Family support allowance: amount and conditions of the ASF

The family support allowance (Asf) is assistance reserved for a single parent who is raising one or more children alone. Without resource conditions, this financial assistance is paid by the Family Allowance Fund (Caf) or the Mutualité Sociale Agricole (MSA). Its amount is revalued each year on April 1st. Procedures, amount and payment, here is everything you need to know about the Asf in 2024.

Capital Video: Family Support Allowance

What is Asf?

The family support allowance is a family allowance paid to a single parent with one or more dependent children. In France, 800,000 single-parent families benefit from it. The ASF is paid every month by the Caf or the MSA, depending on the fund on which the insured person depends.

Who is entitled to the family support allowance (ASF)?

General conditions for receiving family benefits

To benefit from the ASF, you must first meet the general conditions for the allocation of family benefits. Namely, reside in France for at least six months during the calendar year. As of January 1, 2025, the minimum period of presence in the territory will be set at nine months.

Conditions specific to the Asf

The conditions specific to the Asf are either:

• be the father or mother of a dependent child and live alone;
• having taken in a child deprived of the help of one or both parents.

The ASF beneficiary must prove that the child is living under his or her roof and is following an educational path.

The second parent is recognized as absent in the following cases:

What are the conditions related to alimony?

Amount of alimony not fixed

In the event of separation, if the amount of alimony has not yet been set by the courts, the ASF will be paid for four months. During this period, the insured person must take action with the family court judge of the high court of their place of residence, in order to have alimony set. Or take action for review of the court decision with the same judge, if they are in possession of a court decision not setting alimony. If they do not take this step, the payment of the ASF will be interrupted.

Interruption of pension payment

If one of the parents has not paid the child support for at least two consecutive months, the ASF is paid temporarily to the person who has the child in their care, but as an “advance”. The payment of this “advance” must be reimbursed by the “bad-paying” parent. It is the CAF or the MSA, acting on behalf of the insured person, who will be responsible for recovering this sum. The recovery procedure can run for two years of unpaid amounts.

Unable to pay pension

If, due to insufficient resources (insolvency, unemployment, incarceration, RSA, etc.) the other parent cannot pay maintenance, the CAF or MSA will check their situation. If necessary, these bodies will indicate to the insured person what steps to take to have maintenance determined if the other parent has, for example, reduced their income. In cases where the parent cannot pay maintenance or the amount is less than 195.86 euros in 2024the other parent can benefit from the family support allowance.

What are the steps to obtain the family support allowance?

Request for ASF from the CAF or MSA

The procedures vary depending on the type of beneficiary:

• Private and public sector employees, self-employed workers, as well as farmers in the French overseas departments must contact their family allowance fund (CAF);
• Agricultural employees and operators must contact their agricultural social security fund (MSA).

Please note: the family support allowance is not paid in Mayotte.

Family support allowance file and form

Whether it is the CAF or the MSA, the “family support application” form (cerfa n° 12038*03) is available online and can be downloaded from the websites of these two organizations: caf.fr or msa.fr. It can also be obtained directly at the counter.

Supporting documents must be attached to the request depending on the profile of the future beneficiary:

• identity document,
• family record book,
• death certificate,
• family civil status record for the child, etc.

How much is the 2024 family support allowance?

Amount of ASF per child

The amount of the ASF is revised each year on April 1, by decree. In 2024, it amounts to 195.95 euros per month per child if he or she is raised by a single parent. It is 261.06 euros per month per dependent child, if he or she was taken in after being deprived of both parents.

Differential amount

In the event that a social security beneficiary receives maintenance payments that are less than the ASF, they will benefit from a “differential allowance”. This corresponds to the difference between the amount of the family support allowance and that of the pension.

Example : A single parent receives 100 euros in maintenance. The CAF or MSA will pay him 195.95 euros – 100 euros, or 95.95 euros. If the difference is less than 15 euros, the differential allowance is not paid.

Payment date

The family support allowance is paid from the month following the event giving rise to the entitlement to the allowance (death of one of the parents, divorce, non-payment of alimony, etc.). It is paid monthly.

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When does the payment of the family support allowance stop?

The family support allowance is withdrawn when:

• the single parent lives with a partner again;
• the dependent child reaches the age of 20;
• the parent no longer assumes responsibility for the child;
• no legal action is taken to set the amount of alimony.