Price, validity, rules

Funding a CACES: CPF, employer, OPCO and France Travail

Enter the course price, your CPF balance and your situation: the tool works out what the CPF pays, the flat contribution and what is left to pay.

Independent site, not linked to the French Health Insurance (Assurance Maladie), the INRS, testing bodies or training centres.

Left for you to pay

€150

Paid by the CPF€634
Flat contribution€150
Median price€784
Middle half of offers€623 – €984
Median length21 h

1742 offers in France, CPF catalogue of 23 October 2026.

A CACES can be funded in four ways, which can be combined. First, the personal training account (CPF): the CACES is a Répertoire spécifique certification, and since 26 February 2026 the CPF covers at most €1,500 for that type of certification. For any request made since 2 April 2026, a flat contribution of €150 is left for the account holder to pay, unless they are a jobseeker or their employer tops up the account. Second, the employer often pays for its employees’ CACES itself, since it must give them adequate training before authorising them to operate; a company with fewer than 50 staff can get help from its skills operator, the OPCO. Third, France Travail can top up a jobseeker’s funding with the individual training grant. As of 23 October 2026, the median price of an R489 category 3 CACES is €784 in the Mon Compte Formation catalogue.

What does a CACES cost me with my CPF?

Left to pay

€150

Paid by the CPF€650
Of which flat contribution€150
CPF cap for a CACES€1,500
Compare prices by category and region →

Questions, explanations and calculations by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method

Who pays what

Rules checked on 26 October 2026.
FunderFor whomWhat it coversText
CPFAnyone in work or seeking workUp to €1,500 for a CACES, minus the €150 contributionservice-public.gouv.fr
EmployerEmployeeAll or part, from the skills development plan, or by topping up the CPFLabour Code
OPCOCompany with fewer than 50 staffHelp with the skills development plan, under each OPCO’s rulesLabour Code
France Travail (AIF)Registered jobseekerCourse fees not covered by another funderfrancetravail.fr

Three worked examples

For a €1,000 course and €1,200 of rights: an employee pays the €150 contribution and the CPF pays €850. A jobseeker pays nothing; the CPF pays €1,000. For a €2,000 course with €3,000 of rights, the CPF stops at €1,500: €500 remains to be funded, contribution included.

How much is on my CPF?

Estimated balance

€1,500

Usable for a CACES€1,500
Yearly credit€500
Account ceiling€5,000

Estimate with no course already paid: the exact balance is on moncompteformation.gouv.fr.

Work out what is left to pay →

The steps

  1. Choose the category with which CACES for which machine, then an offer on the Mon Compte Formation website.
  2. Send the registration request, which the provider accepts or declines.
  3. Confirm the request by paying the contribution where it applies, and any balance.

This site recommends no provider and receives no commission. Median prices are on the CACES price page.

Questions operators and candidates ask

Why does my CPF only pay €1,500 for a CACES?

Since 26 February 2026, CPF funding is capped at €1,500 for certifications listed in the Répertoire spécifique, which includes the CACES. Beyond that, the balance comes from you, the employer or another funder. For a forklift CACES, whose median price is lower, the cap rarely applies.

Who does not pay the €150 flat contribution?

Jobseekers, and holders whose employer tops up the account for that course, are exempt. The same applies when the account is topped up under the occupational prevention account or after a workplace accident or occupational disease. Other holders pay it when confirming the request.

Must the employer pay for the CACES?

The employer must train the employee it authorises to operate: when it requires the CACES before issuing the authorisation, it usually pays for it from its skills development plan. The employee does not have to use their CPF for training the employer imposes for the job, unless they agree.

How much CPF credit have I built up?

An employee working at least half-time earns €500 a year, up to €5,000. Without a CAP-level qualification, it is €800 a year and €8,000 at most. The small tool on this page gives an estimate; the exact balance is on the Mon Compte Formation website.

Will the flat contribution rise again?

It went from €100 in 2024 to €103.20 on 1 January 2026, then to €150 since 2 April 2026. The 2027 finance bill plans to raise it further; until the text is passed, this site keeps the amount in force.

Keep going

CACES price

Median price and range for each category, initial and refresher, by region, from the CPF catalogue.

CACES with France Travail

Jobseekers: CPF with no contribution, the individual training grant, and what is left to pay.

CACES training: length, steps

Training, then tests counted in test units: how long a CACES takes, from day one to the certificate.

CACES refresher

When to retake the tests, what a refresher costs and how long it lasts, and how it differs from the initial course.

Operating authorisation vs CACES

The CACES and the operating authorisation are not the same: who issues what, on what basis, for how long.

Official texts behind this page

Written by

Independent publisher of free CACES theory practice tests, with no account, written from the French Health Insurance recommendations

Rules and prices checked on · Editorial policy · Contact

CACES rules 2026, read in the French Health Insurance recommendations and the Labour Code, last checked on