URSSAF · Filing · Statutory deadlines · GDPR
Au pair administrative management — URSSAF filing, deadlines and checklist
The declaration of employment within 8 days, the quarterly simplified declaration, the flat-rate base as of 2026-06-01, an interactive checklist and an automated-vs-manual compliance table — amounts, deadlines and official sources.
Direct answer
Managing an au pair administratively means holding four deadlines: the written placement agreement before day one, the declaration of employment to URSSAF within 8 days, employer contributions on the flat-rate base for a "foreign family-help trainee" (EUR 689.36/month as of 2026-06-01, ≈ EUR 259.50/month, 37.64% rate), and the quarterly simplified declaration (DNS) every quarter — 30 Apr · 31 Jul · 31 Oct · 31 Jan. An au pair placement is declared neither through Cesu nor Pajemploi. The family is the employer and the only party liable; the au pair pays nothing on their pocket money.
Verified by the AuPair Connect Compliance Team · Last updated: 23/09/2026.
Not sure what an au pair exactly is? What an au pair is: definition, role & rules.
1. The administrative obligations and their deadlines
Au pair administrative management is not a single act but a sequence of deadlines, each with its statutory time limit and source. Read them in order: the agreement first, the declaration of employment within 8 days next, then the recurring obligations.
- 1
Written placement agreement
Before the stay begins
Dates, weekly hours within the national ceiling (5 h/day, 25 h/week), family or household tasks, pocket money, a private room and meals, notice and rematch terms. Signed by both parties before day one.
Source: Service-Public.fr — F13348
- 2
Declaration of employment to URSSAF
Within 8 days of hiring
This declaration registers the employer (the host family) with the URSSAF of their home address, under the "foreign family-help trainee" category. It is neither Cesu nor Pajemploi. The 8-day deadline is firm.
Source: URSSAF — particulier employeur; Légifrance CSS
- 3
Employer contributions on the flat-rate base
Calculated monthly, due quarterly
As of 2026-06-01: flat-rate base 13 × hourly SMIC/week (EUR 160.03) or 56 × hourly SMIC/month (EUR 689.36). Contributions ≈ EUR 259.50/month (≈ EUR 778.50/quarter), effective rate 37.64%. Only employer contributions are due.
Source: URSSAF — rates & scales as of 2026-06-01
- 4
Quarterly simplified declaration (DNS)
Each quarter — 30 Apr · 31 Jul · 31 Oct · 31 Jan
The DNS is returned each quarter with the contribution payment. This is the recurring deadline an administrative routine must surface without waiting: a missed quarter is regularised with surcharges.
Source: URSSAF — filing deadlines
- 5
Respecting the hour ceilings
Continuously
Family and household tasks are capped at 5 h/day and 25 h/week (European Agreement on Au Pair Placement, Strasbourg, 24/11/1969, art. 9). Exceeding them can reclassify the arrangement as domestic employment: the filing and the calculation then change entirely.
Source: Council of Europe — Strasbourg Agreement (art. 9)
- 6
Retention and archiving
Stay duration + statutory period
Keep the signed agreement, filings and payment receipts in a timestamped way. Share identity documents only over a secure channel and delete personal data once it is no longer needed (GDPR art. 5).
Source: GDPR — art. 5 (minimisation, storage limitation)
If you have not yet chosen a candidate, start with screening and vetting an au pair candidate. To budget the placement, our cost of an au pair guide breaks down every line, contributions included.
2. URSSAF in practice — the figures and their reference year
Every amount below carries its reference year and source. This is the rule we apply to all legal content: a figure without a date and a source is not publishable.
| Point | Value (2026 reference) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Declaration of employment deadline | 8 days | URSSAF — particulier employeur |
| DNS deadlines | 30 Apr · 31 Jul · 31 Oct · 31 Jan | URSSAF — filing deadlines |
| Monthly flat-rate base | EUR 689.36 (56 × hourly SMIC) | URSSAF — scales as of 2026-06-01 |
| Employer contributions | ≈ EUR 259.50/month · 37.64% rate | URSSAF — scales as of 2026-06-01 |
| Hour ceiling | 5 h/day · 25 h/week | Strasbourg Agreement (art. 9) |
The most expensive mistake
Confusing the schemes. An au pair placement is declared to URSSAF under the "foreign family-help trainee" category — not Cesu, not Pajemploi. The "au pair employee" is a distinct scheme: filing in the wrong box means an incorrect declaration you then have to correct.
