Procedure · Housing

Claiming housing benefit in France (APL, ALF or ALS) from the CAF or MSA

A single online claim covers all three benefits: APL if your home is approved (conventionné), otherwise ALF or ALS depending on your household. Here is how to check your entitlement, the documents to prepare, your landlord's certificate, how your recent income is used and when the first payment arrives.

At a glance

Who: Tenants, flatmates or declared subtenants (under conditions), or residents of a hostel or residence, for your main home in France, subject to income conditions.
When: As soon as you move in: the benefit does not cover the months before you claim. APL is due from the month after the month you claim; ALF and ALS from the month after your file is processed.
Where: Online at caf.fr (CAF account or FranceConnect), or with the MSA (online or by post) if you are covered by the farming scheme.
Cost: Free.
How long: A little over a month on average to process a complete file at the CAF (4 to 8 weeks at the MSA); allow about 2 months before the first ALF or ALS payment. Paid on the 5th of each month.

Online housing benefit claim (CAF, via service-public.gouv.fr)

Step by step

Run the official simulator. The CAF simulator, which covers APL, ALF and ALS, tells you whether you are entitled to help and estimates the amount; it is also open to future tenants. Have the tax notices (avis d'imposition) of everyone in your household to hand: it asks for net taxable income over the last 12 months. If you are covered by the MSA, its simulator is on mesdroitssociaux.gouv.fr.
See which benefit applies to you. APL applies to approved (conventionné) housing (most social housing; your landlord must tell you). Otherwise it is ALF (notably if you have children or dependants) or ALS. You do not have to choose: the claim is the same. The home must be your main residence (lived in at least 8 months a year), decent and not overcrowded. There is no benefit if the landlord is your direct ascendant or descendant (parent, grandparent, child...) or that of your spouse or civil partner.
Create your account and claim online. On caf.fr, create your account (or log in with FranceConnect): it is required for any claim. Fill in the housing benefit claim, scan your documents, check and submit. If you already receive CAF benefits, claim from your account. With the MSA, you can also claim by post, with the form and the income declaration.
Have your landlord fill in the certificate. The claim must include your landlord's certificate: residential use, floor area, decency of the home (notably based on the energy performance diagnosis, DPE) and the rent. For ALF and ALS, it is the rent certificate (attestation de loyer) dated and signed by the landlord (cerfa no. 10842). In a hostel or residence, it is the manager's residence certificate.
Let the CAF work it out from your recent income. The calculation uses the last 12 months' income of everyone in the household, updated automatically every 3 months (the CAF gets it notably from the tax office and France Travail), your rent, the number of dependants and, above a certain threshold, your savings and property. There is no quarterly declaration to make.
Track your file and first payment. You can follow your file in your online account (pending, in progress, processed). Payment is made on the 5th of each month; APL is usually paid straight to your landlord, who deducts it from the rent. Example given by service-public for APL: move in on 15 October, entitlement from November, first payment on 5 December. For ALF and ALS, the benefit starts from the month after your file is processed, and the first payment can take about 2 months.
Report any change. Birth, separation, job loss: report any change quickly in your CAF account, as it can change your benefit. If you move, make a new claim for the new home. A refusal can be challenged within 2 months (Contacter ma Caf section of your account), then through mediation and the amicable appeals board (commission de recours amiable).

Documents to prepare

Both sides of your ID (or your valid residence permit)
Your bank details (RIB) in your name (needed if the benefit is paid to you directly)
The rent certificate completed, dated and signed by your landlord (or the residence certificate from the hostel)
The tax notices of everyone in the household, for the simulation
For a student from outside the European Union: the means-tested grant notice, or the employment, apprenticeship or professionalisation contract

Pitfalls to avoid

Waiting several months before claiming: the benefit does not cover the months before your claim (APL is only due from the following month).
Sending an incomplete file (without the landlord's certificate): the average processing time quoted applies to a complete file.
Forgetting to report a change in the situation of someone in the household: your benefit has to be recalculated.
Stopping paying your rent: the benefit can be suspended; if you fall behind, it can be kept if a repayment plan is set up and followed and you start paying your current rent again (these rules change on 1 January 2027).
Moving without making a new claim: the benefit does not follow you to the new home by itself.

What Nego does for you

Check which benefit applies to you (APL, ALF or ALS) and list your documents
Draft the message asking your landlord for the rent certificate
Explain a letter or decision from the CAF and write your appeal
List the changes in your situation you must report, and when

Nego follows the checked steps on this page, does the calculations with the site's tools and drafts your letters. It does not replace the administration: the procedure is completed on the official service.

Frequently asked questions

APL, ALF or ALS: what is the difference?

APL is paid for approved (conventionné) housing. If the home is not approved, it is ALF for families (children or dependants, married couple without children, single pregnant woman...), and ALS for anyone entitled to neither APL nor ALF. The calculation follows the same principles and the claim is the same.

I am a student: can I get housing benefit?

