You are starting your business alone, the micro-enterprise is becoming too narrow, or you want to keep your own assets clearly apart from the business: the SASU quickly comes top of the list. Before signing the articles, though, it is worth setting the pros and cons of the SASU side by side, because this structure also has a cost.
This page goes point by point through the table published by Bpifrance Création, completed by the sheets of Service Public, impots.gouv and Urssaf, with the rates in force in 2026. It ends with the profiles for which the form makes sense and with what it changes for the company’s account.
Key points at a glance:
- The single shareholder of a SASU is only liable for debts up to their contribution, except for mismanagement or a personal guarantee.
- When paid, the president is treated as an employee (assimilé salarié): they are affiliated to the general scheme, without contributions to unemployment insurance.
- No social contribution applies to the SASU’s dividends; they are in principle subject to the flat tax (prélèvement forfaitaire unique) of 31.4% in 2026.
- The downside: contributions of about 62% of gross salary according to Bpifrance Création, articles to be drafted with care and setup costs.
The advantages of the SASU
Bpifrance Création lists ten advantages of the SASU in its sheet on the form. These advantages do not all carry the same weight: the most decisive for a founder working alone concern the protection of their assets, their social status and the taxation of their income; the others concern the company’s growth, and the weight of each advantage depends on the project the SASU carries.
Liability limited to contributions
Service Public puts it plainly: the single shareholder is only financially liable up to their contribution. If the company cannot pay its debts, creditors therefore do not seize the manager’s home or personal savings. The protection has two limits: mismanagement, which engages the president’s liability, and a personal guarantee given to a bank or a landlord, which commits their own assets.
Articles written to measure
The law leaves wide freedom in drafting the articles: the president’s powers, the appointment of a managing director, rules for future shareholders joining. The capital is set freely, from €1. For cash contributions, at least half must be paid in at incorporation, the balance within the 5 years following registration.
In practice, the paid-in part of the cash contributions is deposited in a blocked account, with a bank or a notary. This deposit stays unavailable until registration in the national business register: the funds then become available for the business. Bpifrance Création adds that the SASU offers great flexibility in arranging capital and powers, which proves useful the day a shareholder joins.
A president under the general scheme
According to Bpifrance Création, the SASU is the only single-member structure that gives its manager the status of a person treated as an employee. As soon as they are paid for their mandate, the president falls under the general social security scheme, like an employee, with the social protection that goes with it.
Dividends without social contributions
Paid to the single shareholder, dividends escape social contributions, which counts among the tax advantages of the SASU. They are in principle subject to the flat tax, raised to 31.4% in 2026 (12.8% income tax and 18.6% social levies, according to impots.gouv). The manager of an EURL subject to corporation tax, for their part, pays contributions on the share of their dividends above 10% of the total formed by the share capital, share premiums and sums left in the current account.
Corporation tax or the income tax option
By default, a SASU’s profits are subject to corporation tax: a reduced 15% rate applies to the first €42,500 of profit of eligible SMEs, the standard 25% rate to the rest. A young SASU can opt for income tax under several conditions, including carrying on a commercial, craft, agricultural or liberal activity as its main activity, being less than 5 years old, having fewer than 50 employees and a turnover or balance sheet total below €10 million.
The reduced 15% rate is not automatic. It targets SMEs whose turnover excluding VAT does not exceed €10 million and whose capital, fully paid up, is at least 75% held by individuals: a SASU held by a founder who is an individual generally meets the second condition once its capital is paid up. Taxation in the shareholder’s name, under the income tax option, applies for at most 5 financial years and cannot be renewed.
A structure ready to welcome shareholders
The SASU can bring in new shareholders with no limit on their number. It then becomes an SAS without changing its legal form, which avoids a conversion. Bpifrance Création also cites access to outside funding, such as business angels or crowdfunding, the securities regime when shares are sold, and greater credibility with the company’s partners, whether banks, suppliers or customers.
The disadvantages of the SASU
Against these strengths, the Bpifrance Création sheet lists three disadvantages of the SASU: formalities and costs at setup, a costly social scheme for the president and articles that call for great rigour. Added to this is the absence of unemployment insurance for the president.
High contributions on pay
The general scheme comes at a price. Bpifrance Création estimates the president’s employee and employer social contributions at about 62% of gross salary, or 78% of net salary, against an average of 45% of net pay for a self-employed manager. Service Public gives a similar order of magnitude, about 60% of gross pay.
No unemployment insurance
No unemployment insurance contribution is taken from the president’s pay: if they stop their activity, they receive no benefits on that basis. Bpifrance Création mentions the option of taking out voluntary insurance with other providers. An unpaid president, paid only in dividends, does not contribute at all and then has no social protection through the SASU, unless they are also a jobseeker, an employee, a retiree or covered through their spouse, Bpifrance Création specifies.
Articles to be drafted with rigour
Freedom in the articles has its counterpart. Bpifrance Création stresses that no detailed default rule fills the gaps in the articles, unlike for the SARL and the EURL. A forgotten clause on the president’s powers or on a shareholder joining is then settled by amending the articles.
