DPC or FIFPL: which to choose in 2026 as a physiotherapist?
Two funding routes support the continuing education of self-employed physiotherapists in France in 2026: the DPC (ANDPC) and the FIF PL. They follow different rules, cover different things… and can be combined. Here is the full comparison, with official figures, and the strategy for leaving nothing on the table.
📝 In brief
- DPC: 14 h funded per year for self-employed physiotherapists working under the state health agreement: the ANDPC pays the provider and gives you an allowance of 38 €/h on site and in the virtual classroom agencedpc.fr.
- FIF PL: up to 900 € of course fees reimbursed per year (300 €/day), for self-employed professionals up to date with their CFP contribution; e-learning capped at 50 %, i.e. 450 €/year fifpl.fr.
- It is not an either/or choice: the two can be combined in the same calendar year, as long as the same day is not funded twice fifpl.fr.
- A simple rule of thumb: DPC first (you pay nothing and you receive an allowance), then FIF PL for further courses, and mind its 10-day filing deadline service-public.gouv.fr.
📜 Official sources used
- 2026 DPC allowances for physiotherapists, agencedpc.fr: Forfaits_masseurs_kinesitherapeutes_2026.pdf
- The DPC in practice (three-yearly obligation), agencedpc.fr: agencedpc.fr/le-dpc-en-pratique
- 2026 funding criteria: Masseurs-kinésithérapeutes (NAF code 8690E), fifpl.fr: fifpl.fr/codes-naf/8690ek-masseurs-kinesitherapeutes
- Online FIF PL funding application, service-public.gouv.fr: entreprendre.service-public.gouv.fr/vosdroits/R18287
Contents
🎯 DPC and FIF PL: two different logics
The DPC (Développement Professionnel Continu, continuing professional development) is the regulated scheme for health professionals in France, run by the national DPC agency. It combines a three-yearly obligation, at least 2 activities of 2 different types per 3-year period, checked by the professional body agencedpc.fr, with an entitlement: 14 hours of funded activities per year in 2026, with no course fees to pay up front and an allowance for lost earnings agencedpc.fr. Our DPC guide for physiotherapists 2026 sets out the full practical detail.
The FIF PL (Fonds Interprofessionnel de Formation des Professionnels Libéraux) is the training fund for the self-employed professions, financed by your vocational training contribution (CFP) collected by URSSAF. It reimburses course fees you have already paid, within annual and daily ceilings fifpl.fr, with no allowance for your time, and no link to the DPC obligation. Our FIFPL guide for physiotherapists 2026 covers ceilings, conditions and how to apply.
⚖️ The 2026 comparison in one table
| Critère | DPC (ANDPC) | FIF PL |
|---|---|---|
| Who is eligible? | Self-employed professionals working under the state health agreement, and employees of health centres under that agreement agencedpc.fr | Self-employed professionals up to date with their CFP contribution; micro-entrepreneurs pro rata to their contribution (from 20 to 100 %) fifpl.fr |
| What you receive | Course fees paid directly to the provider + an allowance of 38 €/h on site and in the virtual classroom agencedpc.fr | Reimbursement of your course fees, up to a ceiling fifpl.fr |
| 2026 volume | 14 h per year (i.e. up to 532 € of allowance: 14 h × 38 €) agencedpc.fr | 900 € per year, 300 € per day, within the limits of the profession’s budget fifpl.fr |
| E-learning | Continuing education carries no allowance (course fees of 28.50 €/h are still funded); EPP and risk management carry an allowance of 19 €/h agencedpc.fr | Capped at 50 % of the criteria, i.e. 150 €/day and 450 €/year maximum fifpl.fr |
| Long courses | Three-yearly cap on hours; once reached, only EPP, risk management or integrated programme activities remain available agencedpc.fr | A dedicated fund outside the annual budget, once every 3 years: 2 000 € (70-89 h), 2 500 € (90-109 h), 3 000 € (110 h and above) fifpl.fr |
| How to apply | Enrol directly in a session from your mondpc.fr account, no course fees to pay up front | Online application no later than 10 calendar days after the 1st day of the course, then submit the attendance and payment certificate service-public.gouv.fr |
| Regulatory obligation | DPC activities count towards your three-yearly obligation (2 activities of 2 different types per 3-year period) agencedpc.fr | A funding scheme independent of the DPC obligation |
| Requirements on the provider | A provider registered with the ANDPC (Physio Learning: no. 99GX) | A Qualiopi-certified provider, with a programme meeting the profession’s criteria fifpl.fr |
🧩 Which should you choose? 4 real-life cases
« I want to take an on-site course this year »
DPC first, if you work under the state health agreement: the course fees are paid by the ANDPC and you receive an allowance of 38 €/h agencedpc.fr. Once your 14 hours are used up, switch to the FIF PL (300 €/day, 900 €/year) for further courses, on days not funded by the ANDPC fifpl.fr.
