What is the CAF and How to get it

How does the CAF work

Whether you are a native French citizen or a foreign student on your Year Abroad you should be eligible to receive CAF (Caisses d'Allocations Familiales). It’s a monthly amount of money allocated to students by the French government to help pay for your student housing wherever that may be. 


The amount being based upon the type of accommodation as well as you or your parents income. You should be able to receive CAF living in any type of accommodation (e.g. a house share, student halls or a private residence) as long as you are the contracted tenant.

The application can be a bit tricky and as anyone that has lived in France before will know; the administrative processes are often extremely slow and can take over a month for them to comply. Luckily for you regardless of when you start to receive the money, you will receive all the months that you would have received starting 1 month after your original signup date.

Application Process

A photocopy of your passport , your birth certificate, your French bank account details (as the payment can only be made to a French bank account), and a document that proves your tenancy (ask your landlord and they will know what it is).

However, as a word of advice, I would suggest you call the CAF office to know exactly what it is they want because sometimes they don’t even need some of these documents based on where you come from.  

When can you receive the CAF?

You can only receive CAF from the second month of your rent meaning if you move in on September 1st, you will only be eligible to start receiving money from October 1st. Even if you are only in France for one semester, it is still worth the trouble to go through the process to receive the CAF.  

On average, students receive payments of around 200 euros per month (Paris) thanks to the CAF.  Which can either pay for a good portion of your rent, or could even be your going out money for the month.  However you see it, it’s free money that is a great way to help you SIMPLY survive or enjoy the month.  

Simply yours,

Thomas