ACRE in 2026: the reduction is now 25%, and you have 60 days to apply
ACRE (aide à la création ou à la reprise d’entreprise) is a reduction in social security contributions for your first months of trading — up to a year. Many people have heard that it is “automatic for every new micro-entrepreneur” and that it “halves your contributions”. Both are wrong: since 1 July 2026 the reduction is a quarter, and it is only granted in specific situations, on application. There is good news too: the application now has a clear deadline of 60 days. Here is what changed, who qualifies and how to avoid losing ACRE by missing the deadline.
This is a news article. It explains the rules and deadlines and is not legal or tax advice. Checked against the French Social Security Code, service-public.gouv.fr and URSSAF on 16 October 2026; links are at the end.
What changed in 2026
- The relief is smaller. If you started trading on or after 1 July 2026, with ACRE you pay 75% of the normal contribution rate, so the reduction is a quarter. Previously you paid 50%, so the reduction was half. The reform comes from the 2026 social security financing act (LFSS 2026, article 23); the rate for micro-entrepreneurs was set by decree no. 2026-69 of 6 February 2026. The reduction only applies while your income (turnover minus the flat-rate allowance) stays below the annual social security ceiling (PASS, €48,060 in 2026) — not a limit for most people starting out. Your rate depends on your activity start date, not on when you apply: if you registered in June with a July start date, you are most likely on 75%.
- The application now has a deadline set by decree: 60 days (if you started on or after 1 July 2026) from the activity start date shown on your registration document. Before, there was no exact deadline; URSSAF asked people to apply as soon as they registered. Miss it, and do not count on getting ACRE.
Who qualifies for ACRE
ACRE is not for every new micro-entrepreneur — only for those who, when they start trading, are in at least one of the situations below and have not had ACRE in the last three years (counted from the end of the previous ACRE period; more below).
- You receive unemployment benefit (ARE) or the professional security allowance after redundancy (ASP, allocation de sécurisation professionnelle).
- You are looking for work without benefits and have been registered with France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi) for at least six of the last eighteen months.
- You receive RSA (minimum income) or ASS (solidarity allowance for the unemployed).
- You are aged 18 to 25 — or under 30 with a recognised disability.
- You are under 30 and do not receive unemployment benefit because you have not worked long enough.
- You are setting up in a priority urban neighbourhood (QPV) or in a rural municipality classified as a ZFRR / ZFRR+ (France Ruralités Revitalisation zone).
- You are an employee of, or were made redundant by, a company in safeguard, receivership or compulsory liquidation proceedings (sauvegarde, redressement or liquidation judiciaire) and you are taking over its business.
- You have signed a business start-up support contract (CAPE) and, when you signed it, you were in one of the situations above, other than a QPV or ZFRR address.
- You receive the PreParE childcare allowance.
To check whether your address is in a QPV, use sig.ville.gouv.fr (address search); for ZFRR, use the official simulator: enter the municipality and you get the answer. If none of the situations applies to you, there is no point applying: you will be turned down.
If you have had ACRE before, you can only get it again three years after your previous ACRE period ended — not after you closed the business, and not after your previous application. For example, if your ACRE ended on 30 June 2027, you can get it again if your new activity starts after 30 June 2030. Once you have applied, ACRE counts as used for the whole period, even if you had no turnover. This also applies to ACRE granted before the 2026 reform.
If you closed your micro-business (micro-entreprise) and are restarting the same activity, the new start must fall on or after 1 January of the second year after closing: closed in 2026, start no earlier than 1 January 2028. Otherwise URSSAF treats it as a continuation, not a new start, and you do not get ACRE — even if you never had it before. You can register again earlier, just without ACRE. Changing your address, line of business or working arrangements within an existing micro-business does not count as a new start either.
If you are a foreign national. Nationality does not matter, but your residence permit must allow you to work for yourself: a visitor (visiteur) permit does not; a Withdrawal Agreement card for British nationals does. Also note: if you receive unemployment benefit and want part of your remaining entitlement as capital (ARCE from France Travail — 60% of what is left, paid in two instalments), you also need ACRE for that — one more reason not to miss the 60 days.
How much you save
The reduction does not last a year: it runs until the end of the third calendar quarter following the quarter in which you start (quarters begin on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October). So it pays to start at the beginning of a quarter: if you start on 3 September 2026, ACRE runs until 30 June 2027 — about 10 months; if you start on 1 July 2026, it runs until the same 30 June, so 12 months.
Example. You provide commercial or craft services (BIC): the normal rate is 21.2% of turnover, and 15.9% with ACRE if you started on or after 1 July 2026. On €3,000 of turnover a month, that is €477 instead of €636 — €159 saved per month, about €1,600 over 10 months. If you are a freelance professional (BNC: consultant, translator, developer, coach), the normal rate is 26.1% in 2026, so about 19.6% with ACRE. The rates for your activity are in your URSSAF account and on autoentrepreneur.urssaf.fr.
How to apply, step by step
- Wait for your registration document (justificatif de création d’activité), issued after you register on the guichet unique — the one-stop online business registration portal (formalites.entreprises.gouv.fr). It shows your activity start date — the 60 days are counted from that date.
- Fill in the ACRE application form for micro-entrepreneurs — it is on service-public and on autoentrepreneur.urssaf.fr.
- Attach proof of your situation: your benefit notice, a France Travail statement, proof of RSA, a document showing your date of birth, etc., according to the list above.
- Send it through the contact form on autoentrepreneur.urssaf.fr: “Nous contacter” → “Par mail”, subject “Aide à la création d’entreprise”. You do not need an online account for this — the account is only created after your affiliation certificate (attestation d’affiliation) arrives, which can take more than 60 days. Keep the dated proof of sending.
- Wait up to 30 days for a reply. If URSSAF has not replied by then, ACRE is deemed granted.
How the URSSAF account works and what happens in your first nine months is covered in our URSSAF guide.
Common mistakes
- Expecting ACRE to kick in automatically. It will not: applying has been mandatory since 2020, and neither URSSAF nor the guichet unique grants it automatically.
- Counting the 60 days from when you got your SIRET. They are counted from the activity start date on your registration document, which can be earlier.
- Counting on paying half. If you started on or after 1 July 2026, the reduction is a quarter. Older articles and calculators still show 50%.
- Applying when you don’t fit any of the eligible situations. ACRE is not a right for every new micro-entrepreneur but a measure for specific groups.
ACRE deadlines for those who started this autumn are also in our November calendar.
Correct as of 16 October 2026. Sources: service-public, ACRE (page updated by the administration on 1 July 2026); decree no. 2026-69 of 6 February 2026 (legifiscal analysis); autoentrepreneur.urssaf.fr; French Social Security Code: article L131-6-4 (three years), article R131-3 (restarting an activity), articles D131-6-1 and D131-6-3 (60 days and rate); URSSAF on ACRE. If in doubt about your rate, check with URSSAF.
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