Back to school allowance (ARS) 2025: Conditions, amount and date of payment

The back -to -school allowance (ARS) is paid to families dependent on CAF or MSA (agricultural professions). It allows households, having at least one child educated and aged 6 to 18, to finance a fraction of expenses linked to the start of the school year (supply, equipment, clothing …). Conditions, amount, date of payment … Focus on ARS for the 2025-2026 school year.

Capital video: back -to -school allowance: conditions, amount and payment

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What is the back-to-school allowance in France?

The back -to -school allowance (ARS) is an aid for families for modest income. It allows you to finance the purchase of their children’s school supplies. According to the public service website, nearly three million families and five million children receive it every year in France. It is aimed at students aged six to 18, educated, apprenticeship or student in a specialized host establishment.

Who has the right to the back -to -school bonus?

To benefit from ARS, the child must be between six and 18 years old on December 31 of the school year and be educated in a public or private establishment. Thus, for the start of the 2025 school year, the child must be born between the September 16, 2007 and December 31, 2019 included. If the child was born after this date, he must already be registered in CP. If he is educated at home, the allowance is not paid. Registration in a distance education organization, such as the CNED, however allows you to benefit from the back -to -school allowance.

Note: Since the start of the 2016 school year, the allowance for children entrusted to social assistance to childhood has no longer been paid to parents. It is the Caisse des Dépôts and Consignations which is responsible for keeping the sum blocked and returning it to the young person.

What are the conditions for reaching the start of the school bonus?

Conditions related to the age of the child and the income of parents

The ARS is paid for children in school or registered at the CNED and aged 6 to 18 or in apprenticeship. The child under 18 in apprenticeship cannot benefit from the back -to -school allowance if his remuneration is greater than 55% of the minimum wage. The payment of the allowance also depends on the income of the family taken into account each year by CAF.

Simulator to know his rights to ARS

The government provides parents with an online simulator to find out their rights to the back -to -school allowance. They just have to indicate:

• the number of dependent children,
• the date of birth of the child (s),
• The amount of annual household income.

At the end of the simulation, they obtained the amount of the ARS after deduction of the CRDS, according to their situation.

What is the resource ceiling not to be exceeded to reach the back -to -school allowance in 2025?

This CAF allocation is conditioned on a resource ceiling, variable according to the number of dependent children. Revenues taken into account are those of year N-2. For the start of the 2025 school year, it is therefore the categorical net income of 2023 which serves as a reference. Here are the resource ceilings according to the number of children.

In case of exceeding the ceiling

If the family’s revenues are slightly exceeding this ceiling, a decreasing allowance can be paid. We then speak of a differential allowance.

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What are the amounts of the 2024 back -to -school allowance?

A different amount depending on the age of the child

In 2024, the back -to -school allowance was revalued up to 4.6%. Here are the amounts for the 2024-2025 school year depending on the age of the child:

The amounts cited are after counting social security contributions (CRDS).

Note : The amounts for the 2025-2026 school year will not be known until April.

When will the start -school allowance be paid?

Date of payment of the 2024 back -to -school allowance by CAF

The date of official payment of the ARS in 2024 is set for Wednesday August 20 in mainland France and in the departments of Guadeloupe, Guyana and Martinique. In 2023, the back -to -school allowance was paid a few days earlier on August 16.

Note : The date of payment for the start of the 2025 school year should be communicated in early July.

Date of payment 2024 of the ARS in Mayotte and Reunion

In Mayotte and Reunion, the date of payment of the ARS was set for August 6, 2024. In 2023, it was paid on Tuesday 1ᵉʳ August.

Special case of Mayotte

Resource ceilings not to be exceeded

In Mayotte, the conditions for the allocation of the allowance are more favorable. Open entitlement to this allowance, children aged 6 to 20. For the start of the 2024 school year, the household resources had to be less than:

• 33,400 euros for 1 child,
• 36,436 euros for 2 children,
• 39,472 for 3 children,
• 42,508 euros for 5 children,

Amount of ARS in Mayotte in 2024

The amount of ARS 2024 in Mayotte is:

• 418.49 euros for primary students,
• 441.58 euros for middle school students,
• 456.88 euros for high school students.

How to get the ARS?

The procedures are different depending on whether the family has already touched or not the back -to -school allowance in the past and according to the age of the child.

Create an account on caf.fr

If the family is not yet a beneficiary and the child is under the age of 16, she must make a declaration of situation of family services and housing with caf.fr (or MSA). To do this, it is enough for him to create an account on the CAF site. She will find a form to download, print and return completed. The 2023 income declaration must also be communicated.

Note : If the child registered in the CP is under six years old, his parents must provide CAF with a certificate of schooling.

Declare on honor that his child is always educated

If the young person is between six and 15 years old and the family is already beneficiary, no approach is to be carried out. It will automatically receive the ARS. For children aged 16 to 18, parents must make a declaration on honor attesting that the young person will always be educated or apprenticeship at the start of the 2025 school year.

Important : This declaration must be made from mid-July 2025 on the caf.fr (or MSA) on which the beneficiary depends.

How long can we perceive the ARS?

A schooling child can benefit from ARS until the age of 18. After this date, the aid will no longer be paid to his family. In Mayotte only, the age limit is pushed to 20 years. Note that ARS is not to be declared to taxes.

Can we combine the back-to-school allowance with other aids?

It is possible to combine the ARS with the college or high school scholarship. These aids make it possible to finance the tuition fees of college students and high school students. They are allocated under resource condition.