What career-change support is available in France in 2026?

September 26, 2026 · 14 min read

Career-change aid in France pays for two very different things: the cost of your training, and your income while you train. Never mix the two up — that is where most applications fall apart.

In short

Everything starts with a career development counselling session (CEP): free, open to everyone, no conditions. Here are the 2026 amounts, a comparison table, and the procedure, step by step.

Training costs: CPF (€500/year, €5,000 cap), Projet de transition professionnelle (PTP), AIF, reconversion period, VAE, skills assessment.
Income during training: AREF (= your ARE amount), RFFT (up to €775.65/month), RFF, ASP.
Another route: the resignation scheme opens ARE after you resign to retrain, with ARCE at 60% of remaining rights (45% for rights opened before 1 July 2023), paid in two instalments.

Which aid applies to your career change in 2026

Two families of aid, and they are not the same. On one side, schemes that pay for training (CPF, PTP, AIF, reconversion period, VAE). On the other, schemes that replace your salary while you train (AREF, RFFT, RFF, ASP). A strong file often ticks both boxes.

How to read this table: start with the “Who it is for” column. Your status (employee, jobseeker, future founder) decides most of the aid you can claim. Duration and type of training do the rest.

Scheme	Who it is for	What it funds	2026 amount	How to get it
CPF	Any working person, employee or jobseeker	Tuition, skills assessment, VAE, certified training	€500/year, €5,000 cap (€800/year and €8,000 for people without a qualification and people with a disability)	On your own, via Mon Compte Formation
PTP	Permanent employee (24 months' seniority including 12 in the company) or fixed-term employee	Tuition and pay during training	Costs covered by the CPIR + salary maintained at a percentage	Application via Transitions Pro, with the CEP
AIF	Jobseeker registered with France Travail, with or without benefits	Top-up for tuition not covered elsewhere	The remaining cost, decided case by case	Agreement from your adviser, as part of the PPAE
Reconversion period (formerly Pro-A)	Any private-sector employee, no seniority requirement	Certified training, in-house or at another company	Covered by the OPCO; CPF can be used	Written employee/employer agreement (Cerfa)
Resignation scheme	Private-sector permanent employee, 5 years of continuous work	Opens ARE after a resignation for a career change	ARE according to your rights	Project validated by the CPIR, register with France Travail within 6 months
ARCE	Founder or business buyer receiving benefits	Start-up capital to launch the activity	60% of remaining ARE rights (45% under the old rules), in 2 payments	Request from France Travail, with ACRE
AREF	Jobseeker on benefits, in training of more than 40 hours	Income during training	= gross ARE amount, net floor €22.99/day	Automatic once you enrol in training
RFFT (formerly RFPE)	Jobseeker not on benefits, approved training	Income during training	€775.65/month (26 and over), €566.17 (18–25), up to €2,188.27 with a disability	Automatic, form from France Travail
RFF / R2F	End of ARE or ASP rights during training	Extends income until the end of training	Cap of €775.65/month	Request from France Travail, reply in 21 days

The CPF (Compte Personnel de Formation)

The CPF is the foundation of any career-change funding. It is topped up by €500 a year if you work at least half-time, up to a €5,000 cap. For employees without a qualification and people with a disability, the account rises to €800 a year, capped at €8,000.

Your CPF follows you. Change of employer, unemployment — it stays available. And it can be combined with training already planned in your company's skills-development plan.

The out-of-pocket fee rose to €150 in April 2026 (it was €100 before). It is waived if you receive an employer top-up, an OPCO top-up, or if you use your professional prevention account (C2P).
Caps by type of training have applied since 26 February 2026: €1,500 for the specific register (CACES, TOEIC, authorisations), €1,600 for a skills assessment, €900 for a category-B driving licence.
A driving licence can only be funded with at least €100 of co-funding, unless you are a jobseeker.

The Projet de Transition Professionnelle (PTP)

PTP is the most complete scheme in the system, because it pays for the training and pays you a salary. It is aimed at permanent employees with 24 months of salaried work, including 12 months in the current company. On a fixed-term contract, the rule is 24 months over the last 5 years, including 4 months on a fixed-term contract in the last 12. Some groups are exempt: workers with a disability, employees made redundant for economic reasons or unfitness.

On the budget side: tuition is covered by the regional inter-professional joint commission (the CPIR, run by Transitions Pro), and you receive a percentage of your salary for the entire duration of the training.

The file is prepared with your CEP, and you must submit your leave request at least 60 days before training starts, or 120 days if it lasts more than six months. The CPIR annual envelope is limited: a refusal because the budget is exhausted is possible. Have a plan B (CPF + AIF).

Reform to watch: in September 2026 the Ministry of Labour announced a CPF out-of-pocket fee that could reach €350 for training judged non-priority. Nothing is confirmed yet for 2027. Read the conditions before you approve a quote.

AIF and funding through France Travail

AIF is the top-up that unlocks stalled files. It is aimed at jobseekers registered with France Travail, with or without benefits, and covers the remaining tuition that other funders have not taken on.

Three conditions: the training must be validated by your adviser in your personalised back-to-work plan (PPAE), directly linked to your project, and consistent with the local labour market. AIF can top up a CPF you have already used, but it never covers enrolment fees, equipment, or exam fees.

France Travail has two other little-known boosts: mobility aid (travel, accommodation) and AGEPI, which covers part of childcare costs during training.

The resignation scheme and ARCE

You want to leave and retrain, without waiting to be made redundant? The resignation scheme has existed since 2019 and is still open. Conditions: be on a private-sector permanent contract, prove 5 years (1,300 days) of continuous salaried work over the last 60 months, and have a real, serious career-change project.

The step everyone misses: you must contact a CEP before you resign. If counselling comes after, the project is not admissible. Then the CPIR validates the project, and you register with France Travail within 6 months of the notification.

