Fees

Statutory audit fees for French companies: how the statutory scale of hours works

The fees of a statutory auditor (commissaire aux comptes) are not freely set: the law fixes a minimum and maximum number of working hours according to the size of the company. Only the hourly rate remains negotiable.

A scale of hours, not an imposed price

Contrary to a widespread belief, the law does not set a price but a volume of hours of audit work needed to carry out the audit of the financial statements. This statutory scale of hours is set by article D.821-188 of the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce), under decree no. 2023-1394 of 30 December 2023, in force since 1 February 2024, which recodifies former article R.823-12 without change. The calculation base is the balance sheet total plus operating income and financial income, all excluding taxes.

Scale set by article D.821-188, applicable since 1 February 2024. Above €122,000,000, the scale no longer applies (see below).

The hourly rate, the only freely negotiated element

Fees are the number of hours set by the scale multiplied by an hourly rate that each firm sets freely, according to its experience, its specialisation and the complexity of the engagement. No regulatory text governs this rate.

The number of hours in the work programme may also be increased by up to one third when the alert procedure (procédure d'alerte) makes specific audit work necessary, under article D.821-189 of the French Commercial Code.

Worked example: an SME's fee budget

Take an SAS (simplified joint-stock company) with a balance sheet total of €1,400,000, operating income of €2,150,000 and financial income of €8,000, giving a calculation base of €3,558,000 excluding taxes. It falls within the €3,050,000 to €7,622,000 band: the audit legally represents between 70 and 120 hours of work. For illustration only, at an hourly rate of €100 excluding VAT, the annual budget is between €7,000 and €12,000 excluding VAT. Where it sits within the range of hours depends on the engagement: quality of the bookkeeping, reliability of the systems, existence of subsidiaries or particular issues.

The hourly rate used here is simply a calculation assumption: each firm freely sets its own.

What makes fees vary from one financial year to the next

• The first year of the term of office: getting to know the entity and auditing the opening balance sheet generally place the budget at the top of the range.
• The quality and timing of the year end: well-prepared, supported financial statements delivered on time reduce the audit work required.
• The structure of the entity: group membership, consolidated financial statements, multiple establishments or intra-group flows.
• Events during the financial year: an alert procedure may increase the work programme by up to one third (article D.821-189), and capital transactions (contributions, mergers, transformations) are separate engagements with their own fees.

Which companies fall outside the scale?

Article R.821-194 of the French Commercial Code excludes a number of entities from the statutory scale of hours. For these, fees are agreed between the statutory auditor and the entity, according to the actual extent of the work needed to carry out the engagement:

• Entities whose calculation base (balance sheet + income, excl. taxes) exceeds €122,000,000.
• Issuers of securities admitted to trading on a regulated market.
• Credit institutions, financing companies and investment firms.
• Insurance and reinsurance undertakings, and mutual insurers.
• Low-rent housing bodies (HLM) and regional development companies.
• Social security bodies and institutions governed by Book IX of the French Social Security Code (Code de la sécurité sociale).
• Trade unions or professional organisations, works councils (comité social et économique, CSE), non-profit associations (association) and foundations.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a statutory auditor cost for a small company?

For an entity at the bottom of the scale (calculation base below €305,000), the law provides for 20 to 35 hours of audit work; the budget then depends on the firm's hourly rate. A company that appoints a statutory auditor voluntarily, without being required to, may also limit the term of office to three financial years, with adapted audit procedures.

Does the term of office really last six financial years?

Yes: the statutory auditor is appointed for six financial years (article L.821-44 of the French Commercial Code, introduced by ordinance no. 2023-1142, in force since 1 January 2024) and the appointment expires after the general meeting that approves the financial statements of the sixth year. Fees are still invoiced year by year, according to each year's work programme.

Can fees be negotiated below the scale?

Not freely: the volume of hours in article D.821-188 is the reference. If it looks insufficient or excessive for the engagement, either party may ask the president of the regional institute of statutory auditors (compagnie régionale) for a derogation, with appeal to the president of the CNCC and then to the board of the H2A (article D.821-190). Negotiation covers the hourly rate and the position within the range, justified by the reality of the engagement; a quote below the minimum number of hours without a derogation would not be compliant.

Our approach at audit france

audit france sets out a detailed, transparent budget of hours from the engagement letter, built from the statutory scale and the reality of the engagement, with no unnecessary hours and no opaque flat fee. Every engagement is led directly by the signing partner, management's sole point of contact from start to finish.

Why choose audit france

A 100% digital firm dedicated solely to statutory audit, registered with the Haute Autorité de l'Audit (H2A) and a member of the Compagnie Nationale des Commissaires aux Comptes (CNCC) and working across mainland France and the French overseas territories.

This page is a practical guide in English, for information only. It is not legal advice, and only the French texts have legal force. Check the version in force for your own situation.