Important information
Proposed by
Target audience
Price
Requirements
Where is it?
Applying for child benefit
What is it?
Family allowances are financial assistance sent by the CAF (Family Allowance Fund) from the birth of a second child up to the age of 20.
Family allowances are sent each month to help pay for children's school, clothing, food and leisure activities.
The amount of this assistance varies depending on the household's resources, the number of children and their age.
Please note, to apply for family allowances, you must be in France (parents and children).
How to do it?
The CAF automatically sends you family allowances as soon as it becomes aware of a second dependent child.
If you are already registered with the CAF and you already receive RSA (active solidarity income):
You must indicate in your RSA application your dependent children (your children who live with you in France).
> Read: the Réfugiés.info sheet “Ask for RSA”
If you are already registered with the CAF, but you do not receive the RSA:
Report a change in the composition of your household, online on your CAF account OR by mail by completing this form .
Don't forget to send your children's birth certificate or the pages of your family record book or the OFPRA civil status document (scan or photocopies).
> Read: the “ Register and connect to CAF ” sheet
On the Internet
If you are not yet a “beneficiary”, you must:
- first apply for a “family allowance” benefit by clicking here , then create an account on the CAF website,
> Read the sheet Connect to a site with FranceConnect .
- complete the information,
- send the requested documents concerning your family and professional life and the birth certificate of your children or the pages of your family record book, or the civil status document from OFPRA.
> To read: the “ Register and connect to CAF ” and “ Scan a document ” sheets
By mail
If you are not yet a “beneficiary”, you must:
- complete the information in this form (check carefully which parts concern you depending on your situation)
- send the requested documents on the last page.
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 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.
What happens next?
If your personal situation changes (for example: a new person arrives in the household, you move, or you separate), you must inform the CAF.
If your professional situation changes (new job for you or your spouse, end of employment contract, entry into an internship, etc.), you must also report this.
Also don't forget to send your new RIB (bank identity statement) if you change bank accounts.
>> To do so, on the CAF website, in “My profile” , click on “Declare a change”.
Each change in situation leads to a new calculation of your financial aid: if your salary or your rent changes, CAF sends you more or less money.
You must declare a move, even if the rent has not changed or if your landlord is the same. If you had housing assistance, you must make a new application for assistance for the new housing.
After making your request for assistance, your file is “waiting for processing”. You have to wait, there is no need to send another letter or email. CAF receives a lot of requests and processing times are sometimes long.
You can follow the processing of your request online or on the Caf-Mon Compte application. Online, go to caf.fr > My Account > My procedures section.
You can download the free CAF - My account application to monitor your file and your aid payments or even declare a change.
Depending on your family and professional situation, you have the possibility of requesting other social assistance from the CAF. Everything is explained on the CAF website.
Some aid depends on your income (salary, unemployment benefits), others do not.
Some aid is sent to your bank account every month. Other aid is one-off: it is sent only once.
CAF aid can be combined (you can receive several CAF aid at the same time), but you must make several separate requests.
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