If your project is starting or taking over a business, you can choose ARCE instead of keeping ARE. It represents 60% of your remaining ARE rights for a right opened since 1 July 2023 (45% for rights opened before that date). Payment comes in two instalments: half at launch, the other six months later, if the activity is still running and you are not on a full-time permanent contract.

In concrete terms: €40 of ARE a day, 518 days of remaining rights, that is 40 × 518 × 0.60 = €12,432, or €12,059 after the 3% deduction for complementary pension. ARCE also assumes you benefit from ACRE (social-charge exemption in the first year).

Aid during training: RFFT, RFF, AREF, ASP

During training, your income hangs on one question: are you receiving ARE or not?

AREF: you were receiving ARE and you enter approved training of more than 40 hours. AREF equals the gross amount of your ARE, with a net floor of €22.99 a day. It is exempt from CSG and CRDS.
RFFT (formerly RFPE): you were not on benefits. The old RFPE, capped at €712.40/month, became France Travail training pay. The scale rises to €775.65 a month from age 26, €566.17 from 18 to 25, €226.48 under 18, and up to €2,188.27 for a worker with a disability. Paid for up to 3 years.
RFF (or R2F): your ARE rights run out before the end of training. RFF takes over, based on your last daily amount, with a cap of €775.65/month. France Travail replies in 21 days.
ASP: the professional-security allowance, reserved for economic redundancies, becomes ASP-Formation during training.

VAE, skills assessment, Pro-A, mobility leave, PMSMP, Agefiph

Some career-change aid does not pay for a classic course, but funds a decisive step. If your training is funded by the regional council, also ask about RSFP, pay for vocational-training trainees.

VAE: have your experience recognised by a diploma or title. You no longer need to prove at least one year of experience. VAE leave is 48 hours per assessment session, paid. Funded by the CPF (with the €150 contribution) or by Transitions Pro, on a flat €2,000 basis.
Skills assessment: 24 hours maximum, usable on the CPF up to €1,600, with a 5-year waiting period if you have already had one funded with public money.
Pro-A: it no longer exists for new files since 1 January 2026. It is replaced by the reconversion period, open to all private-sector employees with no seniority requirement, for a maximum of 12 months (150 to 450 hours, extendable to 36 months and 2,100 hours by a sector agreement). Costs are covered by the OPCO.
Mobility leave: provided by a company collective agreement, it lets you leave a permanent contract by mutual agreement with support. The allowance is at least 65% of average gross pay over the last 12 months, with a floor of €1,586.96 a month on a 35-hour basis.
PMSMP: a work-trial period of 1 day to 1 month, renewable once. You are neither an employee nor paid, but it is a way to test a job before you invest in training.
Agefiph: for people with a disability, training aid can cover up to 100% of tuition if no other funding is available. Alongside that: €3,150 for welcome and integration, €530 for support toward employment, €3,000 to start a business.

How to apply, step by step

Check this before you start. The amounts in this article are those described for 2026, and they move: the CPF contribution went from €100 to €150 in April 2026, a rise to €350 is under review, and pay scales are revalued. Confirm the figures on France Travail, service-public.fr and Mon Compte Formation before you sign a quote or resign.

Clarify the project with a CEP. It is free and unconditional. France Travail if you are a jobseeker, APEC if you are an executive, Mission locale from 16 to 25, Cap emploi if you have a disability, and Avenir Actifs for private-sector employees and the self-employed.
Choose certified training. Check its sheet on France Compétences: a title listed on the RNCP opens more rights (RFF, PTP) than a simple attendance certificate.
Price the funding. Add CPF, PTP or AIF, plus OPCO or regional top-ups. Spot the hole in the budget before you sign the quote.
File the right application in the right place. Mon Compte Formation for the CPF, Transitions Pro for a PTP or a resignation-to-retrain, your France Travail adviser for AIF, a Cerfa with your employer for the reconversion period.
Anticipate the delays. At least 60 days before training starts for PTP leave, 120 days beyond six months, 21 days for an RFF reply, one month for the first ARCE payment after acceptance.
Secure your income. Ask explicitly which scheme will pay you during training: AREF, RFFT, RFF or ASP.

After the career change, the application

Once the project is funded and training is in sight, the step people prepare too late remains: applying. The CV generator and the cover-letter generator give you a first draft. Jobshift then adapts that file to each opening: you keep a short gesture, instead of filling a different form for every posting.

If your project is already a career change, the Jobshift for career change page explains how matching handles a path that switches jobs.

Prepare your applications after training

See roles that match your new career

FAQ

Which aid is there for a career change with no funding?

Start with your CPF: it is already there, even if you have not worked much. If it is not enough, France Travail's AIF tops up remaining tuition, and RFFT pays you an income if you are not on benefits. If you have five years of seniority on a permanent contract, the resignation scheme opens ARE.

Can you combine several schemes?

Yes, and it is often essential. The CPF combines with an OPCO, regional or Agefiph top-up, and AIF can cover what is left. You cannot stack two training incomes, though: AREF, RFFT, RFF and ASP do not overlap — they follow on from each other according to your rights.

How long does a PTP application take?

Allow two to four months between the first CEP meeting and the decision. The file must be submitted at least 60 days before training starts, 120 days if it lasts more than six months.

What happens to my unemployment benefits if I train?

They do not stop — they change name. ARE becomes AREF during training, for the same gross amount, with a net floor of €22.99 a day. If your rights run out before the end, RFF takes over until the finish.

Who should I contact first?

Career development counselling (CEP). It is free, open to everyone, and it is what prepares the PTP file, the resignation-to-retrain, and your eligibility. For a private-sector employee, that is Avenir Actifs; for a jobseeker, France Travail.