Home / Business owners & succession / Business leaders
Company directors
Manager: Getting money out of your company at the right cost.
Salary, dividends, employee savings plans, company-funded retirement: every euro that passes from your company to your personal assets has a different tax and social security cost. We calculate it, then we prepare the sale or transfer.
The four levers
Four ways to pay you, four different costs.
Deductible from the company's profit, taxed according to the standard rate after the 10% allowance. It entitles the holder to retirement benefits and set your PER ceiling : 10 % of professional income (article 163 quatervicies of the CGI).
31.4% In 2026, no social security contributions in SAS. In SARL, the share exceeding 10 % of the capital and current accounts bears the contributions of the majority manager (article L. 131-6 of the Social Security Code).
In a company with 1 to 250 employees, the manager can benefit. Matching contribution up to 16 % of the social security ceiling on a PERECO and 8 % on a PEE, up to three times your contributions, without social security contribution for companies with fewer than 50 employees.
A self-employed manager can deduct their pension contributions up to €11,534.40 in 2026 (article 154 bis of the CGI). The salaried manager is covered by a collective agreement of the company.
Worked example
A PER at 41 %: €8,200 less tax each year.
A 55-year-old married president of a simplified joint-stock company (SAS), earning €250,000 per year, in the income bracket... 41%. His company distributes little, he saves in a securities account.
His gains on securities account are taxed at 31.4 %, and nothing reduces the tax on his salary. His retirement as a leader will replace a small portion of his current income.
Contribute €20,000 per year to a PER (Retirement Savings Plan), within the deduction limit (Article 163 quatervicies of the French General Tax Code). Upon retirement, when your tax bracket has decreased, the contributions will be taxed according to the applicable income tax scale.
€8,200 less tax Each year, €82,000 over the ten years leading up to retirement, and a lump sum or annuity on the date he chooses.
To cede or to transfer
The rules changed on February 21, 2026.
Contributing your shares to a holding company before the sale defers the capital gain (Article 150-0 B ter of the French General Tax Code). Since 2026: 70 % of the price reinvested in 3 years, held for 5 years, excluding real estate and financial activities.
The Dutreil agreement exempts 75% of the value of the securities (Article 787 B of the French General Tax Code). Since February 21, 2026, each heir is committed to 6 years, and assets unrelated to the business are excluded.
The surplus cash can be invested in the company's name, without being subject to your personal tax. We invest it without freezing it The company must be able to take it back.
Frequently asked questions
What clients ask us.
Salary or dividends: which to choose?
Neither option is inherently better. Salary incurs social security contributions but grants pension rights and increases the PER (Retirement Savings Plan) ceiling; dividends are taxed at 31.4% in 2026 (Article 200 A of the French General Tax Code), with social security contributions for SARLs (limited liability companies) exceeding 10% of the capital. We calculate the costs for both, based on your tax bracket and status.
When should I prepare to sell my business?
Before signing anything with a buyer: the contribution to a holding company must precede the sale (Article 150-0 B ter of the French General Tax Code). Since 2026, the holding company has 3 years to reinvest 70% of the sale price. Allow at least one year before the sale.
Is the Dutreil pact still worthwhile in 2026?
Yes: 75% of the value of the securities is exempt from tax (Article 787 B of the French General Tax Code). For a company with a value of €4 million, only €1 million is included in the calculation. Since February 21, 2026, the individual commitment period has been extended to 6 years, and assets unrelated to the business are excluded: now is the time to review any existing agreements.
Can my company finance my retirement?
Yes, through a mandatory PER (formerly Article 83) or through employer contributions to a PERECO, up to €7,689.60 in 2026. These amounts are tax-deductible for the company. Our simulator calculates what your company can contribute.
