Family allowance: Claiming Allocations Familiales

(If you previously claimed child benefit in the UK you should have let the Child Benefit Office know that you have moved abroad).

The Caisse d’allocations familiales (Caf – part of the social security system) pays child benefits as well as other benefits related to housing, work, family and income support benefit RSA (Revenu de Solidarité Active).

For family allowance, get a form at tinyurl.com/French-Family-Allowance (You want the form Demande de prestations familiales ou changement de situation - it should say Cerfa 11423*06 in the top right).

For two children the full monthly benefit on going to press is -129.47; for three -295.35 and -165.88 for each additional child thereafter.
For older children there is an extra -64.74 per month after a child’s 14th birthday if you have three or more children.
The allocation de rentrée scolaire is a back-to-school benefit for families with children aged six to 18, whose income is below a certain threshold. It is to help pay for autumn back-to-school costs and varies according to the child’s age.

If you get benefits from the Caf you will automatically receive it at the end of August. If not, you must apply (again using the form Cerfa 11423*06). In 2016 it was -363 for children aged 6-10; -383 for 11-14 and -396 for 15-18.

Other help is available for single parents, or guardians of a child and for babies.
Help is also available for disabled workers, people starting a job after a long time out of work and young people.