BACK TO SCHOOL ALLOWANCE 2022. As the start of the new school year approaches, the back to school allowance will be paid in mid-August 2022. How much is it? Here’s what you need to know.
[Mis à jour le 7 août 2022 à 18h07] The start of the school year, which will take place on Thursday, September 1, is looming. Less than a month before the children return to class, the puzzle of buying supplies begins for some families. Indeed, this period may be difficult, especially in the midst of inflation, which has been estimated at 6.1% over one year by INSEE, in July 2022. Parents of students will be more vigilant than usual when doing their back-to-school shopping. Due to the war in Ukraine, the rise in the cost of energy, which affects several sectors, does not spare school supplies. Thus, the price of paper could increase by 20% to 25%. Notebooks and double copies, essential for students, will be more expensive than in previous years.
The back-to-school allowance (ARS) is paid each year by the State, to the most modest households, via the Caisse d’Family allowances. In 2022, as part of the purchasing power law, put in place to limit the impact of inflation on the French, the amount of the ARS will be increased by 4% compared to 2021. Families will receive a additional sum to meet back-to-school expenses. In mainland France, the West Indies and Guyana, the allowance will be paid in mid-August, says the government. In Reunion or Mayotte, it was collected from August 2. Indeed, in these overseas departments, the school calendar is different and the resumption of classes takes place two weeks earlier than in mainland France.
The back-to-school allowance is paid now in certain territories of France. At this stage, only two are concerned: Mayotte and Reunion. However, in accordance with previous years, it is in mid-August that the beneficiaries of this aid settled everywhere else in France will see the payment made. The Ministry of Solidarity has indicated that it will be paid from Monday, August 16, 2022.
Contained in article 4 of the law, the point was adopted on August 3, 2022 by the National Assembly. Like other social benefits, the back-to-school allowance will see its amount increased by 4% this year, in addition to the 1.8% already taken into account. This increase will represent an additional gain of 15 euros for the case of a child aged 6 to 10, the ARS going from 376.98 euros for a child between 6 and 10 years old or younger, but entering CP at €392.05. The other age groups are obviously also affected by this increase (see amounts).
The amounts of the back-to-school allowance differ according to the age of the child. Three amounts corresponding to three age brackets have been defined by CAF. Each year, they are subject to revaluation. Here is the one that has been recorded for this start of the 2022 school year (official amount present on the service-public.fr website):
- Child from 6 to 10 years old: 376.98 euros.
- Child from 11 to 14 years old: 397.78 euros.
- Child from 15 to 18 years old: 411.56 euros.
The government then included the back-to-school allowance in the plan to increase social benefits contained in the purchasing power law. Adopted on August 3, 2022 by the deputies of the National Assembly, this point led to a 4% increase in the amount of the back-to-school allowance. Thus, the ARS will amount to:
- Child from 6 to 10 years old: 392.05 euros.
- Child from 11 to 14 years old: 413.69 euros.
- Child from 15 to 18 years old: 428.02 euros.
To benefit from the CAF back-to-school allowance, you must meet a certain number of conditions. Linternaute.com summarizes them in three key points:
- Your income must not exceed a ceiling (read below), determined according to the number of dependent children.
- Your Child must be between 6 and 18 years old.
- The child must also to be educated in a public or private institution. Forget the back-to-school bonus if you’ve opted for homeschooling. Be aware, however, that theallowance may be granted when the child follows courses via a distance organization such as the Cned. Is your child under 18 and learning? You can touch the ARS, provided that his remuneration does not exceed 55% of the Smic.
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.
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 that will apply in this year 2022, and based on your income for the year 2020:
- For a household with 1 dependent child: 25,370 euros
- 2 dependent children: €31,225
- 3 dependent children: 37,080 euros
- Per additional dependent child: 5,852 euros
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 automatically. Here are the situations that may arise:
- You are a recipient and are eligiblethe back-to-school bonus is paid automatically for your children who will be aged 6 to 15 on 31 December following the start of the school year.
- 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 your child starts first grade in September, but will not be six until 2023, it is necessary to think of recovering a certificate of schooling near the establishment. You must send it to the CAF to benefit from the back-to-school bonus.
- 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.
The back-to-school allowance concerns families whose children are aged 6 to 18. “Thus, for the start of the 2022 school year, the child must be born between September 16, 2004 and December 31, 2016 (inclusive)“, specifies the public service on its website. You cannot receive the back-to-school allowance if your child is over 18 years old and still enrolled in high school. You will then have to turn to the high school scholarship if it is not done yet. Same story if your child is in nursery school: you are not entitled to the back-to-school allowance.
My child is in shared custody, can I receive the back-to-school allowance?
Your child is aged 6 to 18, you meet the conditions mentioned above, but you are separated from the father or mother of your child? The back-to-school allowance cannot be shared between the two parents. Financial aid is granted to the first of them who applies to the Caf, and in full, for the coming school year. It is therefore paid, as for any recipient, in mid-August. If there is no joint custody, the start-up bonus is granted to the parent with whom the child lives during the week. The other parent cannot receive the aid.
The website of the Caisse centrale de la Mutualité sociale agricole (MSA) provides access to a simulator, here. You must indicate the amount of your household income, as well as the number of dependent children and their respective dates of birth. You will then obtain an estimate of the amount of your back-to-school allowance.