French Simplified Joint-Stock Company (SASU)
Simplified joint-stock company · France
Quick answer
A French SASU is the single-shareholder form of the SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée), valued for its governance flexibility and investor familiarity, registered through the guichet-unique portal. Standard corporate tax is 25% with a 15% reduced rate on the first EUR 42,500 for qualifying SMEs, but high employer social charges and administratively demanding accounting are common realities. This is informational only, not legal or tax advice.
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- Liability
- Limited (shareholder)
- Tax model
- 25% standard / 15% SME band
- Non-resident suitability
- Moderate
- Typically best for
- Solo founders targeting the EU
Common founder use cases
- Solo founders wanting a flexible, investor-ready French entity
- Companies targeting the French and wider EU market
- R&D-intensive founders who may use the CIR credit or JEI status
Who it is usually good for
- Founders who want governance flexibility and investor familiarity
- Companies that can use French R&D incentives such as the CIR
Who it is not ideal for
- Founders seeking low payroll and social-charge overhead
- Founders who want minimal ongoing compliance
What this structure is
The single-shareholder SAS — flexible and investor-friendly governance for an EU base; heavy social charges and French-language administration are the trade-offs.
Ownership
A SASU has a single shareholder (the SAS is the multi-shareholder form). Ownership and governance are flexible and set out in the statutes; non-residents can own and direct it.
Liability overview
The shareholder's liability is generally limited to their contribution. The company is a separate legal person.
Tax treatment overview
Standard corporate tax (Impôt sur les Sociétés) is 25%, with a 15% reduced rate on the first EUR 42,500 of taxable profits for qualifying SMEs. Standard VAT (TVA) is 20%, with intermediate and reduced rates for designated categories.
Formation / registration overview
Registration is consolidated through the formalités.entreprises.gouv.fr single-window portal (guichet-unique). Total elapsed time is commonly one to three weeks once statutes and capital deposit are complete.
Capital
There is no meaningful minimum capital for a SASU; it can be formed with a nominal amount, with a portion paid on formation.
Administration & annual compliance
Annual accounts are filed with the commercial court registry (Greffe), and accounting follows the Plan Comptable Général.
Compliance
The IS corporate tax return is filed within three months of fiscal year end, with monthly or quarterly VAT returns depending on turnover.
Banking & payment considerations
Incumbent French banks and digital challengers such as Qonto, Shine, and Revolut Business serve SAS/SASU entities; non-resident director onboarding is slower at incumbents.
Non-resident founder considerations
Non-residents can own and direct a SASU, and challenger banks ease account opening, but social-charge administration and French-language procedures make local support practically important once hiring. Verify with a qualified advisor.
Hiring & payroll considerations
Employer-side URSSAF, retirement, and health contributions can add roughly 40-45% on top of gross salary, among the highest in the EU. A SASU president's social treatment depends on remuneration.
Dissolution
Dissolution involves a liquidation procedure, settling liabilities, deregistration, and final tax filings.
Lifecycle
French Simplified Joint-Stock Company (SASU) — typical lifecycle
Formation / registration
Registration is consolidated through the formalités.entreprises.gouv.fr single-window portal (guichet-unique). Total elapsed time is commonly one to three weeks once statutes and capital deposit are complete.Capital & ownership
There is no meaningful minimum capital for a SASU; it can be formed with a nominal amount, with a portion paid on formation.Operation & annual compliance
Annual accounts are filed with the commercial court registry (Greffe), and accounting follows the Plan Comptable Général.Dissolution
Dissolution involves a liquidation procedure, settling liabilities, deregistration, and final tax filings.
Founder fit (France)
Computed from the published jurisdiction scorers for France — weighted composites, not entity-specific promises.
Common mistakes
- Budgeting payroll on gross salary and ignoring employer social charges
- Overlooking CIR or JEI incentives the business may qualify for
- Treating the SASU as administratively light when reporting is demanding
FAQ
- What is the difference between a SAS and a SASU?
- They are the same form; a SASU is simply a SAS with a single shareholder. Both offer flexible, statute-defined governance that founders and investors commonly favour over the more rigid SARL.
- How heavy are French social charges for a SASU?
- Employer-side social charges can add roughly 40-45% on top of gross salary, making the loaded cost of hiring substantially higher than headline pay. This is informational only.
Related
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Insights
Sources
- Guichet unique des formalités des entreprises (INPI) — French company formalities portal (guichet unique) (accessed )Covers: France's single-window portal for company formation and business formalities, operated by INPI.Why it matters: Official reference for French company (SAS/SASU/SARL) registration formalities.
- Direction Générale des Finances Publiques — Direction Générale des Finances Publiques — France (accessed )
- European Commission — European Commission — policy and country information (accessed ; reviewed )Covers: EU policy framework including the VAT One-Stop-Shop and single-market rules.Does not cover: Member-state-specific reduced rates, national thresholds, or non-EU jurisdictions.Why it matters: Used for EU/EEA market-access and VAT-OSS framing referenced across rankings and guides.Review cadence: On policy change; re-checked each data review.
- OECD — OECD — economic and tax statistics (accessed ; reviewed )Covers: Comparable corporate tax, statutory rate, and economic indicators across member and partner economies.Does not cover: Effective tax rates, deductions and incentives, local surtaxes, and personal residency rules.Why it matters: Used as a cross-country baseline to sanity-check rates against primary tax-authority figures.Review cadence: Annual, plus on major statutory changes.
- PricewaterhouseCoopers — PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries (accessed ; reviewed )Covers: Corporate income tax, VAT, and dividend withholding rates across most covered jurisdictions.Does not cover: Your specific effective rate, bespoke incentives, rulings, or transactions requiring professional advice.Why it matters: Used to triangulate rates against primary tax-authority sources, not as the sole authority.Review cadence: Updated by the publisher per tax year; re-checked each data review.
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