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CAF in France – family allowances, the new birth leave, pensions and unemployment benefit

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

The CAF pays France's family benefits, and 2026 brought a new paid birth leave, a later age supplement and a pause in the pension reform. Here is what you can claim as a newcomer – from family allowances and parental leave to your pension and unemployment benefit.

Mother holding her baby daughter by a sunlit window
Photo: Galina Zhigalova/Adobe Stock

The CAF (Caisse d'allocations familiales, family allowance fund) pays family allowances, early-childhood benefits and housing aid. Unemployment benefit comes from France Travail (the public employment service) and pensions from the Assurance retraite (state pension fund). All three changed in 2026.

What changed for families, pensions and jobseekers in 2026?

DateChange
1 March 2026Age supplement to family allowances paid from 18 instead of 14, for children born from 1 March 2012
1 April 2026Family allowances revalued; first-time jobseekers qualify after 5 months of work instead of 6
1 July 2026New congé supplémentaire de naissance (additional birth leave): 1 or 2 paid months per parent
1 July 2026Unemployment benefit not revalued; non-EU students without a needs-based grant, job or apprenticeship lose APL (housing aid)
1 September 2026Pension reform suspended until 2028 for pensions starting from this date
1 September 2026After a rupture conventionnelle (negotiated termination), benefit lasts at most 15 months under 55, instead of 18

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

Can you claim CAF benefits as a foreigner?

Yes, if you live in France legally with at least one dependent child who also lives here. Non-EU nationals prove regular stay with, for example, a VLS-TS or its renewal receipt, a temporary or resident card, or a provisional residence authorisation of more than three months; recognised refugees can use their receipt. EEA and Swiss nationals show a right of residence as a worker, inactive person or student.

Since a Cnaf instruction of 31 July 2025, parents whose permit allows work no longer have to prove that their children entered France regularly – except in Mayotte. The CAF line is 32 30, Monday to Friday 9:00–16:00 (0 969 32 52 52 for students). In Paris, the CAF receives the public at 101 rue Nationale, 75013 Paris, weekdays 8:30–12:00 and 14:00–16:00, by appointment only on Wednesdays.

How much are family allowances in France in 2026?

Allocations familiales (family allowances) start with your second dependent child under 20 and shrink as income rises. You must live in France habitually or stay more than nine months a year, and payment stops if a child leaves France for more than three months, except for studies, care or training. For 2026, entitlement is assessed on 2024 net income.

ChildrenMonthly amount from 1 April 20262024 household income
2€152.25 / €76.13 / €38.07Up to €79,980 / up to €106,604 / above
3€347.32 / €173.67 / €86.83Up to €86,644 / up to €113,268 / above
4€542.39 / €271.20 / €135.60Up to €93,308 / up to €119,932 / above
Age supplement per older child€76.13 / €38.07 / €19.03Same bands; none for the eldest of only two

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

Anna, for example, has two children and a 2024 household income below €79,980, so she receives €152.25 a month.

Early-childhood benefits come under the PAJE. The prime à la naissance (birth grant) is €1,093.11 net, means-tested: for a first child, a two-income couple's 2024 income must not exceed €49,054. Declare the pregnancy before the end of the third month. The allocation de base (basic allowance) for a child under 3 is €198.16 a month at the full rate or €99.08 at the partial rate. For a registered childminder or home carer, the CMG (childcare supplement) helps with a child under 6. Part 10 covers crèches.

What leave do you get when a baby arrives?

LeaveLengthGood to know
Maternity, 1st or 2nd child16 weeks: 6 before, 10 after the birthAt least 8 weeks off are compulsory, 6 of them after the birth
Maternity, from the 3rd child26 weeks: 8 before, 18 afterDeclare the pregnancy to the CPAM and CAF within 14 weeks
Paternity and childcare leave25 calendar days (32 for multiple births) after 3 working days of birth leave4 days straight away, the rest in up to 2 periods
Additional birth leave1 or 2 months per parent, for children born or adopted from 1 January 202670 per cent of salary in month 1, 60 per cent in month 2, capped at the €4,005 ceiling
PreParE (parental-leave benefit)One child: up to 6 months per parent, before the 1st birthday; 2 or more: up to 24 months each until the youngest is 3€459.70 a month for a full stop, less part-time

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

Maternity pay is your average gross pay over the last three months divided by 91.25, with salary capped at the social security ceiling of €4,005 a month, minus a flat 21 per cent: between €11.12 and €104.02 a day.

The additional birth leave must start within nine months of the birth; for children born between 1 January and 30 June 2026, between 1 July 2026 and 31 March 2027. Employees give one month's notice (15 days if it follows paternity leave). It cannot be combined with sickness allowances, unemployment benefit or the PreParE.

Pensions in France: what does the 2028 suspension mean?

The 2023 reform raising the legal age to 64 is suspended until 2028 by the social security financing law for 2026 (Loi n° 2025-1403 of 30 December 2025). For pensions starting from 1 September 2026, the minimum age depends on your year of birth.

BornMinimum ageQuarters for a full-rate pension
1 January 1963 to 31 March 196562 years 9 months170
April to December 196563171
196663 years 3 months172
196763 years 6 months172
196863 years 9 months172
From 196964172

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

At 67 you get the full rate whatever your quarters. For parents, pensions from 1 September 2026 use the best 24 years (one child) or 23 years (two or more) instead of 25. Service-Public also says the minimum age falls by a year for people born from 1 April 1965 with child-related credit; the news on the 2026 law does not mention this, so confirm it with your pension fund. Years worked in the EU, EEA, Switzerland or the UK count as if completed in France. The Assurance retraite line is 39 60 (09 71 10 39 60 from a mobile or abroad), weekdays 8:00–17:00.

Unemployment benefit in France: who qualifies?

The ARE (allocation d'aide au retour à l'emploi, unemployment benefit) is for people who lost their job involuntarily, worked at least six months (130 days or 910 hours) in the last 24 months, register with France Travail within 12 months and live in France in a stable and regular way. Since 1 April 2026, first-time claimants need five months. France Travail's line is 39 49, or +33 1 77 86 39 49 from abroad.

RuleFigure in 2026
Daily amount€13.18 fixed plus 40.4 per cent of your daily reference salary, between 57 and 70 per cent of it
Minimum€32.13 net a day
Waiting period7 days
Maximum duration under 55548 calendar days; 15 months after a rupture conventionnelle
High earners30 per cent less from the 7th month above €159.68 gross a day (about €4,857.81 a month)
Coming from an EU/EEA countryForm U2 keeps your previous country's benefit for 3 to 6 months

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

Returning from another EEA country or Switzerland, ask for form U1 so your insurance periods there count; according to Service-Public, you must then work at least one day in France before you can be paid.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Contact the CAF with cerfa forms 11423 and 10397 and proof of regular stayOnce your children live in France with you
2Declare a pregnancy to the CAF and the CPAMBefore the end of the 3rd month
3Agree maternity, paternity and additional birth leave with your employer1 month's notice for the additional leave
4Register with France Travail after losing a jobWithin 12 months of the contract ending
5Gather proof of years worked abroad and check your pension ageWell before you retire

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.