neighbourhood (QPV) or a rural revitalisation zone (ZFRR or ZFRR+).
Everyone must also not have had Acre in the previous three years. For companies, the applicant must hold effective control; that test does not concern a micro-enterprise, which is you as an individual.
How long the relief lasts
The relief ends on the last day of the third calendar quarter after your starting quarter, so its length depends on the month you start. The official example, a start on 3 September 2026, runs to 30 June 2027: 10 months. A July start gives 12 months.
| Start month in 2026 | Acre ends | Months covered, start month included |
|---|---|---|
| January | 31 December 2026 | 12 |
| March | 31 December 2026 | 10 |
| June | 31 March 2027 | 10 |
| July | 30 June 2027 | 12 |
| September | 30 June 2027 | 10 |
| December | 30 September 2027 | 10 |
Starting in the first month of a quarter gives the longest window, but only helps if invoices come in early.
Two founders, two results
An electrician starting in September
This is the case service-public uses: a craft service under BIC, 15.9 % instead of 21.2 %. Receiving €24,000 before the relief ends, his contributions drop from €5,088 to €3,816, a saving of €1,272. His training levy of €72 and trades-chamber levy of €115 are unchanged.
A graphic designer who started in spring
Registered as a freelancer before 30 June 2026, she keeps the earlier rate: 12.8 % instead of 25.6 %. On €20,000 received during her relief period she pays €2,560 rather than €5,120, keeping €2,560 more.
Applying, step by step
- Register on the guichet unique, the single online business registration portal; see registering a micro-enterprise. Your start date there starts the clock.
- Gather proof of your situation: a France Travail or RSA certificate, a QPV address, and so on.
- File the Acre request with the Urssaf before day 60.
- No answer within a month means approval, says the Urssaf micro-entrepreneur site.
- File your monthly or quarterly turnover returns as usual; the reduced rate is applied automatically.
On real profit, a different relief
If you trade as a sole trader on real profit or as a managing partner of an EURL, Acre does not cut a turnover rate. It exempts a quarter of some contributions in full up to €36,045 of income, tapering to nothing at €48,060 (Urssaf 2026 rates). See self-employed contributions.
All figures here are estimates, not personal advice; only the Urssaf grants Acre and sets what you owe. To see your whole first year with the relief included, use the micro-enterprise calculator.