Does the ARS mean anything to you? If you don't know, it's okay! It's a short form for the "allocation de rentrée scolaire". Kidlee takes advantage of this little moment of pre-school to give you a briefing on the caf - back to school chapter.
But first, what exactly is the SRA?
The ARS is paid to families with at least one child in school between the ages of 6 and 18 and is means-tested. It provides additional assistance to help families manage back-to-school expenses. The amount of the back-to-school allowance depends on the age of the child. Finally, the ARS is paid each year at the end of August to eligible families by the Caisse d'allocations familiales (CAF) and the Mutualité sociale agricole (MSA). Also, the use of this aid is totally free. There is no control on the expenses made. So, for once, no need to keep the tickets!
The conditions of attribution
Family resources
Your resources must not exceed a certain limit which varies according to the number of children in your care.
For example, for the start of the 2021 school year, the net categorical income for the year 2019 shall not exceed :
However, if you are slightly over the limit, you may be entitled to a degressive allowance, also called a differential allowance.
Regarding the differential allowance, toutemesfinances specifies that the applicant must first calculate the allowance he or she would be entitled to if the resource ceiling were not exceeded. The increased ceiling corresponds to the basic ARS ceiling plus the amount of the allowance. The amount of the differential ARS corresponds to the difference between the increased ceiling and the applicant's resources.
Example (based on 2021 caps): Let's take a family with two children in primary school and with resources of 31,500 euros. The basic ceiling applicable is 31,162 euros (excluding Mayotte) for the start of the 2021 school year.
If their resources did not exceed the basic ceiling, the family would have been entitled to 740.62 euros (i.e. 370.31 euros x 2). The increased ceiling is therefore 31,902.62 euros (i.e. 31,162 + 740.62) for the start of the 2021 school year.
The family can benefit from a degressive allowance of 402.62 euros (i.e. 31,902.62 - 31,500) at the beginning of the 2021 school year.
Caf back to school: child's age
The child must be between 6 and 18 years old and up to 20 years old in Mayotte. This means that for this year's school year, the child must be born between September 16, 2003 and December 31, 2015 (inclusive).
Caf back to school: the child's schooling
The child must be in school or enrolled in Cned by the start of the 2021 school year. However, if the child is home-schooled, you will not be eligible for SSA.
How much is the ARS?
It is important to know that the amount of the ARS depends on the age of the child. Here is a summary table of the amount of the ARS 2021 per child after the deduction of the contribution to the reimbursement of the social debt.
What is the payment date for the SIB?
Typically, the SSA is paid towards the end of August. For this school year, it will be paid starting August 17, 2021.
This date is only for children in school between the ages of 6 and 16. As well as children aged 16 to 18 whose parents have declared schooling.
If you make this declaration after the official payment date, you will receive the SSA a few days after the document is received by the Caf.
What are the terms and conditions?
If you do not have never received the ARS, you must first fill out a file. The latter must contain a declaration of resources and a declaration of situation to be sent to the CAF or the MSA. In addition, this ARS application form can be download directly on the websites of the CAF or the MSA.
Parents who are already receiving ARS do not have to do anything extra for their older children from 6 to 15 years old. They receive the allowance automatically from mid-August if they are still eligible.
Also, since 2016, parents of adolescents aged 16 to 18There is no longer any obligation to send a certificate of schooling to the Caf. They can confirm directly on the website of the Caf or the MSA that their child is still enrolled in an educational institution, apprentice or student at the start of the 2019 school year.
If you wish to know the steps to take, which may vary according to each situation, go to here.
A simulation of the back-to-school allowance
Are you curious about your SSA entitlement? There is an online simulator that will allow you to calculate your entitlement to the ARS 2021. In addition, it is free and in free access. To access it, click here.
If you would also like to find out more about financial aid, the our agency rates and childcare, it's all about here.
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