A founder launching a consulting agency, a developer preparing an app and planning to raise funds, an online retailer who wants a payslip. What they share: starting alone, with the idea of welcoming other shareholders one day. The SASU status answers exactly this profile, with wide freedom of organisation and a manager attached to the general social security scheme.
This flexibility has a counterpart: articles of association to be drafted with care and high social contributions as soon as the president takes pay. This guide describes the single-shareholder simplified joint-stock company point by point, based on Bpifrance Création and the French administration, then weighs up the pros and cons before moving on to the setup steps.
Key points at a glance:
- Definition of the SASU: a simplified joint-stock company (SAS) with only one shareholder, a natural person or a company.
- The capital is set freely from €1; at least half of the cash contributions is paid in at incorporation, the rest within 5 years.
- Profits bear corporate tax, with a temporary option for income tax under conditions.
- The president is treated as an employee (assimilé salarié): they fall under the general scheme but do not pay into unemployment insurance.
SASU: definition and meaning
The definition of a SASU is short: it is an SAS formed by a single shareholder. This shareholder can just as well be a natural person as a legal person, for example a company or an association. The single shareholder takes every decision alone, within the rules they have set themselves in the articles of association.
Behind the acronym, the meaning of the SASU lies above all in its flexibility. The articles can be written very freely, especially on the organisation of powers and governance. It is a commercial company, open to most activities, with a few exceptions such as running a tobacco shop. It makes outside financing easier, through crowdfunding or private investors, and the shareholder’s liability stays limited to the amount contributed. A SASU cannot, however, be listed on the stock exchange.
Compared with other forms, the SASU stands out mainly for its freedom in drafting the articles and for the status of its manager. The micro-entreprise remains lighter for testing an activity, but it creates no separate company and places the entrepreneur among the self-employed. Choosing the SASU as a legal status therefore means accepting more formalities in exchange for a structure able to grow.
Share capital and contributions
From its creation, the SASU needs capital, whose amount the single shareholder sets freely, with a minimum of €1. It can be matched to the investments planned at the start or to a loan to be taken out. Contributions are made in cash or in kind. At least half of the cash contributions must be paid in at incorporation, the balance within 5 years.
Contributions in kind go in principle through a contributions auditor (commissaire aux apports). The shareholder can do without one if no contributed asset exceeds €30,000 and if all contributions in kind together do not exceed half of the capital. The articles can also provide for variable capital, which rises or falls within the set limits without going through the full procedure for changing the capital.
President, single shareholder and decisions
The first president of the SASU must be appointed in the articles of association. As the legal representative of this company, the president can be a natural person or a company, the single shareholder or a third party, and answers for their acts under civil and criminal law. A managing director and a deputy managing director can complete the management, appointed in the articles or later by decision of the shareholder. All decisions that would fall to a general meeting are taken by the single shareholder, with no notice, no vote and no quorum.
When the single shareholder, a natural person, chairs the company personally, several obligations become lighter:
A statutory auditor is required only if the SASU exceeds two of these thresholds: €5 million balance sheet, €10 million turnover excluding VAT, 50 employees. A significant subsidiary of a group can also be required to have one.
Worth remembering: the single shareholder decides alone, through unilateral decisions. When they chair the company personally, approving the accounts comes down to filing them at the registry, and a statutory auditor only steps in above high thresholds.
Tax: corporate tax by default, income tax option
The SASU falls under corporate tax by law: 15% on the first €42,500 of profit for SMEs that meet the conditions, 25% above. The president’s pay is taxed in their hands as wages and salaries, with the 10% flat deduction for professional expenses or the deduction of actual expenses.
A SASU under income tax is, however, possible for a while. The option is requested in writing from the tax office, at setup or within the first 3 months of the financial year concerned. It requires in particular a company less than 5 years old, with fewer than 50 employees and turnover or a balance sheet below €10 million. At least 50% of voting rights must be in the hands of natural persons, and at least 34% held by the managers and their tax household. It lasts 5 financial years at most, without renewal; once withdrawn, a return to income tax is no longer possible. Dividends paid to the shareholder, finally, bear the 31.4% flat tax in 2026, unless the progressive scale is chosen.
Social status of the SASU president
In terms of status, the SASU places its president among those treated as employees: they are affiliated to the general social security scheme and enjoy the same protection as salaried executives. Contributions are calculated on gross pay; according to Bpifrance Création, employee and employer contributions come to about 62% of gross salary. The president does not pay into unemployment insurance and therefore builds no right to benefits on that basis.
To estimate this cost, it is better to reason in total social charges rather than net salary: about 62% of gross, or roughly 78% of net according to the Bpifrance Création averages. A president aiming for €2,000 net a month, before income tax, therefore costs the company in the order of €3,560.
The amount and form of pay, fixed or variable, are set by the articles of association or by a separate deed, and the president may also take nothing. In that case, no contribution is due, but no social protection builds up either. No social contribution applies to dividends: a shareholder who takes only dividends therefore remains without cover through this route. At setup, a president with little or no pay can keep receiving the return-to-work allowance (ARE), and apply for the Acre within 60 days if they meet the conditions.
