Self-employed: how to finance your training?

There's a lot of talk about in-company training and the CPF, but many auto-entrepreneurs are unaware that they can also obtain financial assistance for training. Micro-entrepreneurs or freelancers: do you know that you now have access to a CPF? Do you know how much of your training budget is dedicated to you each year? Here's some key information on how you too can benefit from training!

F, P, C: three letters for two very different financing schemes.

1. Professional training contribution (CFP)

As every auto-entrepreneur knows, as soon as they declare a turnover, they must also pay their social security contributions. Payment of this CFP contribution entitles you to continuing professional training.
URSAFF can provide you with a certificate of payment of this contribution. Don't worry, your training rights will be much higher than your contribution.

Fonds d'Assurance Formation (FAF): key organizations for financing your freelance training

Part of the contribution you pay is directed to an FAF and entitles you to a reimbursement of all or part of the costs you incur for training.
The FAF to which you are attached depends on the nature of your activity:

• Craftsman: two possible FAFs. For training related to your trade, you should contact the FAFCEA. For cross-disciplinary training (e.g. accounting management), you'll need to contact the Conseil de la Formation (CDF) of your regional CMA.
• Commercial activity or unregulated liberal profession registered after January 1, 2018: contact AGEFICE.
• Regulated liberal professionals and unregulated liberal professionals still affiliated to CIPAV: your FAF is FIFPL.

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2. Financing language courses with your CPF

If you acquired micro-entrepreneur status in 2018 or 2019, the rights acquired for these years were credited to your CPF in 2020.
On the other hand, no rights were generated for your activity prior to 2018, as the CPF did not yet concern you.

For your CPF account to be credited, you must have paid your Professional Training Contribution (and therefore declared sales greater than 0).

Your account is then automatically credited in April, for the previous year:
- For a full year's activity, you accumulate €500.
- If you opened your auto-entreprise during the year, your entitlements will be calculated according to the date on which you started your business.

In any case, the amount of your CPF is capped at €5,000. Beyond this ceiling, your contribution must be paid, but it will no longer generate additional rights. As soon as you mobilize all or part of the budget, the account is replenished the following year.

Remember to recover your DIF hours if you were previously an employee

If you were an employee before December 31, 2014, you may still have DIF rights! You have until June 30, 2021 to transfer them to your CPF account. If they are not carried over, your rights will be lost.

Each hour of DIF is converted into 15€. For example, if you've accumulated 120 hours, you could earn 120 x 15, or €1,800 in training rights. What a shame not to take advantage of this?

It's easy to get them back. Check the amount of your entitlement on one of these documents:
- Pay slip for December 2014 or January 2015
- DIF entitlement certificate (ask your employer for this if you haven't already received it)
- Last work certificate

Transfer the number of hours directly by hand to your online CPF account.

Need a helping hand? Contact us for personalized advice!

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