Yes, there is no minimum age. But you are not entitled if you are attached to your parents' tax household and they pay the property wealth tax (IFI). Since 1 July 2026, a student from outside the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland, with a student residence permit, is only entitled with a means-tested grant, a job, or an apprenticeship or professionalisation contract.

Is the benefit paid to me or to my landlord?

APL is generally paid to the landlord (or the hostel manager), who deducts it from your rent. If the benefit is paid to you directly, the CAF needs your bank details in your name.

My rent is going up: does my APL change?

Not straight away. The increase is not taken into account during the year; your APL is automatically reassessed on the following 1 January, based on your July rent.

What can I do if the CAF refuses my claim?

Challenge it within 2 months of the notification: ideally by email from your account (Contacter ma Caf), or by recorded-delivery letter, in person or by phone, giving your reason and attaching the decision. If there is no reply or a rejection within 2 months, you can ask for mediation, then go to the amicable appeals board.

Official sources

Rules checked on 27 October 2026 against the sources above. This page explains the procedure; it replaces neither the administration nor legal advice.

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Claiming housing benefit in France (APL, ALF or ALS) from the CAF or MSA

At a glance

Who

Tenants, flatmates or declared subtenants (under conditions), or residents of a hostel or residence, for your main home in France, subject to income conditions.

When

As soon as you move in: the benefit does not cover the months before you claim. APL is due from the month after the month you claim; ALF and ALS from the month after your file is processed.

Where

Online at caf.fr (CAF account or FranceConnect), or with the MSA (online or by post) if you are covered by the farming scheme.

Cost

Free.

How long

A little over a month on average to process a complete file at the CAF (4 to 8 weeks at the MSA); allow about 2 months before the first ALF or ALS payment. Paid on the 5th of each month.

Step by step

Run the official simulator. The CAF simulator, which covers APL, ALF and ALS, tells you whether you are entitled to help and estimates the amount; it is also open to future tenants. Have the tax notices (avis d'imposition) of everyone in your household to hand: it asks for net taxable income over the last 12 months. If you are covered by the MSA, its simulator is on mesdroitssociaux.gouv.fr.

See which benefit applies to you. APL applies to approved (conventionné) housing (most social housing; your landlord must tell you). Otherwise it is ALF (notably if you have children or dependants) or ALS. You do not have to choose: the claim is the same. The home must be your main residence (lived in at least 8 months a year), decent and not overcrowded. There is no benefit if the landlord is your direct ascendant or descendant (parent, grandparent, child...) or that of your spouse or civil partner.

Create your account and claim online. On caf.fr, create your account (or log in with FranceConnect): it is required for any claim. Fill in the housing benefit claim, scan your documents, check and submit. If you already receive CAF benefits, claim from your account. With the MSA, you can also claim by post, with the form and the income declaration.

Have your landlord fill in the certificate. The claim must include your landlord's certificate: residential use, floor area, decency of the home (notably based on the energy performance diagnosis, DPE) and the rent. For ALF and ALS, it is the rent certificate (attestation de loyer) dated and signed by the landlord (cerfa no. 10842). In a hostel or residence, it is the manager's residence certificate.

Let the CAF work it out from your recent income. The calculation uses the last 12 months' income of everyone in the household, updated automatically every 3 months (the CAF gets it notably from the tax office and France Travail), your rent, the number of dependants and, above a certain threshold, your savings and property. There is no quarterly declaration to make.

Track your file and first payment. You can follow your file in your online account (pending, in progress, processed). Payment is made on the 5th of each month; APL is usually paid straight to your landlord, who deducts it from the rent. Example given by service-public for APL: move in on 15 October, entitlement from November, first payment on 5 December. For ALF and ALS, the benefit starts from the month after your file is processed, and the first payment can take about 2 months.

Report any change. Birth, separation, job loss: report any change quickly in your CAF account, as it can change your benefit. If you move, make a new claim for the new home. A refusal can be challenged within 2 months (Contacter ma Caf section of your account), then through mediation and the amicable appeals board (commission de recours amiable).

Documents to prepare

Both sides of your ID (or your valid residence permit)

Your bank details (RIB) in your name (needed if the benefit is paid to you directly)

The rent certificate completed, dated and signed by your landlord (or the residence certificate from the hostel)

The tax notices of everyone in the household, for the simulation

For a student from outside the European Union: the means-tested grant notice, or the employment, apprenticeship or professionalisation contract

Pitfalls to avoid

Waiting several months before claiming: the benefit does not cover the months before your claim (APL is only due from the following month).

Sending an incomplete file (without the landlord's certificate): the average processing time quoted applies to a complete file.

Forgetting to report a change in the situation of someone in the household: your benefit has to be recalculated.

Stopping paying your rent: the benefit can be suspended; if you fall behind, it can be kept if a repayment plan is set up and followed and you start paying your current rent again (these rules change on 1 January 2027).

Moving without making a new claim: the benefit does not follow you to the new home by itself.

What Nego does for you

Check which benefit applies to you (APL, ALF or ALS) and list your documents

Draft the message asking your landlord for the rent certificate

Explain a letter or decision from the CAF and write your appeal

List the changes in your situation you must report, and when