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Social insurance · France

Mise en demeure URSSAF — one month, then a contrainte

This is the step that must come before enforced recovery of social contributions. One month after it was notified, the URSSAF may issue a contrainte — a document that carries the effects of a judgment unless it is opposed in its own short period.

How serious: enforcement closeAlso called: mise en demeure URSSAF, MED, mise en demeure de cotisations

Article R244-1 of the Code de la sécurité sociale fixes the contents: the cause, nature and amount of the sums claimed, the majorations and pénalités that apply to them, and the period they relate to.

The same article gives the consequence: where the demand remains without effect at the end of one month from its notification, the directors of the creditor bodies may issue a contrainte.

A second clock runs alongside. Article R142-1 gives two months from the notification to bring the matter before the commission de recours amiable — the step that has to be taken before any court.

Who sends it

An URSSAF, or another body collecting social contributions — the MSA for the agricultural scheme, a CGSS overseas.

A letter from an URSSAF headed 'mise en demeure', with the compte cotisant number, the cause and nature of the sums claimed, the amounts split between cotisations, majorations de retard and pénalités, the periods concerned, and a paragraph on the recours before the commission de recours amiable.

The deadline

one month from the notification to put the account right; two months for the recours amiable

One month from the notification before a contrainte may be issued (Code de la sécurité sociale, art. R244-1), and two months from that same notification to bring the matter before the commission de recours amiable (art. R142-1). Two different dates, both counted from when the letter reached the cotisant.

If you do nothing

After one month without effect, a contrainte may be issued. A contrainte that is not opposed within its own short period carries the effects of a judgment and can be enforced without going back to a court.

Compute your date

The rule above is what the law sets. Put in the dates on your own letter and it becomes a date.

How it escalates

  1. 01A contrainte may be issued once a month has passed from the notification without effect (art. R244-1).
  2. 02A contrainte not opposed in time has the effects of a judgment and can be enforced directly.
  3. 03Majorations de retard continue to accrue on the contributions claimed.
  4. 04The window for the commission de recours amiable closes two months after the notification (art. R142-1).

Your options, procedurally

  • Pay the sums claimed within the month.
  • Ask the URSSAF in writing, inside the month, for a délai de paiement.
  • Bring a recours before the commission de recours amiable within two months of the notification.
  • Ask for a remise of the majorations de retard — a separate request from contesting the contributions.
  • Take advice: after the month a contrainte can issue, and opposing one is shorter and stricter.

How to respond

The procedure below is what each step requires and by when. Whether the contributions are owed is a separate question from how the deadlines run.

Response types

  • Recours before the commissionRecours before the commission de recours amiable · Code de la sécurité sociale, article R142-1
  • Ask for a payment planRequest for a délai de paiement
  • Ask for a remise of surchargesRequest for a remise of the majorations de retard
  • Pay, or show a payment madePayment of the sums demanded, or a record of a payment already made

Where and how

  • A lettre recommandée avec avis de réception to the URSSAF, for anything that needs a provable date.
  • The online space on urssaf.fr, which records the date and keeps the history.
  • Ordinary post, which proves nothing.
  • The URSSAF number on the demand — useful for a plan, but ask for it in writing.

What to attach

  • A copy of the mise en demeure.
  • Proof of the payments or declarations relied on.
  • A statement of income and outgoings, or the business's figures, where time to pay is asked for.
  • Earlier correspondence with the URSSAF on the same periods.

What makes it count

Both periods run from the notification of the demand: one month for what stops a contrainte, two months for the commission de recours amiable. Neither is counted from the date the letter was written.

Common questions

Is one month or two the deadline?

Both, for different things. One month is when a contrainte becomes possible (art. R244-1). Two months is the limit for the recours before the commission de recours amiable (art. R142-1). Lodging the recours does not stop the first clock.

What is a contrainte?

The document the URSSAF may issue after the month. Unless it is opposed within its own period, it carries the effects of a judgment and is enforceable without a court hearing the matter.

Can I ask for a payment plan?

Yes, in writing and inside the month. It concerns how the contributions are paid, not whether they are owed. Ask for the answer in writing, because the month runs on while it is considered.

Do I have to go to the commission before a court?

Yes. The recours before the commission de recours amiable is a recours préalable obligatoire under article R142-1 — the step required before the matter can reach a court.

Sources

Facts verified against the sources below on 10 September 2026.