CFE contributions: how they’re calculated and how to join

For health-maternity-disability insurance, CFE doesn’t calculate a contribution proportional to salary, unlike French health insurance for employees. Products aimed at individuals work on the basis of a quarterly scale by age bracket, differentiated depending on whether the membership covers an individual or a family. This scale, published and periodically updated by CFE, increases in steps with the member’s age.

Quarterly scale in effect as of 22/09/2026, taken from the official document “Barème de cotisation avril 2026” published by CFE — to be re-checked at each new release (the scale generally changes in January and April).

Full scale detail, by age bracket:

* Rates for the 0-24 and 25-29 brackets = the “JeunExpat Santé” rate, which has no scale of its own: it is the young-member bracket of the MondExpat Santé scale, sold under a separate plan name.

CFE distinguishes several plans depending on the member’s profile:

Moving from one age bracket to another, or changing plan, changes the amount of the quarterly contribution. An optional add-on of provident benefits (daily allowances, disability, death benefit) is also offered on top of the health guarantee, for an additional contribution: from €39 to €78 per quarter depending on the member’s annual resources.

CFE provides a “subsidised category” scheme that lets members with modest income pay a reduced flat-rate quarterly contribution. Cumulative conditions published by CFE: French nationality, registration (or in progress) with the consular register of French nationals living outside France, individual membership to the plan for working people or retirees, annual resources below half the annual Social Security cap — that is €24,030 per year for 2026.

Under these conditions, the quarterly contribution is reduced to a flat rate of €228 per quarter (amount published by CFE for 2026). The application is filed with the consulate of residence, which reviews the file before forwarding it to CFE; cover starts on the first day of the month following CFE’s receipt of the consular decision, and the file must be reviewed every three years.

The resource threshold follows the annual Social Security cap (PASS), revalued each year: it stands at €48,060 for 2026, under the order of 22 December 2025 published in the Journal Officiel of 23 December 2025.

Unlike health insurance, CFE’s old-age branch works on a principle close to that of French Social Security for employees: the contribution is calculated by applying a rate to a contribution base, bounded by tiers indexed to the annual Social Security cap (PASS). The rate varies slightly from one quarter to another over the year (between 17.87% and 18.05% in 2026).

Scale for a person with no professional activity and with a dependent family (child under 20), April 2026:

A person who was previously compulsorily insured under a French scheme can also join the voluntary old-age insurance at a rate equivalent to that of an employee — calculated on 507 times the applicable hourly minimum wage, or roughly €1,089 to €1,101 per quarter in 2026 depending on the period.

1. Choose the plan matching your profile (age, status, country of residence).
2. Declare your situation and that of any dependants.
3. Join before departure or within three months of moving abroad, to avoid a waiting period.
4. Pay the first quarterly contribution to activate cover.

A change of country of residence, family situation or age bracket must be reported to CFE, as it can change the amount of the contribution or the applicable plan.

Joining CFE doesn’t exempt you from contributing, where applicable, to the compulsory social protection scheme of your country of residence when one is required: the two contributions add up. CFE is neither a substitute for, nor an exemption from, local obligations — a point to check country by country before departure.