« I would rather learn by e-learning, at my own pace »
On the DPC side, continuing education by e-learning is funded (28.50 €/h paid to the provider) but carries no allowance for you agencedpc.fr. On the FIF PL side, e-learning is reimbursed up to 150 €/day and 450 €/year fifpl.fr. Both routes work: the DPC preserves your FIF PL budget, the FIF PL preserves your 14 DPC hours for on-site courses that carry an allowance. Browse our eligible online physiotherapy courses éligibles.
« I am aiming at a long course (70 hours or more) »
This is the territory of the dedicated FIF PL fund: 2 000 to 3 000 € of funding depending on the duration, outside the annual 900 € budget, once every 3 years fifpl.fr: the DPC entitlement (14 h/year) does not cover this format.
« I am a micro-entrepreneur »
The FIF PL is open to you pro rata to your CFP contribution: 20 % of the ceilings for a contribution of 1 to 20 €, 60 % from 21 to 40 €, 80 % from 41 to 80 €, 100 % from 81 € fifpl.fr. For the DPC, the criterion is the same as for any self-employed professional: working under the state health agreement agencedpc.fr.
🔄 The winning strategy: combine the two
The real answer to « DPC or FIFPL? » is most often « both »: the two routes are independent and can be combined in the same calendar year. Only one thing is forbidden: funding the same day twice: the days funded by the FIF PL must be days not funded by the ANDPC fifpl.fr.
What a well-optimised 2026 typically looks like: ① use your 14 DPC hours on an on-site or virtual classroom course (nothing to pay up front + 38 €/h of allowance) agencedpc.fr; ② fund your further courses through the FIF PL, up to 900 € reimbursed fifpl.fr; ③ file each FIF PL application within the 10 calendar days following the 1st day of the course service-public.gouv.fr: ideally as soon as you enrol.
❓ FAQ: DPC or FIFPL
Can DPC and FIFPL be combined in the same year?
Yes: the two routes are independent and can be combined in the same calendar year. The only rule is the ban on funding the same day twice: the days funded by the FIF PL must be days not funded by the ANDPC fifpl.fr.
DPC or FIFPL for an e-learning course?
Both fund e-learning, differently: on the DPC side, the course fees for continuing education are funded (28.50 €/h paid to the provider) but with no allowance, only EPP and risk management carry one, at 19 €/h agencedpc.fr; on the FIF PL side, reimbursement is capped at 150 €/day and 450 €/year fifpl.fr.
Which scheme « pays » more in 2026?
They do not fund the same thing: the DPC covers 14 h of training with nothing to pay up front and adds up to 532 € of allowance (14 h × 38 €) agencedpc.fr; the FIF PL reimburses up to 900 € of course fees per year fifpl.fr. By combining them, you get the most out of both.
Am I eligible for both schemes?
A self-employed physiotherapist working under the state health agreement and up to date with their CFP contribution is eligible for both: for ANDPC funding through that agreement agencedpc.fr, and for the FIF PL through their CFP fifpl.fr.
Does a course funded by the FIFPL count towards my DPC obligation?
The three-yearly obligation is met through a DPC pathway: at least 2 DPC activities of 2 different types per 3-year period agencedpc.fr. The FIF PL is an independent funding scheme: check that your three-year pathway does include the required DPC activities.
🎓 Train with Physio Learning, whatever your funding route
Physio Learning is a registered DPC provider (no. 99GX) and Qualiopi-certified: our courses are designed to be fundable through either scheme: DPC courses for physiotherapists to use your 14 hours, online physiotherapy courses for the FIF PL.
To go further into each scheme: DPC for physiotherapists 2026: the complete guide · FIFPL for physiotherapists 2026: ceilings, criteria and how to apply · Physiotherapy fees 2026: the NGAP schedule, and for an overview, our pillar page physiotherapy courses.
Information given for guidance only, always refer to the official text in force.
Behind this article
An author who explains, a reviewer who checks.
How we write and check our content
Physiotherapist · co-founder of Physio Learning
Marked for life by his first four-hour lecture without a single image, he took a master’s in instructional design so that it would never happen to anyone again. He hunts down publication bias and unreadable slides with the same intransigence.
Head of scientific content
Physiotherapist specialising in neuro-musculoskeletal practice and holder of a master’s in public health. He checks the methodological rigour of every article: primary sources, levels of evidence, no exceptions.