A developer leaves a permanent job to invoice clients directly, a consultant wants a sturdier framework than the micro-entreprise, a craftsman is preparing a first company. All of them reach the same question when the articles of association are drafted: SASU or EURL? On paper, the two forms look very much alike. In practice, the choice sets for several years the cost of the manager’s pay, the manager’s social cover and the way profits leave the company.
SASU and EURL are the two forms of commercial company with a single shareholder. This guide goes through the rules published by Bpifrance Création and by the French administration, criterion by criterion, then turns them into concrete situations: who gains from choosing one, who gains from choosing the other, and which steps follow once the file is submitted.
Key points at a glance:
- Between an EURL or a SASU, the setup formalities are the same, the capital is freely set and the single shareholder’s liability is limited to the contributions, except in case of mismanagement.
- The sole shareholder-manager of an EURL is self-employed (TNS) and pays contributions to the Sécurité sociale des indépendants; the president of a SASU counts as an employee (assimilé salarié) under the general social security scheme.
- An EURL whose shareholder is a natural person is taxed under income tax, with an option for corporate tax; a SASU pays corporate tax, with a temporary option for income tax.
- SASU dividends carry no social contributions; in an EURL subject to corporate tax, the part above 10% of the capital, share premiums and current accounts does.
What the SASU and the EURL have in common
The EURL and the SASU share the same legal base. One person holds the entire capital, and that person can be a natural or a legal person: another EURL or another SASU can therefore be the single shareholder, which is often used for a holding company. The amount of share capital is freely set in the articles of association: no minimum for an EURL, €1 minimum for a SASU. The shareholder’s financial liability is limited to the amount contributed, except in case of mismanagement, and the manager remains liable under civil and criminal law for their own acts. Contributions in kind of work or know-how (apports en industrie) are possible in both cases.
On the paperwork side, an EURL and SASU follow the same route and cost roughly the same: drafting the articles of association, depositing the cash contributions, publishing a legal notice, then registering through the one-stop shop (guichet unique). The manager can benefit from the Acre in both forms: since 2026, it exempts for 12 months 25% of certain contributions (sickness-maternity, family allowances, basic pension, invalidity-death), for certain founder profiles and under an income ceiling. The two companies differ elsewhere: in the social status of the person who runs them, in how profits are taxed and in how dividends are treated.
SASU vs EURL comparison table
For a quick SASU and EURL comparison, here are the points where the two forms part ways, as Bpifrance Création presents them in its comparison sheet published in June 2026:
| Criterion | EURL | SASU |
|---|---|---|
| Manager | Gérant, necessarily a natural person | President, natural or legal person |
| Social scheme of the shareholder-manager | Self-employed (SSI) | Assimilé salarié (general scheme) |
| Cost of contributions | About 45% of net pay | About 78% of net salary (62% of gross) |
| Without pay | Minimum contributions due | No contributions |
| Default taxation | Income tax, corporate tax option | Corporate tax, temporary income tax option |
| Dividends | Social contributions above 10% of capital, premiums and current accounts | No social contributions |
| Cash contributions paid at setup | 20% minimum, balance within 5 years | 50% minimum, balance within 5 years |
| Duty on share transfers | 3% after allowance | 0.10% |
This EURL or SASU comparison table brings out two gaps that settle most cases. The first is the SASU vs EURL difference in social scheme: one euro of pay does not cost the same depending on whether the manager is self-employed or assimilé salarié. The second concerns dividends, which do not get the same social treatment. The rest, capital, articles of association or share transfers, mostly matters for specific projects.
Social status of the manager: self-employed or assimilé salarié
The first difference between a SASU and an EURL lies in the fund that covers the manager. The sole shareholder-manager of an EURL is self-employed (travailleur non salarié): they are affiliated to the Sécurité sociale des indépendants, their contributions are calculated on the previous year’s income and collected every month, unless quarterly payment is chosen. No payslip is needed. According to Bpifrance Création, these contributions average 45% of net pay, and about 30% above one annual social security ceiling. A minimum contribution remains due even without pay, which validates 3 pension quarters per calendar year.
