Family housing allowance (ALF)
Verified 01 July 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)
Would you like financial assistance to reduce your rent? You can receive the Family Housing Allowance (ALF) if you meet certain conditions. We tell you what the conditions are and the procedure to follow depending on whether you fall under the general regime (Caf) or the agricultural regime (MSA).
Caf
To find out if you can collect ALF, you can use the simulator of the family allowance fund (Caf):
Calculating your entitlement to personal housing benefit (APL, ALF, ALS) - Caf
Conditions related to your situation
You can apply for ALF if you are a tenant or subtenant.
The sub-tenant must not be related to the tenant or the owner of the dwelling. This rule concerns in particular the family welcome elderly or disabled persons in the home of an individual, and accommodation for young people under 30 years of age.
Warning
ALF is not granted if you are already a beneficiary of personalized housing benefit (APL) or social housing allowance (ALS).
To apply for ALF, you must be in one of the following situations:
- You benefit from family benefits or the education allowance for disabled children (AEEH)
- You have 1 dependent child up to 21 years of age, but are not entitled to family benefits or WEEE
- You're married with no dependent children
- You are pregnant, alone without dependants since 1er day of the calendar month following 4e month of your pregnancy and up to the calendar month of your child's birth
- You are responsible for one ascending over 65 years of age (or 60 years of age, if unfit for work, deported or veteran) and have no resources above the solidarity allowance for the elderly (Aspa)
- You are responsible for an ascendant, descendant or collateral suffering from a disability resulting in a permanent disability of at least 80% or who is unable to obtain employment because of their disability. This impossibility must be recognized by the Committee on the Rights and Autonomy of Persons with Disabilities (CDAPH).
You can benefit from ALF if you are a foreigner, provided you have a valid residence permit.
Since 1er July 2026, if you are a student who is a national of a country outside (UE), (EEE) or Switzerland and have a residence permit issued for studies, you can benefit from ALF only in one of the following 3 cases:
- You perceive a scholarship on social criteria (from the regional center for university and school works - Crous, or a regional health and social scholarship aligned with social criteria)
- You are engaged in a professional activity
- You are engaged in a apprenticeship or professionalization contract.
Conditions related to your accommodation
ALF is awarded for your primary residence located in France and only if your accommodation meets certain criteria of decency and minimum occupancy conditions.
Conditions related to your resources
ALF shall be allocated on a means-tested basis and in accordance with certain ceilings vary depending on the composition of your home and the location of your home.
The resources taken into account are those of the last 12 months. They are automatically updated every 3 months. So you don't have to do anything. The Caf automatically recovers the amount of your funds from taxes and France Travail (formerly Job center).
FYI
a person attached to tax home of parents who pay property wealth tax (IFI) cannot benefit from ALF.
Your ALF application must be made directly online:
Request for personal housing support (APL, ALF, ALS) - Caf
You must scan all of the following documents:
- Duplex copy of your national identity card, passport, or birth certificate if you are a French national or copy of your valid residence permit in other cases
- Bank details (Rib), postal (Rip) or savings (Rice) in your name
- Rent certificate, dated and signed by your owner (cerfa n°10842):
To know the amount of ALF, you can use the Caf simulator:
Calculating your entitlement to personal housing benefit (APL, ALF, ALS) - Caf
The ALF amount is calculated on the basis of scales that take into account:
- Your family situation and the number of dependants usually living in your household
- Your resources, those of the person with whom you live as a couple and those of people who usually live in your home
- Value of your real estate and financial assets and those of the person with whom you live as a couple and of the persons usually living in your household, when this value is greater than €30,000
- Amount of your rent.
The aid shall be paid from 1er the day of the month following the month in which your file was processed. The payment may take about 2 months.
They are paid every 5 of the month.
You must report any changes (move, bank details, family life...) to Caf.
Online
You must log in to your account with your beneficiary number and PIN:
Family allowance fund (Caf) online
You must scan the documents justifying your change of situation (for example, France Travail decision notice).
On site
You must fill out a change of situation declaration form available from your Caf.
You will need to attach to your form the documents justifying your change of situation (for example, notice of decision France Travail).
You can appeal against the decision rejecting your ALF application.
In case of denial of your APL application, you have the possibility to challenge the decision. The appeal is preferably made by email, but it may also be transmitted by paper mail, dropped directly with your CAF or formulated by telephone.
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The approach differs depending on whether you are already a Caf recipient or not:
Recipient
You can challenge the decision by logging into your Caf account, My Account Space, section Contact my Caf by email.
The time limit for challenging the decision is 2 months from notification rejecting your request.
You must indicate the reason for the challenge and attach (scan) the contested decision.
In case of rejection of your appeal or failure to respond within 2 months, you can resort to a mediation.
If this fails, you can then refer the matter to the Caf Committee for Amicable Appeals (Cra).
Non-recipient
You can challenge the decision by sending an email to Caf.
The time limit for challenging the decision shall be 2 months from the notification rejecting your request.
You must indicate the reason for the challenge and attach (scan) the contested decision.
In case of rejection of your appeal or failure to respond within 2 months, you can resort to a mediation.
If this fails, you can then refer the matter to the Caf Committee for Amicable Appeals (Cra).
Paper mail
You can challenge the decision by mail.
Your mail should be sent to Caf, preferably by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt:
The time limit for challenging the decision shall be 2 months from the date of notification rejecting your request.
You must indicate the reason for the challenge and attach the contested decision.
In case of rejection of your appeal or failure to respond within 2 months, you can resort to a mediation.
If this fails, you can then refer the matter to the Caf Committee for Amicable Appeals (Cra).
On site
You can challenge the decision by visiting the Caf:
The time limit for challenging the decision shall be 2 months from the notification rejecting your request.
