The CNESST attestation of compliance at the end of a contract
Rules checked on October 13, 2026
If your subcontractor doesn’t pay its contribution to the CNESST (the workplace health and safety insurance premium), the CNESST can claim it from you. Only one thing releases you: the attestation of compliance, requested at the end of each contract.
What the law says
Section 316 of the Act respecting industrial accidents and occupational diseases lets the CNESST require an employer who retains the services of a contractor to pay the contribution that contractor owes. The CNESST calls that employer the principal employer (employeur donneur d’ouvrage).
The amount is based on the share of the contract price that corresponds to the cost of labour, including the parts your subcontractor itself subcontracted. You can then have the subcontractor pay you back, and hold that amount back from what you still owe them.
Three services, only one releases you
Before the contract, the validation of compliance gives immediate proof that the contractor’s insurance file is in order. Only the contractor can request it, and it doesn’t release the principal employer: it’s mostly used for bids.
During the contract, the compliance status follow-up tells you of changes in the subcontractor’s compliance until the contract ends. It doesn’t release you either.
At the end of the contract, the attestation of compliance releases the principal employer from the contribution the contractor may owe for that contract. It’s the only one of the three services with that effect, and you need one per contract.
How to request it
The request is made in MonEspace CNESST for employers, with a clicSÉQUR – Entreprises account. You or your subcontractor can request it.
When you’re the one requesting it, the subcontractor must confirm the contract details. They have 14 days to approve them or object. With no answer in that time, the information you gave is deemed confirmed.
Request it as soon as the work ends, and keep the attestation in the contract file with the date of the request.
Good habits
Before you sign, ask the subcontractor for their validation of compliance. It doesn’t protect you, but a file that isn’t in order is a warning sign.
Write into your subcontracts that the last payment follows delivery of the attestation. If nothing is left to pay when the CNESST claims the contribution, you can no longer hold it back.
Don’t wait: section 316 sets no deadline for the CNESST to make its claim.
Official sources
- CNESST: compliance verification services (in French)
- CNESST: paying the contribution owed by another employer (in French)
- Act respecting industrial accidents and occupational diseases, section 316 (LégisQuébec)
This guide sums up the rules in force on the date shown, from the laws and official pages above. It isn’t legal advice: for a specific case, check with the agency concerned or a professional.
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