The president of a SASU, for their part, falls under the general scheme as an assimilé salarié, with Agirc-Arrco supplementary pension as an executive. Employee and employer contributions reach about 62% of gross salary, or 78% of net salary, and are paid every quarter in a company with fewer than 10 employees. Without pay, no contribution is due, but the president then has no social protection through this route, unless covered elsewhere. Applied to €1,000 net paid to the manager, these averages give an order of magnitude: about €450 of contributions in an EURL, about €780 in a SASU.
Social protection is close on the essentials: the same reimbursement of healthcare, the same family benefits, a basic pension aligned with that of employees. Two gaps remain. The president of a SASU is covered against work accidents, the self-employed manager is not. Finally, the EURL manager is not covered by unemployment insurance.
Worth remembering: the self-employed scheme of the EURL costs less for the same net income and secures pension quarters even in years without pay. The general scheme of the SASU costs more but adds work-accident cover and asks for nothing as long as the president takes no pay.
Tax: income tax or corporate tax
Another EURL vs SASU difference, and not a small one: the tax on profit. When the single shareholder of an EURL is a natural person, the company is by default subject to income tax. The manager is then taxed on the whole profit, in the category of the activity (BIC, BNC or BA), whether the money was withdrawn or left in the company. Their pay is a drawing on that profit and is not deductible. The sole shareholder-manager can even fall under the micro-entreprise tax regime if the activity allows it. The EURL can also opt for corporate tax: its profit is then taxed at company level.
Corporate tax applies to the SASU from its creation. In 2026, the standard rate is 25%, with a reduced rate of 15% on the first €42,500 of profit for SMEs that meet the conditions. The president’s pay is deductible from the result and taxed in their hands as a salary, in the category of wages and salaries. A SASU less than 5 years old can opt for income tax for 5 financial years at most, under conditions: fewer than 50 employees, turnover or balance sheet total below €10 million, at least 50% of voting rights held by natural persons and at least 34% by the managers and their tax household. This option cannot be renewed.
Pay or dividends
Once corporate tax is paid, the profit can be distributed as dividends. This is often where the most debated SASU EURL advantage plays out, because the two forms do not treat these sums the same way:
In practice, the SASU opens a real trade-off between salary and dividends: a modest salary to keep social cover, the rest in dividends, or the reverse depending on the year. In an EURL, this trade-off hardly exists once the capital is small, since most dividends join the contribution base. The right mix depends on the level of profit, the household’s tax situation and the need for pension rights, a calculation the chartered accountant makes case by case.
Capital, share transfers and spouse
The EURL vs SASU match is also played on three more technical topics. First, the capital set in the articles of association does not have to be paid in full on the day of creation. An EURL can pay in only 20% of the cash contributions at setup, a SASU 50%, and the balance must be paid within 5 years. For contributions in kind, the single shareholder can do without a contributions auditor (commissaire aux apports) if no contributed asset is worth more than €30,000 and their total value does not exceed half of the capital. The difference also shows on the day the shareholder sells: the capital of an EURL is divided into parts sociales, that of a SASU into shares. A transfer of parts sociales bears a 3% registration duty, after a €23,000 allowance spread over all the parts, a transfer of shares 0.10% of the price.
A spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner who regularly works in the business has more options in an EURL. They can take the status of collaborating spouse (conjoint collaborateur), unpaid but with social cover, for 5 years at most, or become an employee, or a shareholder, in which case the company becomes a SARL. In a SASU, only the employee and shareholder statuses are possible, and the arrival of a shareholder turns the company into a SAS. Finally, the president of a SASU can combine the mandate with a micro-entrepreneur activity, which the Bpifrance Création sheet rules out for the manager of an EURL.
SASU or EURL: which status for your profile
The SASU or EURL freelance debate keeps coming back among consultants and developers, and the answer depends less on the form itself than on the project. A few typical profiles help find your way:
Seen through the SASU vs EURL lens, the choice therefore comes down to weighing social cost against flexibility. Online simulators give an order of magnitude, but a meeting with a chartered accountant or a lawyer remains useful before the articles of association are signed, especially when investors or a spouse enter the equation.
In short: the EURL keeps the edge on social cost and simplicity for income paid as salary. The SASU takes over as soon as dividends, general-scheme cover or the arrival of shareholders matter more.