To see the impact of declared hours on contributions, our cost of an au pair guide applies the same sourced flat-rate base. For the room-and-board valuation, see the pocket-money figures by country.
Indicative amounts as of 2026-06-01, subject to change with official scales. This does not replace the official URSSAF tool or accounting advice.
Official sources (verified September 2026): URSSAF — rates and scales as of 2026-06-01; URSSAF — particulier employeur (8-day declaration, DNS); Service-Public.fr F13348; Légifrance — CSS art. L133-5-6 to L133-5-12; Strasbourg Agreement (art. 9); 22 CFR §62.31; Bundesagentur für Arbeit. AuPair Connect cannot be held liable for legislative changes after the verification date nor for the interpretation of the texts cited.
3. The interactive administrative checklist
Tick each step as you go. The tick is local to your browser: nothing is sent, nothing is stored on our servers — consistent with data minimisation (GDPR art. 5).
0 of 8 steps ticked.
General checklist, not legal advice. Always confirm amounts and deadlines with URSSAF or the competent authority before the deadline.
4. Automated vs manual compliance
Automation does not change the law: it removes the oversights and calculation errors that, in turn, cost surcharges. This table honestly separates what a tool can guarantee from what remains your responsibility as employer.
| Criterion | Manual process | Automated tracking |
|---|---|---|
| Deadline reminders | Personal calendar; the 8 days and the 4 DNS dates blend together easily | Programmed reminders on each statutory deadline, through to the acknowledgement |
| Contribution calculation | Manual re-computation of the flat-rate base (13×/56× SMIC) and rate on every scale change | Calculated on the dated reference value, recomputed when the scale changes |
| Base and category | Risk of mixing "family-help trainee" and "au pair employee", Cesu and Pajemploi | Guided filing category; excluded schemes are ruled out by design |
| Document retention | Binder or scattered emails; no timestamped archive | Agreement and receipts timestamped, secure channel for personal data |
| Hour ceilings | Best-effort tracking; breaches noticed late | Alert when 5 h/day or 25 h/week is crossed |
| Legal responsibility | Remains entirely with the family as employer | Remains entirely with the family — the tool organises, it does not replace the employer |
| Edge cases | Handled case by case with URSSAF | Flagged for human arbitration; no automatic decision on a borderline case |
| GDPR angle | Collection often broader than necessary | Minimisation by default, limited retention, documented legal basis (art. 6) |
Factual comparison; no vendor named and no claim that a tool replaces the employer. The employer's legal responsibility remains entire.
The logical next step — turning these deadlines into a guided flow — arrives with compliant document automation and contract generation, for which this fiche is the entry point. Before the declaration, you first need to obtain the visa and sign the contract: see our au pair visa and contract guide.
5. Germany and the United States — where you file
Obligations are not filed in the same place in every host country. Two destinations frame the comparison.
Germany
- Written contract required before the stay begins.
- Approval from the Bundesagentur für Arbeit for third-country nationals.
- Mandatory insurance and language classes.
- Minimum pocket money ≈ EUR 280/month (EUR 280–600/month live-in per the reference framework).
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit.
United States
- J-1 programme governed by 22 CFR § 62.31.
- Placement through a designated sponsor approved by the State Department.
- Maximum 45 h/week and 10 h/day; minimum 32 h of childcare training.
- Criminal background check performed by the sponsor.
Source: 22 CFR § 62.31.
Whatever the country, the order stays the same: the written contract first, registration with the authority or sponsor next, the recurring deadlines last.
6. Personal data and GDPR
Registering an au pair means processing identity, residence and pay data. This is not an abstract burden: it is a short list of rules that, in addition, protects the au pair.
| Principle (GDPR) | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Legal basis (art. 6) | Social filings rest on a legal obligation; other processing needs a real reason you can name. |
| Minimisation (art. 5) | Collect only what the filing and tracking require — no "just in case" documents. |
| Transparency (art. 13) | State who holds the data, why, for how long, and how to access or erase it. |
| Special categories (art. 9) | Health, religion and similar data require a specific legal basis — generally best not collected at all. |
| Automated decisions (art. 22) | A decision based solely on an algorithm, with significant effect, needs a path to human review. |
| Security & retention (art. 5) | Share documents over a secure channel and delete them once the placement is settled or refused. |
Orientation summary, not legal advice. See how we handle data and reports in our safety approach.