Setup costs and formalities
To set up the SASU, the application is filed on the business formalities portal: €33.83 to register a commercial company and €19.33 for the declaration of beneficial owners, according to Service Public, plus a legal notice. Each year, the SASU draws up its accounts. And if the business grows, 50 employees, €10 million of turnover excluding VAT or €5 million of balance sheet total count: once two of these three thresholds are exceeded, a statutory auditor becomes mandatory.
A salary and dividends trade-off to revisit
The two forms of pay are not equivalent. Salary opens social protection but bears contributions; dividends escape contributions but give no protection and can only be paid out of profit, after corporation tax. The mix between the two is reviewed each financial year, which calls for regular monitoring, often with a chartered accountant.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Liability limited to contributions, except for mismanagement | Contributions of about 62% of gross salary (Bpifrance) |
| Free articles, capital from €1 | Articles to draft with rigour, no default rules |
| President treated as an employee, under the general scheme | No unemployment insurance for the president |
| Dividends without social contributions | No social protection without pay |
| Corporation tax at 15% up to €42,500, income tax option possible | Setup costs and annual accounts |
| Shareholders can join without changing form | Statutory auditor beyond two thresholds out of three |
Key takeaway: the SASU protects personal assets and gives the president the general scheme. This comfort has a price: heavier contributions on salary and no right to unemployment benefits.
SASU status: for which project?
Taken as a whole, the SASU status, with its pros and cons, suits some profiles better than others. A few typical situations help to see where you stand, without replacing a calculation on your own figures.
SASU or EURL: the key differences
Both forms protect the single shareholder’s assets in the same way. Between EURL and SASU, the pros and cons lie mainly in the manager’s status: the majority manager of an EURL is self-employed, with lower contributions and less protection, while the president of a SASU contributes more for wider cover. EURL dividends above the 10% threshold bear contributions, SASU dividends do not.
For Bpifrance Création, the difference fits into one sentence: while social protection is broadly comparable, the level of contributions is generally higher for the president who is the sole shareholder of a SASU. The SASU or EURL guide on the Vivid blog details the full comparison.
Against the micro-enterprise, the comparison changes in nature. Bpifrance Création sums it up: on one side a company, the SASU, on the other a sole proprietorship, the micro-enterprise, whose manager is self-employed. The SASU requires articles of association, full bookkeeping and annual accounts, but it creates a distinct legal person and opens the door to shareholders, which the sole proprietorship does not allow.
In short: the SASU suits projects aiming for growth or paying themselves in dividends. For income paid entirely as salary, its contributions weigh more heavily than those of an EURL.
Vivid, a business account for your SASU
Once the SASU is registered, its income and expenses go through an account in its name, separate from your personal accounts. Vivid, an electronic money institution, offers a business account to SASUs, as well as to SASs, SARLs or EURLs, on the plans for companies.
The application is made in the name of the registered SASU, with its registration number. Dividends, the president’s salary and contributions can then be tracked in one place, which makes preparing the annual accounts easier.
Vivid at a glance: the registered SASU applies online for its Vivid business account; unlimited French IBANs, invoicing included and the Free Start plan at €0/month to begin.
Your SASU’s business account
Registered SASU: apply online for your Vivid business account, with a French IBAN and invoicing included, from the Free Start plan.
Frequently asked questions
What is the point of setting up a SASU?
For a founder working alone, the SASU limits their liability to their contributions, gives them the status of a person treated as an employee if they are paid and leaves wide freedom in the articles. It also makes it possible to welcome shareholders later without changing legal form.
What charges does a SASU pay?
The company pays corporation tax on its profits, 15% up to €42,500 for eligible SMEs then 25%, and contributions on the president’s pay, about 62% of gross according to Bpifrance Création. Running costs come on top, such as bookkeeping.
How do you pay yourself a salary in a SASU?
The president is paid for their corporate mandate, in the way set by the articles or by a decision of the single shareholder. This salary gives access to the general scheme and bears employee and employer social contributions.
Does the president of a SASU pay into unemployment insurance?
No. Their pay bears no unemployment contribution, so the president’s mandate does not give a right to benefits. Bpifrance Création mentions the option of voluntary insurance with other providers.
How are a SASU’s dividends taxed?
In 2026, they are in principle subject to the flat tax of 31.4%: 12.8% income tax and 18.6% social levies. They bear no social contributions, which sets them apart from EURL dividends above 10% of capital.
Can a SASU choose income tax?
Yes, under conditions. These include carrying on a commercial, craft, agricultural or liberal activity as its main activity, having been set up less than 5 years ago, employing fewer than 50 people and having a turnover or balance sheet total below €10 million. The option covers at most 5 financial years and cannot be renewed.
What happens if a shareholder joins?
The SASU becomes an SAS, without a change of legal form or a conversion. The articles are updated to organise relations between shareholders, for example the approval of newcomers.
This article is provided for general information and does not constitute legal, tax or social security advice. The rates and thresholds cited are those published by Service Public, Bpifrance Création, impots.gouv and Urssaf for 2026; choosing a SASU is best confirmed with a chartered accountant. 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 branch in France is supervised by the Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution (ACPR).