SASU: pros and cons
Based on the Bpifrance Création table, completed with details from its sheet, the strengths and limits of the form sum up as follows:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Wide freedom in drafting the articles | Setup costs and formalities |
| Liability limited to contributions, except for the manager’s fault | High cost of the president’s social scheme |
| New shareholders welcome without limit, easy move to an SAS | Articles to be drafted with great rigour |
| Choice of tax regime and a president treated as an employee | No social protection if the shareholder only receives dividends |
| Easier access to outside financing and credibility with partners | No unemployment insurance contribution for the president |
The clearest advantage of the SASU shows for those betting on growth: investors, new shareholders, sale of shares. For a stable activity where all income goes out as pay, the president’s social cost weighs more in the balance.
In short: the SASU offers freedom, protection of personal assets and an open door to investors. In return, it calls for carefully drafted articles and a heavier social budget as soon as the president is paid.
Setting up a SASU: the steps
Setting up a SASU online involves more formalities than a sole proprietorship, but each step is clearly marked. The order below avoids back-and-forth:
The SASU articles of association set the operating and governance rules and appoint the first president. Their wide drafting freedom often justifies help from a professional.
The cash contributions, at least half of their amount, are deposited on a business bank account opened for the company. The institution holding the funds issues a certificate of deposit.
A notice of incorporation appears in a medium authorised to publish legal notices, before registration. The newspaper or online service then provides a certificate of publication.
The application goes through the one-stop shop, together with the certificate of publication, the certificate of capital deposit, the articles and the beneficial owners declaration.
On registration, the SASU is assigned a Siren number, a Siret number for its establishment and an APE code. The Siren number is then used in all dealings with the authorities and clients.
These steps have a cost that is best planned in the starting budget: publishing the legal notice, possible help from a professional for the articles and registration fees come on top of the capital paid in.
Growing your SASU
As the only decision-maker, the single shareholder freely transfers all or part of the shares. A transfer of shares bears a 0.1% registration duty, paid by the buyer, while any capital gain is taxed in the seller’s hands. Some tax schemes make it possible, in certain cases, to exempt this gain.
The articles can provide from the start for the rules of running with several shareholders and the conditions for shareholders joining and leaving. The arrival of a second shareholder simply moves the SASU to SAS status, without a conversion: the legal form stays the same and the company carries on trading.
An online business account for your SASU
The online business account of a SASU opens at Vivid once the company is registered, entirely remotely. Opening usually takes between 10 minutes and 1 hour and costs nothing; the president verifies their identity and the application lists the beneficial owners. The SASU has access to the General Business plans of the Vivid online business account:
From the Pro plan, each card can get advanced limits and restrictions by category or merchant. Every card purchase also earns guaranteed unlimited cashback, from 0.1% on Free Start to 1% on Enterprise+, depending on the plan of the business account.
Vivid at a glance: an online business account usually opened within 10 minutes to 1 hour once the SASU is registered, with unlimited French IBANs and Visa debit cards for the whole team. On price, Free Start stays at €0 per month and Basic shows €6.90 a month billed annually.
A business account built for the SASU
Open your SASU’s Vivid business account online: unlimited team members, Visa debit cards and a Free Start plan at €0 per month.
Frequently asked questions
What is a SASU?
A SASU, or société par actions simplifiée unipersonnelle, is an SAS with only one shareholder. That shareholder takes alone the decisions provided for by the articles, and their liability stays limited to the contributions.
How much capital do you need to set up a SASU?
The single shareholder sets the capital freely, from €1. At least half of the cash contributions is paid in at incorporation, the rest within a 5-year period. An amount in line with start-up needs reassures partners.
Does the SASU president have to be paid?
No, pay is optional and its terms appear in the articles or a separate deed. Without pay, no contribution is due, but no social protection builds up through this route either.
Is the SASU president entitled to unemployment benefits?
The president does not pay into unemployment insurance and therefore has no right to benefits for the mandate. At setup, if they receive little or no pay, they can however keep the return-to-work allowance already opened.
Can a SASU choose income tax?
Yes, for 5 financial years at most, if the company is less than 5 years old and meets the size and shareholding conditions. The option is requested in writing, at setup or within the first 3 months of the financial year.
How do you move from a SASU to an SAS?
A new shareholder simply has to join the capital, through a share transfer or a capital increase: the SASU becomes an SAS without changing its legal form. Articles that already plan for several shareholders make this step easier.
Does a SASU need a statutory auditor?
Only if it exceeds two of these three thresholds: €5 million balance sheet, €10 million turnover excluding VAT, 50 employees, or if it is a significant subsidiary of a group.
This article is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal, tax or social security advice. The rules on the SASU are presented as published by Bpifrance Création and the French administration; drafting the articles and pay choices are worth confirming with a chartered accountant or a lawyer. Payment services are provided by Vivid Money S.A., an electronic money institution authorised by the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) in Luxembourg, whose French branch is supervised by the Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution (ACPR).