You must indicate the reason for the challenge and bring the contested decision.
In case of rejection of your appeal or failure to respond within 2 months, you can resort to a mediation.
If this fails, you can then refer the matter to the Caf Committee for Amicable Appeals (Cra).
Telephone
The approach differs depending on whether you are already a Caf recipient or not:
Recipient
You can challenge the decision by contacting Caf by phone:
The time limit for challenging the decision shall be 2 months from the notification rejecting your request.
You must be in possession of your beneficiary number and your PIN and select the 4 key of the voice server Claim or other request.
You must indicate the reason for the challenge.
In case of rejection of your appeal or failure to respond within 2 months, you can resort to a mediation.
If this fails, you can then refer the matter to the Caf Committee for Amicable Appeals (Cra).
Non-recipient
You can challenge the decision by contacting Caf by phone:
The time limit for challenging the decision shall be 2 months from the notification rejecting your request.
You must indicate the reason for the challenge.
In case of rejection of your appeal or failure to respond within 2 months, you can resort to a mediation.
If this fails, you can then refer the matter to the Caf Committee for Amicable Appeals (Cra).
MSA
To find out if you can collect ALF, you can use the Agricultural Social Mutual (MSA) simulator:
Calculating your entitlement to personal housing benefit (APL, ALF, ALS) - MSA
Conditions related to your situation
You can apply for ALF if you are a tenant or subtenant.
The subtenant must not be related to the tenant or the owner of the dwelling. This rule concerns in particular the family welcome elderly or disabled persons in the home of an individual, and accommodation for young people under 30 years of age.
Warning
ALF is not granted if you are already a beneficiary of personalized housing benefit (APL) or social housing allowance (ALS).
To apply for ALF you must be in one of the following situations:
- You benefit from family benefits or the education allowance for disabled children (AEEH)
- You have 1 dependent child up to 21 years of age but are not entitled to family benefits or AEEH
- You're married with no dependent children
- You are pregnant, alone without dependants since 1er day of the calendar month following 4th month of your pregnancy and up to the calendar month of your child's birth
- You are responsible for one ascending over 65 years of age (or 60 years of age, if unfit for work, deported or veteran) and have no resources above the solidarity allowance for the elderly (Aspa)
- You are responsible for an ascendant, descendant or collateral suffering from a disability resulting in a permanent disability of at least 80% or who is unable to obtain employment because of their disability. This impossibility must be recognized by the Committee on the Rights and Autonomy of Persons with Disabilities (CDAPH).
You can benefit from ALF if you are a foreigner, provided you have a valid residence permit.
Since 1er July 2026, if you are a student who is a national of a country outside (UE), (EEE) or Switzerland and have a residence permit issued for studies, you can benefit from ALF only in one of the following 3 cases:
- You perceive a scholarship on social criteria (from the regional center for university and school works - Crous, or a regional health and social scholarship aligned with social criteria)
- You are engaged in a professional activity
- You are engaged in a apprenticeship or professionalization contract.
Conditions related to your accommodation
ALF is awarded for your primary residence located in France and only if your accommodation meets certain criteria of decency and minimum occupancy conditions.
Conditions related to your resources
ALF shall be allocated on a means-tested basis and in accordance with certain ceilings vary depending on the composition of your home and the location of your home.
The resources taken into account are those of the last 12 months. They are automatically updated every 3 months. So you don't have to do anything. MSA automatically recovers the amount of your assets, in particular from taxes and France Travail.
FYI
a person attached to tax home of parents who pay property wealth tax (IFI) cannot benefit from ALF.
Your ALF application must be made directly online or by post.
Online
You must scan all of the following documents:
- Duplex copy of your national identity card, passport, or birth certificate if you are a French national or copy of your valid residence permit in other cases
- Bank details (Rib), postal (Rip) or savings (Rice) in your name
- Rent certificate completed, dated and signed by your landlord
By post
You must fill out a form:
Request for personal housing support (APL, ALF, ALS) Caf and MSA
The form must be accompanied by another resource declaration form:
You must also attach all of the following documents to your application:
- Duplex copy of your national identity card, passport, or birth certificate if you are a French national or copy of your valid residence permit in other cases
- Bank details (Rib), postal (Rip) or savings (Rice) in your name
- Rent certificate completed, dated and signed by your landlord:
Certificate of rent or residence in a home
All forms and documents should be sent to MSA preferably by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt.
To know the amount of ALF, you can use the MSA simulator:
Calculating your entitlement to personal housing benefit (APL, ALF, ALS) - MSA
The ALF amount is calculated on the basis of scales that take into account:
- Your family situation and the number of dependants usually living in your household
- Your resources, those of the person with whom you live as a couple and those of people who usually live in your home
- Value of your real estate and financial assets and those of the person with whom you live as a couple and of the persons usually living in your household, when this value is greater than €30,000
- Amount of your rent.
The aid shall be paid from 1er the day of the month following the month in which your file was processed. The payment may take about 2 months.
They are paid every 5 of the month.
You must report any changes (move, bank details, family life...) to MSA.
Online
You must log in to your account with your beneficiary number and PIN:
You must scan the documents justifying your change of situation (for example, France Travail decision notice).
On site
You must complete a change of circumstances report form available from the MSA.
You will need to attach to your form the documents justifying your change of situation (for example, notice of decision France Travail).
You can appeal against the decision rejecting your ALF application.
To contest a decision, you must appeal to the MSA by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt.
This appeal must be made within 2 months of the notification the decision rejecting your application.
Your letter must state the reason for the challenge and you must attach the contested decision.
In case of rejection of your request or failure to respond within 2 months, you can appeal to the administrative tribunal of your place of residence.
FYI
Between the MSA response and the referral to the Administrative Court, you can, if you wish, resort to a mediation.
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