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Applying for child benefit

Proposed by Réfugiés.info Updated on il y a un jour

Family allowances are financial assistance sent by the CAF (Family Allowance Fund) from the birth of a second child until the child turns 20.

Family allowances are sent monthly to help pay for children's school, clothes, food, or leisure activities.

The amount of this aid varies depending on household resources, the number of children and their ages.

A "household" is a person or several people who live together (a single person, a couple, one or two parents with children...).

You are entitled to family allowances from the month following the birth of a second child. For example, if your second child is born on January 15th, entitlement will begin on February 1st.

You have the option of registering with the CAF and applying for family allowances as soon as your asylum application is made, if your children are already in France. When you receive a positive response from the OFPRA or the CNDA regarding your international protection (refugee, subsidiary protection, stateless person), send the document to the CAF, which will calculate your family allowances from the date you submitted your application. You will then receive the financial assistance. This is called "retroactivity of rights."

How to do it?

The CAF automatically sends you family allowances as soon as it is aware of a second dependent child.

If you are already registered with the CAF and you already receive the RSA (active solidarity income):

You must indicate in your RSA application your dependent children (your children who live with you in France).

If you are already registered with the CAF, but you do not receive the RSA:

If you are not yet a "benefit recipient", you must:

  • First, apply for "family allowance" benefits by clicking here , then create an account on the CAF website.

You also have the option of connecting with your FranceConnect account.
> Read the guide Connecting to a website with FranceConnect .

  • complete the information,
  • send the requested documents concerning your family and professional life and the birth certificate extract of your children or the pages of your family record book, or the civil status document from the OFPRA.

> Read: the fact sheets “ Registering and logging in to the CAF ” and “ Scanning a document ”

To find the address of the CAF agency closest to you, you can enter your postal code here , then click on “Contact us”.

Allowances are sent to your account every month. The allowances to which you are entitled for the month of February, for example, are therefore sent at the beginning of March.

The money you receive is called a “benefit” or “aid” or “allowance”. A person who receives aid from CAF is called a “beneficiary”.

The amount of benefits depends on the household's resources. For example, your 2022 resources will be taken into account to calculate your rights for the year 2024.

When your child reaches the age of 14, you will receive a monthly increase for them (i.e. the amount of your allowance will be higher). However, if you only have 2 dependent children, you will not receive an increase for the eldest.

The allowances are sent to the account every month.
The allowances you are entitled to for the month of February, for example, are therefore sent at the beginning of March.

The money you receive is called a "benefit," "aid," or "allowance." A person who receives benefits from the CAF is called a "recipient."

The amount of benefits depends on the household's resources.
For example, your 2025 resources will be taken into account to calculate your entitlements for the year 2027.

When your child turns 18, you can receive a monthly supplement (meaning a higher amount for your benefits). However, if you only have two dependent children, you will not receive a supplement for the eldest.

What happens next?

Don't forget to report any changes in your situation to the CAF.

For example:

  • Moving
  • Departure abroad
  • Change in family circumstances (birth, your child leaving home, marriage or civil partnership, divorce…)
  • Change in professional situation (unemployment, new job for you or your spouse, start of your business activity…).

If you move and change departments, it is possible that benefits may stop during the transfer of the file to your new CAF.

You must declare a move , even if the rent hasn't changed or if your landlord is the same. If you were receiving housing assistance, you must submit a new application for assistance for your new accommodation.
Everything is explained here .

To do this, go to "Declare a change" from your personal space on the Caf website or in the "Caf - My Account" mobile application on the I nternet.

Every change in your circumstances results in a recalculation of your financial assistance: if your salary or rent decreases or increases, the CAF (French family allowance fund) will send you more or less money. Don't forget to send your new bank details (RIB) if you change bank accounts.

You can also go to the nearest CAF agency to your home (step 2) to fill out the change of circumstances declaration form on site.

The CAF (Family Allowance Fund) receives information from other public services, such as the tax authorities and France Travail (the French employment agency). If you declare different information or have made a mistake, you must also report it to the CAF. If the CAF sends you too much money relative to your situation (an "overpayment"), it may ask you to reimburse it .
But be careful, if you don't report an error and receive money, it's "fraud". You could be penalized.

After submitting your application for assistance, your file is "pending processing." You must wait; there is no need to send another letter or email. The CAF receives a high volume of applications, and processing times can sometimes be lengthy.

You can track the progress of your application online or via the Caf-Mon Compte app. Online, go to caf.fr > Espace Mon Compte > Mes démarches section.

If the CAF (French family allowance fund) needs additional documents (such as a new residence permit), a red box will appear on your account homepage (on the website or app): you will receive a notification. You must send the document(s) as soon as possible to update your file.

You can download the free CAF - My Account app to track your file and benefit payments or report a change.

Depending on your family and professional situation, you may be eligible to apply for other social benefits from the CAF (Family Allowance Fund). More information is available on the CAF website .

Some benefits depend on your income (salary, unemployment benefits), others do not.

Some benefits are sent to your bank account every month. Other benefits are one-off payments: they are sent only once.

CAF benefits can be combined (you can receive several CAF benefits at the same time), but you must make several separate applications.

To find out exactly what assistance you are entitled to based on your situation, you can run a simulation on this website.

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