SASU: The Complete 2026 Guide (Setup, Charges, Dividends)
The SASU — Single-Shareholder Simplified Joint-Stock Company — has become the favourite status of freelancers who exceed the micro-enterprise cap or want to protect their assets. Its statutory flexibility and the social regime of its president make it a powerful tool, but also more complex and costly to run. Here is how it really works in 2026, without idealisation.
The principle: a single-shareholder company
The SASU is an SAS with a single shareholder. You are both shareholder (you hold the capital) and usually president (you run it). Share capital can be set at a symbolic €1, although more credible capital eases opening a business account and the banking relationship.
Decisive point: the company has a legal personality distinct from yours. Your liability is limited to your contributions, which protects your personal assets — a major advantage over the classic sole proprietorship.
The president's status: assimilated employee
This is the SASU's key feature. The president is an assimilated employee: they fall under the general Social Security scheme, like a manager, with the notable exception of unemployment insurance (they do not contribute and therefore open no ARE rights).
Financial consequence: social contributions on the remuneration are high. Expect roughly 75 to 82% of charges on the net paid (employer + employee shares combined). In other words, to pay yourself €2,000 net, the company disburses nearly €3,600 in total. In return, social protection is good: health, general-scheme pension, provident cover.
Key takeaway: the SASU president pays dearly for social protection, but enjoys cover close to that of an employee — excluding unemployment.
Taxing profits: corporate tax
The SASU is by default subject to corporate tax (IS). Profit (after deducting your remuneration and expenses) is taxed on a two-tier scale in 2026:
| Profit bracket | 2026 IS rate |
|---|---|
| Up to €42,500 | 15% (reduced rate) |
| Above €42,500 | 25% |
The reduced 15% rate requires revenue below €10M and capital held at least 75% by individuals — a condition met by almost all freelance SASUs. Details in our guide to corporate tax 2026.
The salary / dividend trade-off
This is the heart of optimisation in an SASU. You have two levers to pay yourself:
1. President's remuneration: deductible from taxable profit, but heavily charged (contributions).
2. Dividends: paid after IS, they bear no social contributions in an SASU (unlike an EURL). They are subject to the flat tax (PFU) of 30% — that is 12.8% income tax and 17.2% social levies.
The optimal balance depends on your income needs, the social protection you want and your marginal tax rate. A common strategy is to pay a moderate salary (to validate pension quarters and open rights) supplemented by dividends. Our article dividends or salary in an SASU quantifies several scenarios.
Accounting obligations and their cost
The counterpart of this flexibility is real management: accrual accounting, annual accounts, tax return, filing of accounts. Most SASU presidents use a chartered accountant (indicative budget: €1,000 to €2,500 a year). This cost must enter your profitability calculation against the micro-enterprise.
SASU or micro-enterprise: the tipping point
The micro remains simpler and cheaper as long as your profit is modest. The SASU becomes relevant when:
- you exceed (or will exceed) the €83,600 micro cap for services;
- you want to fine-tune your taxable income via the salary/dividend trade-off;
- you seek to protect your assets or add credibility to your structure with large clients.
Before setting up, compare the two scenarios precisely for your situation with our status comparator, and pit the SASU against the EURL in our dedicated analysis SASU or EURL in 2026.
