BACK-TO-SCHOOL ALLOWANCE 2022. The back-to-school allowance, a kind of back-to-school bonus, should soon be paid to its beneficiaries. But on what date, what is its amount in 2022, what are the conditions for obtaining it and how to get it? We tell you everything!
[Updated July 19 at 5:29 p.m.] The date of payment of the back-to-school allowance should be announced soon. In all likelihood, this should take place the week following August 15, like last year. This date is highly anticipated. The start of the 2022-2023 school year still seems a long way off, but the budget for this start of the school year is already a source of concern for many families. In the general context of inflation, the back-to-school allowance, the ARS, a kind of “back-to-school bonus”, is a welcome boost.
The government has already announced its revaluation to 1.8%. The amount was published before the start of the summer on the site service-public.fr: 376.98 euros for a child between 6 and 11 years old or younger but entering CP. The official payment date of the allowance has not yet been communicated but should take place in mid-August as in previous years. As a reminder, the back-to-school allowance is a social benefit from the Family Allowance Fund (CAF), paid a few weeks before the start of the school year, subject to means testing. Not all households with children attending school therefore benefit from it and the criteria for benefiting from it are strict since they depend on recorded income. For the 2022 back-to-school allowance, net income for the year 2020 is taken into account. Ceiling, conditions, amount, here is everything you need to know about the 2022 back-to-school allowance.
The back-to-school allowance, a sort of back-to-school bonus, is paid by CAF to beneficiaries a few days before the start of the school year. As this is officially set in 2022 on September 1, 2022, the payment of the back-to-school allowance should take place two weeks before, probably around August 15. Last year, this back-to-school bonus was paid on August 17 in mainland France, on August 3 in Reunion and Mayotte where the start of the school year begins earlier.
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 approved for this start of the 2022 school year:
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 on July 31. Here is the scale that will apply in this year 2022, and based on your income for the year 2020:
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:
If you do not meet the income conditions for the back-to-school allowance, i.e. 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. On the other hand, the home therefore only receives part of this financial assistance.
The back-to-school allowance concerns families whose children are between the ages of 6 and 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 and still in high school. You will then have to turn to the high school scholarship if you have not already done so. Same story if your child is in nursery school: you are not entitled to the back-to-school allowance.
Your child is between the ages of 6 and 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.
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 situations that may arise:
