Back-to-school allowance 2025: amount, imminent payment... Everything you need to know

Back to school is fast approaching, and with it comes a host of challenges for many French families. Some households try to wrap up school supplies several weeks in advance to free up their minds and avoid running around the shops the day before returning to school. But they still need to have the means to buy all the supplies they need. These costs are sometimes impossible for less well-off families to afford.

This is why the Family Allowance Fund (CAF) is providing assistance to those on low incomes to help them finance notebooks, pens, pencil cases, school bags, and other back-to-school expenses, even though actual spending using this check is not monitored. Nearly 3 million French people are benefiting from this boost, which will be paid into their bank accounts in just a few hours.

Every year, the back-to-school allowance is paid on the same dates, or almost: around the first days of August for eligible families living in Mayotte and Réunion (where the return to school takes place earlier than elsewhere in mainland France) and around August 15 for all other territories. In 2025, the payment date has been confirmed by the government. There will be two dates depending on your department:

• August 5, 2025 for Mayotte and Reunion.
• August 19, 2025 for mainland France, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guyana.

Indexed to inflation, the amount of the 2025 school allowance has increased significantly according to data published on the CAF website. In 2025, the amount of the back-to-school allowance will be:

• Child aged 6 to 10: 423.48 euros (compared to 416.40 euros in 2024).
• Child aged 11 to 14: 446.85 euros (compared to 439.38 euros in 2024).
• Child aged 15 to 18: 462.33 euros (compared to 454.60 euros in 2024).

The steps to apply for a back-to-school allowance depend on your situation and your child's age. In some cases, you don't need to take any steps beforehand; the CAF will automatically pay the back-to-school allowance. Here are the conditions for receiving it, and the situations that may arise:

• Your income must not exceed a ceiling determined based on the number of dependent children.
• Your child must be between 6 and 18 years old.
• The child must also be enrolled in a public or private school. Forget the back-to-school allowance if you have opted for home schooling. However, be aware that the allowance can be granted when the child takes courses via a distance learning organization such as the CNED . Is your child under 18 and in an apprenticeship? You can receive the ARS, provided that their salary does not exceed 55% of the minimum wage.
• You are a beneficiary 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 adolescents aged 16 to 18, a sworn statement confirming that the child is in school is sufficient. "The CAF will contact you in July by email or post to invite you to complete this process," explains the dedicated page of the Family Allowance Fund.

• Your child is under 6 years old and is starting first grade : you must send a school certificate to the CAF.
• If you are not a CAF beneficiary : go to the "Online Services" section, then click on "Apply for benefits" 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 requirements for the back-to-school allowance, in other words, if your income slightly exceeds the ceilings stated above, the CAF may pay a portion of the back-to-school allowance. This is called a differential back-to-school allowance.

To qualify for the back-to-school allowance, household income must not exceed a ceiling. The CAF does not examine income for the current year, but rather income going back two years, based on your family situation as of July 31. The 2025 scale has been increased compared to 2024 to account for inflation and will take into account income from 2023, recorded on the 2024 tax return.

Here is the scale applied in 2025:

• For a household with 1 dependent child: 28,444 euros
• 2 dependent children: 35,008 euros
• 3 dependent children: 41,572 euros
• 4 dependent children: 48,136 euros
• Per additional child: 6,564 euros

To find out your reference tax income, simply look at the cover page of your tax notice. The amount is indicated at the bottom of the reference tax income page.