Family allowances: conditions, ceiling and amount 2025

Family allowances are paid by the Caf (Family Allowance Fund) to people caring for at least two children aged under 20. Since 2015, family allowances have been modulated according to the income of recipients, the number of children and their age. Conditions to benefit from it, amount, ceiling, calculation, payment date… Focus on these family benefits in 2025.

Capital Video: Everything you need to know about family allowances

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What are family allowances?

Family allowances: definition

Family allowances are financial aid granted by family allowance funds (CAF) or mutual agricultural social societies (MSA). They are paid without condition of activity from the second child. Their monthly amounts vary depending on the number of children and the household’s resources. Family allowances can be combined with all other social benefits.

Modulation of family allowances

Since 2015, the amount of family allowances has been modulated according to age, the number of dependent children and household income. When household income exceeds a certain ceiling, the amount of benefits is divided by two or four. This modulation concerns approximately one family in ten. Family allowances are revalued each year on January 1 and increased from the 14th birthday of one of the children.

Who is entitled to Caf family allowances?

Have at least 2 dependent children under the age of 20

Family allowances are reserved for families receiving CAF or Mutuelle Sociale Agricole (MSA) benefits with at least 2 dependent children under the age of 20. A child is considered dependent from pregnancy until the age of three and from three to fifteen years of age if he or she fulfills compulsory schooling. The person who raises him must financially ensure his upkeep and assume emotional and educational responsibility for him.

If the child is a student and works, his or her income must be less than 55% of the current minimum wage. A child ceases to be dependent if he himself becomes a recipient of a family benefit. Families who have adopted or who have been entrusted with the care of a child with a view to adoption are also eligible.

Residing in France

To receive the benefit, beneficiaries must reside in France or stay there for more than six months per year. The child must have their main residence in France. Except in special cases, if he leaves the country for more than three months (even alone), benefits are suspended. When a family only has one child under 20 to support, they are interrupted at the end of the month preceding this change in situation.

What are the steps to receive family allowances?

Request for family allowances on Caf.fr

If the person is not a recipient, they must complete an online application for family allowances (Cerfa forms n°11423 and n°10397) on the Caf.fr website. For recipients, the CAF (or the MSA) automatically grants family allowances as soon as it becomes aware of a 2nd dependent child. This birth must be declared to him via a copy of the family record book or the child’s birth certificate.

Sharing of family allowances for children in alternating custody

Divorced (or separated) parents with one or more children in alternate residence can opt for sharing family allowances. Each parent will be allocated a share of the allowances taking into account all the children in their care and the resources at their disposal.

What are the resource ceilings taken into account in the calculation of family allowances in 2025?

N-2 income taken into account

The amount of allowances varies according to the recipient’s resources. It is the income at n-2 which is taken into account. Thus, thereview of rights for the year 2025 is based on the 2023 categorical net income which must not exceed a certain limit. Each year, the Caf automatically recovers the income declared to the tax authorities, in order to study the benefit rights of beneficiaries.

Resource ceilings by installments

The resource ceilings are reviewed each year on January 1 based on the average annual change in consumer prices excluding tobacco for the reference calendar year. Here they are for 2025:

What is the amount of family allowances in 2025?

Of April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025, the amount of allowances paid according to income brackets and the number of dependent children is as follows:

Amount of the temporary flat-rate allowance for large families

The flat-rate allowance is additional assistance for large families (three or more children) where one of the children:

• at 20 years old,
• remains responsible,
• does not earn a professional income greater than 1,104.25 euros,
• the month preceding his 20th birthday, family allowances were paid for at least three children.

Here are the amounts of the flat-rate allocation in 2025 according to the brackets:

• 93.91 euros for tranche 1
• 46.96 euros for tranche 2
• 23.48 euros for tranche 3

Increase in family allowances

The amount of family allowances is increased when children reach the age of 14. This monthly increase is paid from the calendar month following the birthday of the child concerned. The increase does not apply when the eldest of a family of two children is 14 years old, but when the second child reaches this turning point.

2025 calendar for payment of family allowances by Caf

Recipients can receive family allowances from the month following the birth or adoption of a second child. For example, if the child was born on July 15, the allowance will be paid on August 1. Family allowances are paid on the 5th of each month, in arrears (the first days of the following month). In 2025, the payment schedule for Caf allocations is as follows:

• January 2025: Wednesday February 5, 2025
• February 2025: Wednesday March 5, 2025
• March 2025: Friday April 4, 2025
• April 2025: Monday May 5, 2025
• May 2025: Thursday June 5, 2025
• June 2025: Friday July 4, 2025
• July 2025: Tuesday August 5, 2025
• August 2025: Friday September 5, 2025
• September: Monday October 6, 2025
• October 2025: Wednesday November 5, 2025
• November 2025: Friday December 5, 2025
• December 2025: Monday January 5, 2026

To note : payment may occur a few days later depending on each bank.

Decreasing family allowances

Calculation of degressive family allowances

When a family’s annual resources slightly exceed one of the income ceilings determining the level of assistance, they can receive a monthly decreasing supplement in order to avoid a sudden drop in the basic amount of their allowances. The difference between the exceeded ceiling and the household income must be less than 12 times the monthly amount of benefits normally due, increases included.

Here is the calculation to obtain the decreasing amount:

(ceiling exceeded + 12 times the amount of family allowance – household income) / 12

Example for a family of 3 children

A family of 3 children whose net income is 87,000 euros exceeds the ceiling for bracket 1 set at 85,111 euros, by 1,889 euros. She cannot therefore benefit from the maximum allowances set at 338.81 euros per month. But as the difference between her income and the ceiling is less than 4,065 euros (the amount of the allowance x 12), she can receive the decreasing supplement as follows:

(€85,111 + (12 x €338.81) – €87,000)/12 = €181.39

In total, the family will therefore receive family allowances amounting to 181.39 euros per month.