Illness During Unemployment Benefit Period

If you become ill while receiving unemployment benefit, you must inform France Travail, as this temporarily changes the nature of your compensation (daily benefits from social security instead of ARE). You must also send the work stoppage certificate.

This page explains how to make this declaration, what information to provide, and offers a ready-to-use letter template, plus a tool to automatically generate your personalized letter.

When should you write this letter?

• You became ill and received a work stoppage from your doctor;
• You want to know the impact of this stoppage on your benefit;
• You need to temporarily suspend your monthly update;
• You need clarification about resuming your rights after recovery.

In all these cases, a written letter remains a reliable way to resolve your situation.

Required information to include

• Your first and last name and ID number;
• The start and end dates of the work stoppage;
• Documents attached (medical work stoppage certificate).

The faster you send the documents, the more you avoid any unjustified suspension of your rights.

Official letter template

Important note: the letter sent to France Travail must be written in French, as it is a French administration. Below is a template you can use as a basis.

[First name LAST NAME]
[Full address]
[France Travail ID number]

France Travail [Agency]
[Agency address]

Written in [City], on [Date]

Subject: Illness declaration

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am informing you of my sick leave from [date] to [date], medical certificate attached.

[...]

→ The complete letter, tailored precisely to your situation and ready to send, is generated automatically in 3 minutes using the tool above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my benefit stop while ill?

It converts to daily social security benefits instead of ARE, depending on the stoppage duration.

Do I need to continue my monthly update?

You may be temporarily exempted depending on stoppage duration, it's advisable to check with your advisor.

What happens after recovery?

Your ARE rights automatically resume after the end of the stoppage.

Does illness extend my entitlement period?

In some cases yes, the rights duration may be extended by the stoppage period.

Who do I send the work stoppage certificate to?

You must send it to both social security and France Travail.