Direct payment in France: getting support paid by the employer or the bank
The fastest route when you know where the paying parent’s income is paid.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy
Direct payment (“paiement direct”) lets a parent who is not receiving child support be paid by a third party holding the paying parent’s money: typically their employer or their bank. All it takes is an enforceable title and a single day’s delay. A commissaire de justice, the French court officer who handles enforcement, notifies the third party within eight days; the third party has eight days to reply and then pays support each month directly to the receiving parent. The procedure also covers arrears, but only those of the 6 months before notification, paid in 12 equal instalments. Example: €300 of support unpaid for four months gives €1,200 of arrears, a deduction of €400 a month for a year, current support included. The paying parent bears the costs.
What the employer will withhold each month
Monthly deduction for 12 months
€400
| Arrears covered (6 months at most) | €1,200 |
| Current support | €300 |
| Afterwards, each month | €300 |
The steps and their time limits
| Step | Who | Time limit |
|---|---|---|
| Hand over the title, the statement and information on the paying parent | the receiving parent, to the commissaire de justice | from the first missed payment |
| Notify the third party (employer, bank…) and inform the paying parent | the commissaire de justice | 8 days |
| Acknowledge and say whether payment is possible | the third party | 8 days after notification |
| Pay support and the spread arrears | the third party | every month, arrears over 12 months |
What to give the commissaire de justice
The original judgment or agreement, a statement of sums owed and all useful information about the paying parent: identity, address, employer’s address, social security number. If the receiving parent does not know the paying parent’s or employer’s address, the commissaire de justice asks the bodies required to provide it, including the tax administration and social security. A precise statement, indexation included, avoids disputes: the arrears tool prepares it.
What direct payment does not cover
Arrears older than 6 months remain owed but must be recovered another way: through ARIPA, which goes back up to 5 years, or by seizing wages or a bank account. Direct payment also fails when the paying parent has no employer, account or identifiable income in France; if they live abroad, the route is the recovery office described on parent abroad.
Direct payment or ARIPA: how to choose
The two are not exclusive, but they suit different situations. Direct payment fits when you know the employer or bank and want a quick effect: there is no CAF file and no prior processing. ARIPA fits better when the debt is old, when you do not know the paying parent’s situation, or when you want no contact at all: it goes further back, indexes support and, for a single parent, advances the ASF. Either way, the enforceable title is essential.
| Support | 2 months unpaid | 4 months | 6 months or more |
|---|---|---|---|
| €150 | €175 | €200 | €225 |
| €250 | €292 | €333 | €375 |
| €400 | €467 | €533 | €600 |
| €600 | €700 | €800 | €900 |
Beyond six months the monthly deduction stops rising: the extra arrears fall outside direct payment and must be claimed through another procedure.
What it looks like on a payslip
For the paying parent, direct payment shows up as a deduction made by the employer, who then pays the receiving parent. The employer has no choice once properly notified: it must comply or face a fine. For the receiving parent, payments start arriving from a new source, the employer or the bank, at the rhythm of pay. Both parents should keep the notification letters: they state the amount of current support, the arrears covered and the monthly sum, and they are the reference if a dispute arises later about what has been paid.
Objections by the paying parent
The paying parent can object before the enforcement judge at the court for their home address, for example if they think the statement is wrong or the support already paid. An objection does not suspend payments: the third party keeps paying until the judge rules. A paying parent whose income has genuinely fallen should instead ask the family judge for a review of the amount.