7. Frequently asked questions about au pair administrative management
Which administrative steps must a host family complete for an au pair?
Four blocks, in order: (1) the written placement agreement (dates, hours, tasks, pocket money, room and board) signed before the stay begins; (2) the declaration of employment to URSSAF within 8 days of hiring, which registers the employer; (3) payment of employer contributions on the flat-rate base for a foreign family-help trainee; (4) the quarterly simplified declaration (DNS), returned each quarter with payment due 30 Apr, 31 Jul, 31 Oct and 31 Jan. The family is the employer and the only party liable; the au pair pays nothing on their pocket money.
What is the statutory deadline to register an au pair with URSSAF?
The declaration of employment must be filed with URSSAF within 8 days of hiring. This 8-day deadline is the first thing this fiche's regulatory review verifies. The quarterly simplified declaration (DNS) then follows, with payment due 30 April, 31 July, 31 October and 31 January. An au pair placement cannot be declared through Cesu or Pajemploi — a common point of confusion that can lead to reclassification.
How much are an au pair's URSSAF contributions in 2026?
As of 1 June 2026, the flat-rate base for a "foreign family-help trainee" is 13 × the hourly SMIC per week (EUR 160.03) or 56 × the hourly SMIC per month (EUR 689.36; hourly SMIC EUR 12.31). Total employer contributions are approximately EUR 259.50/month (≈ EUR 778.50/quarter): EUR 216.25/month for social security + autonomy solidarity + Fnal, and EUR 43.25/month for Ircem supplementary pension + CEG. The effective overall rate is 37.64%. Only employer contributions are due: the au pair owes no employee contribution, no CSG and no CRDS. Indicative, to be confirmed with the official URSSAF tool.
Must an au pair be declared through Cesu or Pajemploi?
No. An au pair or family-help trainee placement cannot be declared through Cesu or Pajemploi. The declaration is made directly to URSSAF under the "foreign family-help trainee" category. Confusing the schemes is one of the most common administrative errors: the "au pair employee" is a distinct scheme and that false friend leads to incorrect filings.
Where is the admin burden heaviest across countries?
Obligations depend on the destination. In France the family is the employer and files with URSSAF (8 days, then a quarterly DNS). In Germany a written contract is required and approval from the Bundesagentur für Arbeit is needed for third-country nationals, with mandatory insurance and a minimum pocket money (≈ EUR 280/month; EUR 280–600/month live-in per the reference frameworks). In the United States it is the J-1 programme under 22 CFR 62.31: a designated sponsor handles the placement registration. The family does not file in the same place in every country.
What happens if the declaration is late or missed?
A late declaration exposes the family to surcharges and a forced regularisation — and above all, a missing declaration can reclassify the arrangement as undeclared work. That is why the 8-day declaration is a firm deadline, not a soft formality. Where the 5 h/day or 25 h/week ceiling is exceeded, the situation may also be reclassified as domestic employment. When in doubt, always confirm with URSSAF before the deadline rather than after.
What can be automated in au pair administrative management?
What repeats and can be calculated: deadline reminders (the 8 days, the quarterly DNS), contribution calculations on the flat-rate base, timestamped retention of the signed agreement and receipts, and tracking each obligation's status. What stays human: signing the declaration, checking that an amount matches the real situation, and interpreting an edge case. Automation removes oversights and calculation errors; it does not replace the family's employer responsibility.
What personal data is processed, and how do you stay GDPR-compliant?
Registering an au pair means processing identity, residence and pay data. Under the GDPR the family or platform acts as controller: it must have a legal basis (legal obligation for social filings), collect only what is necessary (minimisation), inform the person (transparency), secure documents and delete them when no longer needed. Health or religion data are special categories (Article 9) requiring a specific basis. Any significant automated decision must leave room for human review (Article 22).
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Prepared by AuPair Connect — Compliance Team
Every legal, tax or safety detail in this content is verified by the AuPair Connect Compliance Team against official sources and dated.
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