La CAF (Caisse d’allocations familiales) is a French publicly-funded organisation in charge of issuing payments to families, students, disabled people, those on low incomes and some other groups.

There are dozens of different kinds of financial aid available depending on your situation. 

But the crucial point is that you have to apply for these – they don’t just magically appear if you meet the criteria.

To receive CAF payments, your income must be below a certain amount – this can vary depending on a number of factors: what kind of aid you are applying for; how many people live in your household; how many people you care for; where you live; how much you pay in rent; and many others. 

You must be living in France and possess a visa or titre de séjour (unless you are a national of another EU country, such as Ireland) to be eligible to receive CAF payments. You must also have a French social security number and have filed a tax declaration in France or abroad in the financial year before applying. 

Payments are sent monthly and typically fall just short of €200 – again though, this amount can vary depending on your personal situation. 

There are many different benefits depending on your situation, but here is a guide to some of the most common:

Help with rent

Aide personnalisée au logement (APL) is a monthly payment designed to help make rent more affordable. If you are sub-tenant, you must be less than 30-years-old. 

You do not need a formal rental contract to receive this payment, which is why it is popular among students who often struggle to provide the necessary guarantors or proof of income necessary to get one. However, you do need at least a signed ‘attestation de loyer‘ from your landlord (or from the tenant if you are sub-letting) which carries less legal weight. 

Payments are made into your bank account, rather than going to the property owner. 

To qualify, you must be renting a somewhere that meets certain criteria of ‘decency and living conditions‘. The amount you are paid depends on your income, how many people you live with and the number of children under your care.

A single person in the countryside for example would receive a maximum of €239.21 per month, while a couple with a child in Paris could receive €399.19 with an additional €57.91 for each extra child. 

Other housing benefits payments include: the Allocation de logement familial or ALF (which is targeted more specifically at families) and the Allocation de logement social or ALS (which is designed for people living in social housing). 

Help for parents 

Allocations familiales are payments designed to help people caring for two or more people under 20-years-old. 

The amount paid out depends on the annual income of the couple or single person caring for the children/teenagers, and increases once the second-born child passes the age of 14. 

The upper annual earning limit of a couple or single person with two children hoping to benefit from this payment is €93,212. 

Other common financial aid options designed to help families include: the prime de naissance (a one-off birth bonus designed to help with initial expenses that come with having a baby); the prime à l’adoption (a one-off payment for those who adopt someone under the age of 20); the allocation de base,  which is a monthly payment of up to €184.62 per child to help with education; and the PAJE (which is a payment specifically designed to help families care for a child under the age of three). 

You can apply to receive multiple different payments to support your family through CAF at the same time. 

Help for workers

The Revenu de solidarité active (RSA) is a top-up benefit chiefly designed to help low-paid or part-time workers in France. Its purpose is to incentivise employment over solely living off social security payments, by topping up income. 

You must be over 25 and earning below a fixed amount to receive this payment. If you are aged 18-25, you must apply for an RSA jeune. If you are pregnant or already have a child under your care, no limit applies. 

A single person with no children can receive up to €565.34 per month. This amount increases if you are applying as a couple or if you are looking after children. 

If you are eligible to receive RSA payments, you are probably also eligible for a prime d’activité which is also designed to compliment income from work. 

Help for pensioners

There is an equivalent top-up benefit for pensioners on a low income, known as the Allocation de solidarité aux personnes âgées or  ASPA but it is not administered through CAF. You can apply for these payments via your caisse de retraite or local mairie. 

You must be at least 65-years-old to receive these payments although mothers with three children and disabled people can sometimes access it earlier. 

If you come from a non-EU country, you must hold a ten-year titre de séjour that gives you the right to work (even though you are retired). 

You cannot access these payments if your pre-tax income exceeds €1402.22 per month (for couples) or €903.20 per month (for single people). 

Help for the disabled

The Allocation aux adultes handicapés (Aah) is a payment aimed at supporting disabled people living in France. 

The amount received depends on your level of disability, whether or not you are temporarily or permanently disabled and your income (including pension payments and payments you may be receiving in compensation for an accident). 

If you are hospitalised or resident of a specialised care home, the amount of money you receive may be reduced. 

While payments are made through CAF, requests to receive Aah must be made through your closest Maison départementale des personnes handicapées. The process can take around 4 months. 

At most, recipients of Aah payments can receive €903.60 per month. 

Other benefits related to disability and available via CAF include: the allocation d’éducation de l’enfant handicapé, which is aimed at supporting care for disabled children and the allocation journalière du proche aidant, designed to support those who look after disabled family members, partners or housemates (for free). 

Applying for CAF

If you still don’t know what kind of aid you could be eligible for, you can take this simulation to find out.

If after reading this piece, you have a better idea of what specific payments you could benefit from, you can create an account on caf.fr and use the simulation tools there to see how much you could receive. It is a relatively simple process but it does require a French social security number.   

Most applications for CAF payments and submissions of supporting documents are made via the caf.fr website, although in some cases, you may need to make your initial application by post. 

If you are are averse to French administration (aren’t we all), there is also a website which charges a fee to make the application for you.