An employee who changes companies three times in ten years ends up with pay slips scattered across multiple HR systems. Finding the one from seven years ago for a mortgage application becomes a puzzle. Arkevia, the digital safe developed by Cegedim, was designed to address this specific problem: to centralize and store pay documents for a duration aligned with French legal obligations.
Legal retention period of pay slips on Arkevia
The point that most guides gloss over is the actual duration during which one can rely on access to their documents. Article D3243-8 of the Labor Code mandates that dematerialized pay slips remain available for 50 years or until the employee turns 75. Arkevia complies with this requirement.
In practice, even after leaving the company, the safe remains active. Access to archived pay slips is retained without intervention from the former employer. This is a major change compared to a paper binder or a traditional cloud storage space, which offers no guarantees over several decades.
To learn everything about Arkevia in France, the operation relies on a contractual commitment from the publisher to maintain this archiving over the very long term, regardless of the ups and downs of the employer-employee relationship.
Activation of the MyArkevia account and initial steps
A MyArkevia account is not created at one’s own initiative. It is the employer who triggers the opening of the digital safe, via the Cegedim SRH solution. The employee then receives an activation email containing a unique link and a registration number.
Concrete steps to follow upon receiving the email
- Click on the activation link before it expires (usually a few days) and set a personal password on the platform myarkevia.com
- Verify that the first pay slip is indeed deposited in the space, then test the PDF download to ensure everything works
- Add the email address associated with the account to a password manager, as one may only log in once or twice a year and forgetting the username is the primary reason for being locked out
If the activation email does not arrive, check the spam folder before contacting HR. Responses vary on this point: some employees receive the invitation immediately, while others get it several weeks after the employer sets up the system.
Data security and two-factor authentication in 2026
Until recently, logging into MyArkevia relied on an email-password combination. Cegedim announced the deployment of widespread two-factor authentication in the summer of 2026 for all accounts. This enhancement aligns the platform with practices that have become standard in the banking sector.
The stored documents are hosted on servers located in France, a criterion that weighs for GDPR compliance. Encryption protects data at rest and in transit. For an employee, this means that neither the employer nor an unauthorized third party can access the contents of the safe after the deposit.
What two-factor authentication changes in daily life
A temporary code is received via SMS or through an authentication app with each login. It is an additional step, but it blocks access attempts even if the password is compromised. For those who log in only rarely, noting the phone number associated with the account prevents being locked out after changing mobile lines.
Arkevia compared to Digiposte: pay safe or personal space
Digiposte, published by La Poste, is the other solution frequently deployed by French companies for the dematerialization of pay slips. Employees do not choose between the two: it is the employer who selects the provider.
The main difference lies in the scope. Digiposte aggregates documents from multiple sources (invoices, administrative letters, pay slips), while Arkevia remains focused on HR archiving and documents submitted by the employer or the employee in their personal space.
In terms of protection and duration of archiving, both comply with French legal standards. The choice between these platforms is part of the company’s digital strategy, not a technical superiority of one over the other.
Storing personal documents in the Arkevia safe
Beyond pay slips, the MyArkevia personal space allows users to upload their own files: identity card, passport, diplomas, insurance certificates. This additional storage is included at no extra cost for the employee.
It is recommended to prioritize depositing documents whose loss would be most detrimental:
- Valid identity documents, useful in case of theft or loss of the physical document
- Employment contracts and amendments, which may be requested during an audit or labor dispute
- Career situation statements and training certificates, which are difficult to reconstruct from issuing organizations
The personal storage space is not unlimited, but it sufficiently covers the needs for regular administrative archiving. Digitizing documents in PDF format rather than JPEG images reduces file size and facilitates keyword searches.
The Arkevia digital safe does not replace a local backup on an external hard drive for large files or photos. Its purpose remains secure document management and long-term preservation of administrative documents. For an employee in France, it is a safety net that works without thinking, as long as access is checked once a year.