An employee receives their payslip by email, clicks on a link, and the document lands in an online space they did not choose. This space is often Arkevia, a digital vault deployed by the employer. Behind this simple mechanism lie precise rules, both for the company implementing the system and for the employee benefiting from it.
Legal obligation of retention: what the Labor Code really imposes
The retention period for digital payslips is not a commercial argument of Arkevia. It is a constraint set by law. Article D.3243-8 of the Labor Code requires that the electronic payslip remains accessible to the employee for 50 years or until they turn 75, depending on which duration is more favorable.
Specifically, if a 30-year-old employee receives their first digital payslip, the vault must keep it for at least until they are 80 years old (30 + 50). The 75-year rule serves as a minimum for older employees.
The company that chooses digitization via Arkevia or any other provider commits to ensuring three things: the integrity of the document, its availability for the entire legal duration, and its confidentiality. These requirements stem from Article L.3243-2 of the Labor Code, which allows the delivery of the payslip in electronic form by default, unless the employee objects.
To fully understand the Arkevia vault for companies, it is necessary to distinguish two scopes of retention. The employer must keep a copy of the payslip for 5 years (employer obligation). The employee’s vault, on the other hand, ensures long-term archiving, well beyond the contractual relationship.
Employee’s right to object to the electronic payslip
Did you know that your employer can send you your payslips in digital format without asking for your prior consent? Since the Labor Law, electronic delivery is the default mode. The employer informs the employee, and the employee has a right to object to request a paper format.
This right can be exercised at any time, not just when the system is implemented. An employee who accepts the electronic payslip for two years can change their mind and request a return to paper.
The company must inform each employee of this possibility. In practice, this information often comes through a service note or an individual letter during the deployment of Arkevia. The lack of information constitutes a shortcoming, even if the employee does not object.
What the objection changes for the employer
When an employee refuses the electronic payslip, the company resumes printing and handing it over in person or by mail. The Arkevia vault remains active for documents already deposited, but no new payslip will be added for that employee.
This situation creates a mixed regime within the company: some employees receive their documents in the vault, while others receive them on paper. The payroll department must manage both flows in parallel.
Access to the Arkevia vault after departure: portability and GDPR rights
The end of the employment contract does not close the vault. Access to the Arkevia account remains active after the contract is terminated, whether the departure is voluntary, a dismissal, or the end of a fixed-term contract. The employer stops adding to the space, but the documents already archived remain accessible.
Why does this point matter so much? Because a former employee may need a payslip years later, for a mortgage application or a career reconstruction with their pension fund.
Portability of personal data
The GDPR grants the employee a right to portability. In practice, this means they can request to retrieve all their documents in a usable format, free of charge. This request is directed to the vault provider or the employer, depending on the established organization.
Three GDPR rights apply directly to the Arkevia vault after departure:
- Right of access: to consult all stored documents and know which personal data is retained
- Right to portability: to obtain a complete copy of the files in a standard format, at no cost
- Right to deletion: to request the erasure of data, provided that the legal retention period is respected (the provider may refuse if the 50 years have not elapsed)
Technical obligations of the employer during the deployment of Arkevia
Setting up a digital vault is not just about signing a contract with Cegedim SRH, the publisher of Arkevia. The company takes on several technical and legal responsibilities.
Document encryption is the first requirement. Arkevia uses the AES-256 standard, which ensures that the stored files are only readable by the concerned employee. The employer cannot view the contents of an employee’s vault once the document is deposited.
Certified timestamping accompanies each deposit. It proves the exact date the payslip is made available, giving the document a legal value equivalent to that of a signed paper.
The company must also ensure that the provider complies with GDPR regulations throughout the entire chain: hosting data in France or the European Union, encryption in transit and at rest, logging of access.
Personal email address: a detail that changes everything
When activating the vault, the employee provides an email address. Using a personal address rather than a professional one is recommended, as the professional address will be deactivated upon departure. Without access to that email account, retrieving the password becomes complicated.
This advice may seem trivial, but it generates the majority of support requests after a change of employer.
The Arkevia vault places the company within a strict regulatory framework where each step, from informing the employee to retention over several decades, engages its responsibility. For the employee, the counterpart is reliable and durable archiving, provided they have secured their access with the right credentials from the start.