The dismissal of an employee registered with CESU follows the same rules as that of any other employee. The dismissal letter is the central piece of the procedure: it sets the reason, triggers the notice period, and conditions the opening of rights to unemployment insurance. A poorly drafted letter exposes the individual employer to a dispute, or even to a reclassification of the dismissal.
Protections to check before drafting the letter in 2026
Before putting pen to paper, the individual employer must ensure that the employee does not benefit from temporary protection against dismissal. Since July 1, 2026, the additional birth leave also applies to employees paid via CESU or Pajemploi. If the childcare provider or home assistant is in this leave period, the date of sending the letter must be postponed, under penalty of nullity.
The situation of a parent of a seriously ill or disabled child is another case for caution. Dismissing an employee going through this situation exposes the employer to the risk of reclassification as an unfair dismissal. The letter should never be sent during a suspension period of the contract related to these family reasons.
An individual employer who wishes to have a CESU dismissal letter template should check these points even before starting the drafting process.
Mandatory mentions in the CESU dismissal letter
The collective agreement of the sector for individual employers precisely regulates the content of the letter. Each missing mention can be held against the employer in case of a dispute. Here are the elements that the letter must necessarily include:
- The reason for the dismissal, formulated precisely and materially verifiable: simple misconduct, serious misconduct, job elimination, employer relocation, entry into a nursing home. Documented and dated facts strengthen the validity of the reason.
- A reminder of the date of the preliminary meeting and the mention that the employee was able to express themselves during this meeting. This reference proves that the procedure was respected.
- The duration of the applicable notice period (calculated based on the employee’s seniority) or, in the case of serious misconduct, an express mention of the waiver of notice.
- The employee’s rights regarding final settlement: severance pay, compensatory paid leave, work certificate, and France Travail certificate.
Omitting the reason or remaining vague (for example, writing “for personal reasons” without specifying which) transforms a dismissal for real and serious cause into a dismissal without cause, with the financial consequences that this implies.
Deadline for sending and form of notification
The dismissal letter must be sent by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt. The notification can only occur from the fourth working day following the preliminary meeting. Working days are from Monday to Saturday, excluding Sundays and public holidays. The day of the meeting itself does not count in this calculation.
The date of the first presentation of the registered letter sets the starting point of the notice period. It is also this date that serves as proof for the opening of rights to unemployment insurance. In 2026, the increase in the maximum daily allowance reinforces the importance of correctly dating the letter: an error of a few days can delay the employee’s compensation.
Notice period according to the employee’s seniority at home
The duration of the notice period directly depends on the employee’s seniority with the individual employer. The letter must explicitly mention this duration.
| Seniority | Notice Period Duration |
|---|---|
| Less than 6 months | 1 week |
| From 6 months to less than 2 years | 1 month |
| 2 years and more | 2 months |
In the case of serious misconduct, the notice is not due. The employee leaves their position upon receipt of the letter. In the case of a waiver of notice decided by the employer (excluding serious misconduct), the compensatory notice pay remains due.
Reference salary and severance pay: pitfalls to avoid
The conventional minimums for home employees were revalued in 2025. When drafting the letter in 2026, the individual employer must check that the reference salary used to calculate the severance pay complies with the current amounts. Fixing a salary below the conventional minimums in the final settlement exposes the employer to a salary adjustment.
The severance pay is calculated based on the gross remuneration of the last months worked. The calculation most favorable to the employee must be retained between the average of the last twelve months and that of the last three months. This point does not appear in the letter itself, but the final amount is included in the final settlement receipt, a document that the letter announces.
Documents to provide with the CESU contract termination letter
The dismissal letter does not travel alone. At the end of the notice period (or immediately in the case of serious misconduct), the employer provides the employee with several documents:
- The work certificate, mentioning the start and end dates of the contract as well as the nature of the job held.
- The France Travail certificate, essential for the employee to assert their rights to unemployment insurance. The individual employer generates it from their online CESU space.
- The final settlement receipt, detailing the amounts paid to the employee (severance pay, compensatory paid leave, last salary).
A delay in providing these documents can engage the employer’s liability and delay the compensation of the dismissed employee.
Drafting a CESU dismissal letter relies on three pillars: a precise and verifiable reason, strict adherence to the timeline (preliminary meeting, notification period, notice), and consistency between the reference salary and updated conventional minimums. Every detail matters, as this letter will be the first examined in case of a dispute before the labor court.