Since it was introduced in 2019 as the “exceptional purchasing power bonus”, the Macron bonus in umbrella employment — renamed the value-sharing bonus (prime de partage de la valeur, PPV) by the law of 16 August 2022 — has become a little-known but particularly powerful optimisation lever for IT consultants in umbrella employment.
Yet to this day, most umbrella consultants still don’t know they can benefit from it, let alone that they have real room for manoeuvre to maximise its net impact. This is no minor detail: on a €3,000 bonus, the combined saving in social contributions and income tax can exceed €1,200 depending on the consultant’s marginal tax rate.
Legal framework: does the PPV really apply to umbrella employment?
The question of the employer in umbrella employment
Umbrella employment is based on a three-way relationship: the umbrella consultant, the umbrella company (legal employer) and the client company. It is this structure that causes most of the confusion around the PPV.
The value-sharing bonus is paid by the employer, in the strict sense of the Labour Code. In umbrella employment, that employer is the umbrella company — not the end client. The PPV therefore follows the standard regime applicable to any employee, with no restriction linked to umbrella consultant status.
Legal basis: Law no. 2022-1158 of 16 August 2022, art. 1. Decree no. 2022-1158 of 19 August 2022. Ordinance no. 2015-380 of 2 April 2015 on umbrella employment, art. L1254-1 et seq. of the Labour Code.
Eligibility conditions in 2025
For an IT consultant in umbrella employment to be eligible for the PPV, three cumulative conditions must be met:
- Be bound by an employment contract when the bonus is paid — which is always the case in umbrella employment (fixed-term or project-based permanent contract).
- Earn less than 3 times the annual minimum wage (SMIC) to benefit from the full exemption (around €66,825 gross in 2025, based on a SMIC of €11.88/hour). Above this, the bonus can still be paid but loses its tax and social advantage.
- The umbrella company must have formalised the bonus by company agreement or by unilateral employer decision (DUE). This is where the real issue lies for consultants: not all umbrella companies systematically offer the PPV, and some make it conditional on an explicit request from the consultant.
Exemption ceiling
Situation | Exempt ceiling (2025) |
Pay < 3 SMIC | €3,000 |
Profit-sharing agreement in place | €6,000 |
Company < 50 employees without agreement | €3,000 |
For an umbrella company that has signed a profit-sharing agreement (rare but it exists), the ceiling rises to €6,000 — an opportunity worth asking your company about directly.
Financial mechanics: what the Macron bonus really means for an IT consultant in umbrella employment
The exemption in detail
Within the ceilings above, the PPV benefits from a full exemption from employee and employer social contributions and an income tax exemption for employees whose annual pay is below 3 SMIC.
For an IT consultant with a daily rate of €550 invoicing 15 days a month, annual gross pay is typically around €55,000 to €65,000 — which, depending on the expense structure and the umbrella company’s management rate, may put the consultant below or above the 3 SMIC threshold.
Comparative simulation — standard bonus vs PPV
Take an IT consultant with a marginal tax rate of 30%:
Standard salary bonus | PPV (< 3 SMIC) | |
Gross bonus | €3,000 | €3,000 |
Employee contributions (~22%) | – €660 | €0 |
Employer contributions (~42%) | – €1,260 | €0 |
Income tax (30%) | – €712 (on net) | €0 |
Net received | ~€1,628 | €3,000 |
Total employer cost | ~€4,260 | €3,000 |
The PPV is therefore 84% more efficient than a standard salary bonus for the consultant, and 30% cheaper for the umbrella company. It is a negotiating argument that works both ways.
The special case of consultants above 3 SMIC
For a consultant charging a daily rate of €650 over 18 days a month (around €85,000 gross a year), the 3 SMIC threshold is exceeded. The PPV can still be paid but is exempt from neither social contributions nor income tax. It then behaves like an ordinary salary supplement. In this case, other deferred pay tools (PEE, PERCOL, employee savings) may be more relevant.
In practice: how to activate the PPV with your umbrella company
Step 1 — Check whether there is an agreement or a DUE
The first step is to ask your account manager at the umbrella company directly:
- Is there a company agreement on the value-sharing bonus?
- If not, has the company made a unilateral employer decision (DUE) on the PPV?
- What is the planned payment frequency (once or twice a year since 2024)?
Since the law of 29 November 2023 on value sharing (transposing the national inter-professional agreement of 10 February 2023), companies with 11 to 49 employees must negotiate a value-sharing scheme from 2025 if they have made a positive net taxable profit of at least 1% of revenue for 3 consecutive financial years. Check whether your umbrella company falls within this scope.
Step 2 — Make the request
If no agreement exists, nothing stops you from formally asking your umbrella company to set up a DUE. This is a legitimate and increasingly common request. Include the following in your request:
- Reference to the law of 16 August 2022 and its implementing decree
- The amount requested (within the ceiling)
- Justification based on your pay level (proof of the < 3 SMIC threshold if applicable)
Step 3 — Include the PPV in the negotiation of your overall package
The PPV should not be managed in isolation. It is part of an overall pay package which, in umbrella employment, includes:
- The net salary paid (after management fees and charges)
- Re-invoiceable business expenses (travel, equipment, training)
- The financial reserve (some companies let you smooth income between assignments)
- The PPV
- Any PEE or PERCOL employer contributions
An IT consultant who optimises these five components at the same time can improve their gross-to-net conversion rate by 8 to 12 points compared with a consultant who only manages their daily rate.
Conclusion
The Macron bonus — or value-sharing bonus — is a lever under-used by the vast majority of IT consultants in umbrella employment. The reasons are well known: lack of information, passivity towards the umbrella company, or simply not knowing the applicable legal framework.
Yet the mechanism is simple: if your annual gross pay is below €66,825, you can receive up to €3,000 without paying social contributions or income tax. That’s €3,000 net. Immediately.
Beyond this optimal case, even consultants above the 3 SMIC threshold should include the PPV in a broader reflection on their pay package — combined with business expenses, the PEE and the PERCOL.
At Kaiporting, the value-sharing bonus is included as standard. No need to ask for it, negotiate it or know the legislation by heart: our IT consultants automatically benefit from the PPV as part of our support. It is one of the concrete commitments that set Kaiporting apart from a purely administrative umbrella company — because optimising your net pay is our job, not yours.
Want to know more? Read our detailed articles.
