Declaring a Child's Birth

The birth of a child opens the right to several family benefits from CAF: the birth grant, the basic allowance, and sometimes an increase in housing benefit. This birth must be declared as soon as possible to avoid any delay in receiving benefits you're entitled to.

This page explains how to make this declaration, what information and documents to provide, and offers a ready-to-use letter template, plus a tool to automatically generate your personalized letter.

When should you write this letter?

• Your child was recently born and you want to declare this to CAF;
• You had difficulty declaring online;
• You want to apply for the birth grant or basic allowance;
• Your eligibility for other benefits has changed due to this new birth;
• You need to correct information that was registered incorrectly.

In all these cases, a written letter remains a reliable way to ensure your file is processed quickly.

Required information to include

• