Don't leave your auto-entreprise in limbo — close it officially
Many self-employed people stop trading without going through the deregistration procedure, assuming it doesn't matter since they're declaring zero turnover. This is a costly mistake. An underegistered auto-entreprise remains administratively active — you continue to receive filing obligations, and if you miss a declaration, URSSAF can calculate flat-rate contributions. Close it officially as soon as you stop trading.
The official deregistration procedure
Auto-entreprise deregistration is handled exclusively online at the single window for business formalities: formalites.entreprises.gouv.fr. You have 1 month from the actual cessation date to file your cessation declaration. Deregistration is free and permanent. Once deregistered, you'll need to create a new auto-entreprise if you resume self-employed activity later.
What to do before deregistering
Before filing your deregistration request: make your final turnover declaration for the current period (even if it's zero), pay any contributions due up to the cessation date, and settle all outstanding invoices. If you have clients with unpaid invoices, collect them before deregistering.
Tax obligations after cessation
Closing your auto-entreprise doesn't close everything immediately. You must file a supplementary income declaration (form 2042-C-PRO) for the year of cessation, stating the turnover generated up to the date of stopping. Keep all accounting documents (invoices, turnover declarations, bank statements) for 10 years from the cessation date.
After deregistration: are you entitled to unemployment benefits?
Ceasing trading doesn't automatically entitle you to unemployment benefits. But two situations allow it. If you had unused ARE entitlements before creating your auto-entreprise, you can recover them. Otherwise, the Allocation des Travailleurs Indépendants (ATI) exists for self-employed people whose business has ceased for economic reasons — conditions: 2 years of activity, average annual income of at least €10,000.