You receive pre-financed CESU from your employer or your social and economic committee, and you are asked for a “NAN code” to finalize a process. This number, not always easy to locate at first glance, is the key to accessing the entire reimbursement circuit for universal service employment checks. Here’s how to find it, request it, or recover it if you have misplaced it.
NAN Code CESU: a unique identifier assigned by the CRCESU
The NAN code (National Affiliation Number) is issued by the CESU Reimbursement Center, the CRCESU, to each participant who affiliates with it. It applies to both employees hired by individuals and companies or associations acting as agents and service providers.
Its format is recognizable: a code made up of numbers followed by an asterisk and a number (for example, 0012345*1). Only one NAN code is assigned per participant, even if multiple employers pay them in pre-financed CESU.
Without this number, it is impossible to access the personal space of the CRCESU, submit CESU titles, or track reimbursements. It is also involved in the cash collection chain for affiliated professionals. If you are specifically looking for where to find the NAN code CESU, several channels exist depending on your situation.
Recovering a lost NAN code: channels to use
Misplacing your NAN code happens frequently, especially when the initial mail from the CRCESU is several months old. Three avenues allow you to recover it without creating a new account.
The CRCESU website and the “I forgot my NAN code” function
On the login page of the personal space of the CRCESU (espacepersonnel.cr-cesu.fr), a section “I forgot my NAN code” is directly accessible. If an email address is registered on your account, the NAN code will be sent to you by email. Otherwise, you need to contact the CRCESU customer service by phone or by mail.
The initial affiliation letter
The CRCESU sends the NAN code by postal mail after confirming the affiliation. This document is often filed with the first payslips or employment contracts. The NAN code is also included on invoices issued by the service provider and on the employment contract itself.
Contacting the CRCESU customer service
If none of these avenues work, the CRCESU customer service can be reached by phone, by postal mail, or through the online form. Prepare an ID and, if possible, a document related to your personal service activity to expedite the process.
Affiliating with the CRCESU to obtain your first NAN code
Have you never received a NAN code? This means that the affiliation with the CRCESU has not yet been completed. Here are the concrete steps.
- Online registration on the CRCESU website: the form requires your contact details, postal code, a valid email address, and your banking information for the reimbursement of titles.
- Validation of the affiliation by the CRCESU: after verification, the center assigns a unique NAN code and sends it by mail, along with the login credentials for the personal space.
- First login to the personal space: you can then submit your CESU, view your reimbursements, and modify your banking details from the CRCESU website or mobile app.
For employees directly hired by an individual, the employer must simultaneously declare the salary and pay social contributions via Urssaf service Cesu or Pajemploi depending on the situation. Affiliation with the CRCESU is a separate process from the Urssaf declaration.
NAN Code and CESU cashing: what changes for professionals
The NAN code is not only for home employees. Recent cash solutions, compliant with the NF525 standard, now allow professionals in sectors such as hairdressing or aesthetics to accept CESU titles just like credit cards or cash.
In this context, the NAN code becomes an identifier in the multi-payment method cash collection chain. The professional service provider must be affiliated with the CRCESU and have their NAN code for CESU titles to be processed and reimbursed. This trend expands the scope of CESU well beyond just home employment between individuals.
Maintaining CESU benefits during certain absences
The decree of June 25, 2026 (article D 1132-1 of the Labor Code) specifies that the legal absences of employees holding a municipal mandate are considered as effective working time for calculating certain social benefits, including CESU. The benefits of CESU and the use of the associated NAN code are maintained during these absences. This point often goes unnoticed in practical guides focused solely on recovering the number.
Common mistakes when searching for the NAN code
Some confusions regularly arise and slow down the processes.
- Confusing the NAN code with the CESU number or the Urssaf number: the NAN code is specific to the CRCESU and does not appear on Urssaf documents.
- Creating a second account with the CRCESU instead of recovering the existing code: only one NAN code is assigned per participant, even in the case of a change of employer.
- Searching for the NAN code on issuer platforms (Edenred, Bimpli, Up) when it is the CRCESU that issues and manages the NAN code, not the title issuer.
These platforms may request the NAN code to add a provider to a list of beneficiaries, but they do not generate it. If your provider already has a NAN code, simply ask them directly to register it on the relevant platform.
The NAN code remains valid as long as the affiliation with the CRCESU is active. In case of a change of banking details or postal address, the update is done from the personal space without altering the affiliation number. Keep it in an accessible place: you will be asked for it again for each new process related to pre-financed CESU.