2023 BACK TO SCHOOL ALLOWANCE DATE. After being paid at the beginning of the month to beneficiaries living in Mayotte and Reunion, the back to school allowance is paid this Wednesday, August 16 to the rest of the French beneficiaries. What is the payment deadline on your account?
[Mis à jour le 16 août 2023 à 10h56] In this period of inflation, it is a welcome help for the parents of pupils with modest incomes. This Wednesday, August 16, the Caisse d’Family allowances (Caf) pays the back-to-school allowance (ARS) for beneficiaries living in mainland France and Guadeloupe, Guyana and Martinique. If you are concerned, it is however possible that this aid will not arrive today on your bank account. The processing time of this transfer by your bank can indeed take one to several days. For beneficiaries living in Mayotte and Reunion, the aid was paid on August 1st.
Established in 1974, this allowance is intended to support low-income families with the costs of their children’s education. It can thus be used to buy a school bag, notebooks or other school supplies before the start of the school year, but can also be used to pay canteen costs or enroll your child in a sports or artistic activity. The aid has been increased this year by 5.6% compared to the summer of 2022. Depending on the age of your child, the amount of this aid varies between 398.09 euros and 434.61 euros. It concerns 3 million families.
What is the 2023 payment date for the “back-to-school bonus”, the back-to-school allowance?
This year, the back-to-school allowance, also known as the back-to-school bonus, was paid to beneficiaries Tuesday, August 1, 2023 in the departments of Mayotte and La Réunion. She is paid this Wednesday, August 16, 2023 in mainland France and in the departments of Guadeloupe, Guyana and Martinique.
What is the amount of the back-to-school allowance in 2023?
The amount of the back-to-school allowance has been increased by 1.5% for the start of the 2023 school year. Depending on the child’s age, and therefore their school level (primary, middle school, high school), the aid paid is not the same. Three different tiers exist. All have been revalued at the same height compared to 2022. Thus, the 2023 back-to-school bonus will amount to:
- Child from 6 to 10 years old: 398.09 euros.
- Child from 11 to 14 years old: 420.05 euros.
- Child from 15 to 18 years old: 434.61 euros.
Who is entitled to the 2023 back-to-school allowance? Conditions
The steps to apply for a back-to-school allowance depend on your situation and the age of your child. In some cases, you do not have to take any prior steps, the Caf takes care of the payment of the back-to-school bonus automatically. Here are the conditions to benefit from it, and the situations that may arise:
- Your income must not exceed a ceiling determined according to the number of dependent children.
- Your Child must be between 6 and 18 years old.
- The child must also be educated in a public or private establishment. Forget the back-to-school bonus if you opted for homeschooling. Be aware, however, that the allowance can be granted when the child follows courses via a distance organization such as the Cned. Is your child under 18 and learning? You can receive the ARS, provided that its remuneration does not exceed 55% of the minimum wage.
- You are a recipient and are eligible : the back-to-school bonus is paid automatically for your children who will be aged 6 to 15 on December 31 following the start of the school year.
- For teenagers aged 16 to 18, only a sworn statement assuring that the child is well educated is sufficient. “The Caf will contact you in July by email or post to invite you to take this step”, we explain on the dedicated page of the Family Allowance Fund.
- Your child is under 6 years old and is entering CP : you must send the Caf a school certificate.
- You are not a beneficiary of the Caf : go to the “Online services” section, then click on “Make a service request”, and “Back to school allowance”. You will then need to print the dedicated form and return it completed to your Caf.
If you do not meet the income conditions for the back-to-school allowance, in other words your resources slightly exceed the ceilings set out above, the CAF may pay part of the back-to-school bonus. This is called a differential back-to-school allowance. The Caf can agree to pay the back-to-school allowance, provided that the resources are lower “to the accumulation between the ceiling of the ARS and the amount of this aid for the child”, we were told in 2021. In this case, the home therefore only receives part of this financial assistance.
What is the maximum ceiling not to be exceeded to receive the back-to-school allowance? The 2023 scale
To benefit from the back-to-school allowance, the household’s resources must not exceed a ceiling. The CAF does not study the income of the current year, but those dating back two years, depending on your family situation to July 31. Here is the scale applied in 2023 and based on your income for the year 2021:
- For a household with 1 dependent child: €25,775
- 2 dependent children: €31,723
- 3 dependent children: €37,671
- 4 dependent children: 43,619 euros
- Per additional dependent child: €5,948
To know his reference tax income, just look at the cover page of his tax notice. The amount is shown at the bottom of the page.