Early release of employee savings: authorized cases and deadlines

According to the French government's public service website, funds invested in a PEE (Employee Savings Plan) are unavailable for five years from the date of each deposit. You can withdraw them earlier in a list of specific situations: marriage, birth of a third child, termination of employment, purchase of a primary residence, and others. The request must generally be made within six months of the event. For certain reasons, it can be made at any time.

The funds released in these cases are exempt from income tax. Social security contributions are levied on the portion of the plan's income.

This page covers the PEE (Employee Savings Plan) in detail, followed by a shorter overview of the Perco (Collective Retirement Savings Plan) and the PER (Company Retirement Savings Plan). It does not address free or option shares held within a PEE, the situation of non-residents, social security contribution rates, or the processing time of your application by the administrator.

The principle: 5 years, starting from each payment

According to the public service information sheet on early withdrawal, funds, whether from profit-sharing, incentive bonuses, or voluntary contributions, are unavailable for five years from the date of each contribution. This period does not begin from the plan's opening. A company savings plan (PEE) funded by contributions in 2021, 2023, and 2025 has three different availability dates. Early withdrawal allows access to funds that are still within the five-year period.

PEE: Situations that allow for early withdrawal

Here are the situations presented by service-public for the PEE, the group PEE (PEG) and the inter-company PEE (PEI).

Some details from the official page:

• Clean vehicle The categories covered are M1 category vehicles, vans, two- or three-wheeled vehicles, and quadricycles. The vehicle must have electricity, hydrogen, or a combination of both as its sole energy source. Hybrid vehicles are excluded. Bicycles must be new.
• Extension of the main residence : it is accompanied by a building permit or a prior declaration.
• Energy renovation : the eligibility of the work is verified with a FranceRénov advisor.
• Acquisition of the main residence : it must be done directly in the name of the PEE holder, and not by a real estate company.

The deadlines: 6 months or at any time

Choosing the right reason and the date of the event therefore determines the timeframe you have available. For a wedding, a birth, or a purchase, the 6-month period applies.

In case of death

No time limit is imposed on beneficiaries to request the release of funds. A 6-month period from the date of death applies in one case: if the release results in the sale of the securities, the request must be made within 6 months of the death to benefit from the capital gains tax exemption.

The approach

1. Identify the pattern and the date of the event.
2. Submit the request to the organization that manages the PEE on behalf of the company.
3. Attach proof of the event. The documents listed by service-public.fr (for example, marriage certificate or family record book, death certificate, work certificate, preliminary sales agreement or deed of sale, vehicle invoice) are for illustrative purposes only. The required documents vary depending on the event.

According to service-public, participation recorded in a blocked current account of the company follows the same events, the same deadlines, the same supporting documents and the same taxation as the PEE.

Taxation of the release

For a PEE (Employee Savings Plan), the French government's public service website indicates that funds withdrawn early are exempt from income tax. The information sheet on PEEs specifies that social security contributions are levied on the portion corresponding to the income generated by the plan, and that these contributions are deducted by the plan manager. The rate is not listed on this page; you should verify it with your plan manager.

The official government information sheet on employee savings plans states that, for profit-sharing and employee participation bonuses held in an employee savings plan, the exemption requires that the funds remain locked in for the duration of the plan, and that if this period is not respected, the funds are taxable. For specific details regarding your situation, please check with your plan administrator.

Collective company retirement savings plans (PERCO and PER)

The PERCO (Company Retirement Savings Plan) can no longer be implemented in companies since October 1, 2020. Some plans still exist. The PER d'entreprise collectif (Company Collective Retirement Savings Plan) has replaced it.

Two points specific to the group retirement savings plan (PER collectif): Mandatory contributions cannot be withdrawn to purchase a primary residence. And, in the event of death, beneficiaries have six months to retain the capital gains tax exemption on the sale of securities.

The PEE (Employee Savings Plan) offers more scenarios than the Perco (Collective Retirement Savings Plan) and the PER collectif (Group Retirement Savings Plan). Marriage, the birth of a third child, termination of employment, and the purchase of a clean vehicle are not included in the lists of Perco and PER collectif scenarios presented by service-public.fr.

Numerical example (fictitious profile)

Situation. Sophie is an employee and holds a company savings plan (PEE) funded by three voluntary contributions: €4,000 on March 12, 2021, €3,000 on April 20, 2023, and €2,500 on April 25, 2025, for a total of €9,500 in contributions (not including earnings). She is getting married on September 5, 2026.

Issue. As of this date, what sums are still blocked, and until when can she request their release?

Strategy. Apply two rules: 5 years from each payment, and the claim must be submitted within 6 months of the event. The calculation is based on the dates and amounts of the payments.

Result.

As of September 5, 2026, €5,500 in payments are still frozen. and €4,000 are already available. The marriage opens a case for releasing the funds. The 6-month period leads to approximately March 5, 2027, through a calculation of "date of the event plus 6 months": the way the manager calculates the period is confirmed with him.

If Sophie left her company on the same date, the reason would be a breach of the employment contract: the request could then be made at any time.

This profile is fictitious. The dates and amounts are hypothetical. The calculation does not take into account earnings or social security contributions, the rate of which is not shown on this page: please verify this with your account manager. The figures illustrate the mechanism and do not reflect your specific situation.

What changes depending on your situation

• The pattern and the date of the event: they set the 6-month deadline or the absence of a deadline.
• The type of plan : PEE, Perco or collective company PER do not have the same list.
• The origin of the sums, particularly in a collective PER (voluntary contributions, employee savings, mandatory contributions).
• The dates of your payments Some funds may already be available.
• The documents required by your manager.

The rule depends on your situation and must be examined on a case-by-case basis. No results are guaranteed.