URSSAF vigilance certificate request — subcontracting over €5,000

The threshold is 5,000 EUR excl. VAT (HT) per contract, as set by Art. D8222-5 of the Labour Code and Decree n° 2011-1601 of 21 November 2011. It is assessed contract by contract — not as a running cumulative total of invoices under the same supplier relationship. If an amendment (avenant) pushes an originally sub-threshold contract above 5,000 EUR HT, the obligation arises from the date the amendment is signed, not retroactively from the contract's start.

The subcontractor logs into their professional account on urssaf.fr, under the section titled 'Mes attestations' (My certificates). If all contribution payments and declarations are current, the PDF is generated immediately: it is timestamped and includes a QR code for authenticity verification. It can then be emailed to the contracting company.

Six months from the date of issue. Under Art. D8222-5 of the Labour Code, the contracting company must request a fresh, valid certificate every six months throughout the entire duration of the contract. For an 18-month contract, that means three successive certificates must be obtained and archived. Setting calendar reminders at the point of signing — one every six months — is the simplest way to avoid inadvertent lapses and the joint liability exposure that follows.

The main sanction is financial joint-and-several liability: under Art. L8222-2 of the Labour Code, the contracting company can be held responsible for all unpaid social contributions owed by the defaulting subcontractor in connection with that contract, with no fixed statutory cap. Additionally, if the contracting company knowingly used a provider engaged in undeclared work (travail dissimulé), criminal liability under Art. L8224-1 applies: up to three years' imprisonment and a 45,000 EUR fine. Note that the criminal sanction requires proven knowledge of the concealment, not merely an oversight in checking the certificate.

Yes, without exception. Any professional — whether a micro-entrepreneur (auto-entrepreneur), a sole trader, a freelancer, or a company — must supply an URSSAF vigilance certificate as soon as the contract reaches or exceeds 5,000 EUR HT. Having no employees does not create any exemption.

Scan the QR code printed on the certificate, or enter its reference number on URSSAF's online verification portal (accessible from urssaf.fr). This online check constitutes documented proof of due diligence that can be produced in the event of an URSSAF audit or labour inspection. Save a dated screenshot of the verification page — it is the key piece of evidence that exonerates the contracting company from joint liability under Art. L8222-2.