- If you have children and you're legally resident in France, you almost certainly qualify for something — some benefits have no income test at all, and the thresholds on means-tested ones are generous enough that most UK expat families qualify at some rate
- UK nationals with a valid Carte de séjour are eligible — the post-Brexit residence card is explicitly accepted
- None of these benefits are automatic — you must apply, but family allowances can be backdated up to two years if you've missed them
- CAF uses your income from two years prior, not the current year — so your 2026 benefits are based on your 2024 earnings, which ties directly back to your RFR
- CAF benefits are not taxable income — you don't declare them on your French tax return
If you have children and you're legally resident in France, there's a reasonable chance you're entitled to money you haven't yet claimed. France's family benefits system — run by the CAF (Caisse d'Allocations Familiales) — is one of the most generous in Europe, and it applies to foreign nationals the same way it applies to French citizens, as long as you're legally resident and hold the right documentation.
For UK nationals, the key question post-Brexit is whether your status is accepted. It is. The Carte de séjour issued under the Withdrawal Agreement (Accords de retrait du Royaume-Uni) is explicitly recognised by CAF — you're not in the same position as a newly arrived third-country national, and you don't need five years of residence to access most family benefits.
Do I qualify? The short answer
If you have children in France, the short answer is: yes, you almost certainly qualify for something — and it's worth checking regardless of your income level.
Some CAF benefits are available to all legal residents with children and have no income test at all. Others are means-tested, but the thresholds are set generously enough that many families on moderate pension or investment income still qualify at a reduced rate. The common assumption that "CAF is only for low-income families" isn't accurate — it's a family support system first, with income-testing applied on top to determine the amount, not the entitlement itself.
The only way to know your exact entitlement is to run the free simulator on caf.fr — it takes about five minutes and doesn't require you to create an account. The rest of this article explains what you'll find there and what to expect from each benefit type.
What is the CAF?
The CAF (Caisse d'Allocations Familiales — the Family Allowance Fund) is the branch of French social security responsible for paying family benefits, housing assistance, and certain other allowances. Every département has its own CAF office, but almost everything is now managed online at caf.fr. It serves over 13 million households in France. The website is in French only, so Google Translate or a French-speaking friend is useful when navigating it.
The income link: why your RFR matters here
Most CAF benefits are means-tested — the amount you receive depends on your household income. There's one timing quirk that catches people out: CAF doesn't use your current year's income. It uses income from two years prior. So the benefits you receive in 2026 are based on your 2024 earnings as declared to the tax authorities.
This is the same income figure that feeds into your Revenu Fiscal de Référence (RFR) — the number on your Avis d'Impôt that determines eligibility for a wide range of French income-tested benefits. If you've read that article, the mechanism here is identical: CAF pulls the data directly from the tax authorities rather than asking you to prove your income separately.
What CAF benefits are available to UK expat families
The main benefits relevant to UK families with children in France:
Allocations familiales (Family Allowances) Monthly payments for families with two or more children under 20. Since 2015, this has been income-tested — three income bands, with the monthly amount decreasing as income rises. You're entitled to this from the month after your second child qualifies, with no minimum residence period — just legal residence status and a valid CdS. The figures are updated annually; as of early 2026, the monthly amount for the second child ranges from approximately €37 to €151 depending on your income band.
One important practical note: family allowances can be backdated up to two years if you haven't yet claimed. If you moved to France with two or more children and never registered with the CAF, it's worth applying now — you may be owed a significant back-payment.
PAJE (Prestation d'Accueil du Jeune Enfant) A package of support for children under 6. It includes:
- Prime à la naissance — a one-off birth grant (around €1,084 in early 2026), paid in the seventh month of pregnancy. Means-tested; you must declare the pregnancy within the first 14 weeks.
- Allocation de base — a monthly allowance until the child turns 3. Means-tested; the full rate is approximately €197/month in 2026.
- CMG (Complément de Libre Choix du Mode de Garde) — a contribution toward registered childcare costs (childminder or crèche). Means-tested by income and hours of childcare used.
ARS (Allocation de Rentrée Scolaire — Back-to-School Grant) An annual payment each September for children aged 6 to 18. Means-tested, and paid automatically once you're registered with the CAF and have children in school. The amount varies by the child's age.
Complément Familial For families with three or more children aged 3 to 21. A monthly top-up that supplements family allowances for larger families. Means-tested.
