Can the Apa or PCH be used to pay for a home help or family caregiver?

Verified 01 January 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Yes, you can use the Personalized Independence Allowance (Apa) or the Disability Compensation Benefit (PCH) to pay for a home help (in direct employment or through a service provider) or to compensate a family caregiver . We tell you what you need to know depending on whether you receive the APA or the PCH.

What applies to you ?

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The Apa can be used to paying for home care or paying a service provider.

You have the possibility directly hire the person of your choice as a home help (unless that person is there person you live with as a couple). In this case, this person becomes your employee and you become an individual employer. Declarations of wages must then be made to the Union for the Recovery of Social Security Contributions and Family Allowances (Urssaf) by means of Cesu declarative.

You can also use the Apa to paying for a service as an authorized home care provider. A service provider is an organization (association or company of personal services) that itself employs home help. The service provides this service and sends you an invoice.

In this case, you simply pay the invoice of the provider and you do not have the status of individual employer.

The information differs depending on whether you hire a home help or pay a service provider or compensate a family caregiver.

You hire a home help

The information differs depending on whether you hire a home care worker directly or use an agent service.

Direct Hiring

You can use the FCH to directly hire a home help of your choice. However, some people cannot be recruited in this context:

Person you live with as a couple
Your father or mother
Your children
Retired person
A person engaged in a full-time professional activity.

One exception exists when your state of health requires total help for the majority of essential acts of daily life and a constant or almost constant presence. In this case, the employment of a family member, including the person with whom you live as a couple, is allowed.

The person recruited becomes your employee and you become an employer.

Declarations of wages must then be made to the Union for the Recovery of Social Security Contributions and Family Allowances (Urssaf) by means of Cesu declarative.

The amount of the FCH intended to remunerate home help corresponds to an hourly rate set at €19.34 or €20.10 in the event of gestures related to care or endotracheal aspirations.

Calling an agent service

You can use the FCH to pay for an agent service.

An agent service is an organization (association or company of personal services) that helps you use home help.

The agent department handles the administrative formalities (contract, payslips, declarations). However,

However, the recruited person becomes your employee and you become an employer.

The amount of the FCH intended to remunerate home help corresponds to an hourly rate set at €21.27 .

You use a service provider

You can use the FCH to pay for an approved home care provider service.

A service provider is an organization (association or company of personal services) that itself employs home help. The service provides this service and sends you an invoice.

The amount of the PCH intended to pay for this service corresponds to an hourly rate set at €25.00.

You compensate a family caregiver

You can use the FCH to compensate a family caregiver.

You must not have subordination link with that person.

This compensation is a sum of money and not a salary.

Its amount is calculated on the basis of 50% the net hourly minimum wage applicable to family jobs, or €4.78 of the time or €7.16 if the family caregiver reduces or abandons his professional activity.