Setting up your SASU or EURL: the steps
Once the form is chosen, setting up an EURL or a SASU follows five steps, in this order:
The articles set the name, purpose, registered office, capital and the manager’s powers. The registry offers free model articles for an EURL managed by its single shareholder; the SASU leaves wide freedom in drafting, hence the value of a lawyer to write them.
At least 20% of the cash contributions in an EURL, and half in a SASU, are paid in at setup; the balance follows within 5 years. The institution that receives the funds issues a certificate of deposit, to be added to the registration file.
Before registration, a notice of incorporation appears in a medium authorised to carry legal notices, a newspaper or an online press service. The publisher issues a certificate of publication, kept for the next step.
The registration request goes through the one-stop shop for business formalities, with, among other documents, the articles of association, the certificate of capital deposit and the certificate of publication. Once registered, the company receives its Siren and Siret numbers and its APE code.
With the company registered, the manager opens the account that will receive client payments and pay suppliers, clearly separating the company’s money from personal accounts.
A business account for your SASU or EURL with Vivid
Vivid opens accounts for SAS, SARL, SASU and EURL companies, as well as for sole traders and micro-entrepreneurs. Once the company is registered, the online business account opens 100% online, without visiting a branch: opening usually takes between 10 minutes and 1 hour, and opening itself is free. Vivid uses official registers to pre-fill the company’s details. Both company forms have access to the General Business plans:
Invoices are created and sent without limit from the same account. New customers get a 2-month free trial on the paid plan chosen at sign-up, and the business account can stay on Free Start for as long as the company wishes.
Vivid at a glance: an online business account for the SASU as for the EURL, usually opened within 10 minutes to 1 hour, with unlimited French IBANs and free outgoing SEPA instant transfers. The Free Start plan is €0 per month, Basic starts at €6.90 per month billed annually.
A business account for your new company
SASU or EURL, open a Vivid business account online: unlimited French IBANs, unlimited invoices and a Free Start plan with no monthly fee.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, a SASU or an EURL?
Neither is better in absolute terms. The EURL costs less in contributions for a given level of pay and stays simple to manage. The SASU offers general-scheme cover, dividends without social contributions and an easier opening to new shareholders. The choice depends on the target income, the share of dividends and the growth plans.
Which status has the lowest charges?
For the same income paid as pay, the EURL: the self-employed manager’s contributions represent about 45% of net pay, against about 78% of net salary for a SASU president. On the other hand, a SASU president who takes no pay pays no contributions, whereas the manager of an EURL owes minimum contributions.
SASU or EURL for a freelancer?
A freelancer who pays most of their income as salary pays fewer contributions in an EURL. One who wants to mix salary and dividends, keep general-scheme cover or combine the company with a micro-entreprise finds the SASU more flexible.
Can an EURL pay dividends?
Yes, if the EURL has opted for corporate tax. The part of dividends above 10% of the share capital, share premiums and sums left in the current account is then subject to the manager’s social contributions. With a small capital, most dividends therefore fall into the contribution base.
What is the minimum capital for a SASU or an EURL?
The capital is freely set by the single shareholder: no minimum for an EURL, €1 minimum for a SASU, so €1 is enough in both cases. At setup, at least 20% of the cash contributions must be paid in for an EURL and 50% for a SASU, the balance within 5 years. A higher capital often reassures partners and suppliers.
Can an EURL be converted into a SASU?
Yes. The EURL is a SARL with a single shareholder and the SASU a SAS with a single shareholder, so the procedure for converting a SARL into a SAS applies. The conversion requires a report by a conversion auditor (commissaire à la transformation) on the company’s financial health and cash position. The decision, which requires the unanimity of the shareholders, rests here with the single shareholder alone; it is recorded in minutes and the articles of association are updated. The change of form is published in a legal notice medium within one month, then declared at the formalities one-stop shop.
Is the manager entitled to unemployment benefits?
The sole shareholder-manager of an EURL is not covered by unemployment insurance. A founder who already receives the return-to-work allowance (ARE) can, however, keep it during the setup. In a SASU, this holds as long as the president’s mandate is unpaid. In an EURL, dividends subject to contributions count in the calculation of the allowance. The ARCE, which pays part of the entitlement as a lump sum, replaces the ARE and is not added to it.
This article is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal, tax or social security advice. The rules on the SASU and the EURL are presented as published by Bpifrance Création and the French administration; the choice of a company form is 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).