ASF (Allocation de Soutien Familial) For single parents not receiving maintenance payments from the other parent, or receiving less than a set threshold (approximately €199/month per child in 2026). Not means-tested — available regardless of income.
What CAF benefits are generally not relevant for UK expat families
RSA (Revenu de Solidarité Active) — France's minimum income support requires non-EU nationals to have been legally resident in France for at least five years. UK nationals post-Brexit fall under third-country rules for this specific benefit, making it generally inaccessible unless you've been resident for the required period.
Housing benefits (APL/ALS) — available to legal residents in rented accommodation meeting certain criteria. Worth checking via the CAF simulator if you rent, but typically more relevant to lower-income households and younger families than to most UK expats.
How income thresholds work in practice
CAF operates with income bands rather than a single cut-off. For family allowances in 2026, the thresholds for a two-child household are broadly structured as follows — actual figures are updated annually and depend on your exact household composition, so always verify on caf.fr:
- Full rate — household income (2024 RFR) below approximately €71,000
- Partial rate (reduced) — income between approximately €71,000 and €95,000
- Minimum rate — income above approximately €95,000
For each additional child, the thresholds rise by approximately €5,500. This means many UK expat families on moderate pension and investment income will still qualify at a reduced or minimum rate even if they assumed their income ruled them out — it's worth running the CAF simulator before concluding you're not eligible.
Your RFR can also be affected in unexpected ways by one-off income events such as pension lump sums or property sales — see the Revenu Fiscal de Référence guide for how this works and why it matters beyond just your tax bill.
Are CAF benefits taxable in France?
No. CAF benefits are not taxable income and don't need to be declared on your French tax return. This includes family allowances, PAJE, ARS, and ASF. You don't report them in any box on Form 2042, and they don't affect your RFR.
How to apply
Everything is managed online at caf.fr. The steps are:
- Create an account (you'll need your numéro de sécurité sociale from your Carte Vitale)
- Run the eligibility simulator to check which benefits apply to your situation — no account needed for the simulation, just your income and family details
- Submit your application with the required documents — typically proof of identity, your Carte de séjour, children's birth certificates, and proof of residence
- Upload any additional documents requested — CAF often comes back with follow-up requests, which is normal and doesn't mean there's a problem
- Once approved, benefits are paid monthly directly to your bank account
Processing times vary from two weeks to several months, particularly in busy periods. The back-payment rule for family allowances (up to two years) applies to the time between eligibility and your application date — so it pays to apply as soon as possible rather than wait until everything is perfectly in order.
One practical note: if your CdS expires and you're waiting for renewal, upload the récépissé (the provisional document from the prefecture) immediately to your CAF account to avoid a gap in payments.
If you're managing multiple French income and benefit calculations, Taxpert's filing assistant can help you understand your RFR and how it feeds into eligibility assessments like these.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my UK Carte de séjour allow me to claim CAF benefits?
Yes. The Carte de séjour issued under the Withdrawal Agreement is explicitly accepted by CAF. UK nationals in France are treated similarly to EU nationals for most family benefits — not as newly arrived third-country nationals.
We moved to France two years ago and never registered with the CAF. Have we missed out?
Possibly not — family allowances can be backdated up to two years from your date of application. Register now and apply, and CAF will assess how far back your entitlement runs.
CAF uses our income from two years ago — does that mean a high-income year could affect us for two years?
Yes, exactly. If your income was high in 2023, your 2025 CAF benefit calculations will reflect that, even if your income has since dropped. Conversely, a lower 2024 income will flow through into 2026 benefits. This is why understanding your RFR matters — it feeds directly into CAF calculations.
Do we need to declare CAF benefits on our French tax return?
No. CAF benefits are not taxable income and don't appear on your return.
What if only one of us has a Carte de séjour?
Both parents don't necessarily need a CdS — the eligibility is assessed on the household's legal residence status, and CAF's requirements focus on the child being resident in France with at least one legally resident parent. Check the current document requirements via caf.fr for your specific situation, as these can depend on the benefit type.
The CAF website is all in French — is there any help available in English?
Not officially. The CAF website and its simulator are French-only. Google Translate handles the simulator reasonably well, or your local CAF office can usually provide basic guidance in person. Some UK expat community groups (Facebook groups in particular) have active members who've been through the process and can walk you through it informally.