- Key takeaway
In France, remote work cannot justify excluding employees from the meal vouchers distribution policy.
If meal vouchers are granted to on-site employees in the absence of a company canteen, the same entitlement generally applies to teleworkers, including those working from home or in hybrid arrangements.
Recent rulings from the French Supreme Court (October 8, 2025) confirm this position and align case law with guidance from French authorities.
- What changed (and why it matters)
Following the rise of teleworking after COVID, French courts had taken inconsistent positions on whether teleworkers were entitled to meal vouchers.
Some decisions focused on the employee’s working schedule (lunch break included = entitlement), while others emphasized the absence of additional meal costs for employees working from home.
The French Supreme Court has now settled the issue: teleworkers must be treated like comparable on-site employees.
- Current legal position in practice
French law is based on a strict principle of equal treatment. As a result:
- Teleworkers are entitled to meal vouchers under the same conditions as comparable on-site employees.
- Remote work, as such, is not a valid reason to exclude employees from this benefit.
- This applies whether employees work fully remotely, in a hybrid setup, or from a satellite office.
This position is consistent with official guidance from:
- the French Ministry of Labor; and
- the Official Social Security Bulletin (BOSS).
- When can teleworkers be excluded? (limited exceptions)
Differences in treatment are allowed only in very limited situations, where the employer can demonstrate that:
- the employee is not in a comparable situation with regard to the benefit (e.g. no lunch break due to working schedule); and
- the eligibility rules are objective, transparent and documented in advance.
In practice, excluding employees solely because they work remotely is no longer compliant with French law.
- What HR teams can do
For HR and global mobility teams managing staff in France, it is recommended to:
à Review the meal voucher distribution policy to ensure teleworkers are included by default.
à Align internal rules across on-site, hybrid and remote populations.
à Document any exception carefully and ensure it is supported by objective criteria, not by work location.
à Pay particular attention in international groups applying centralized benefits policies that may not fully comply with French legal requirements.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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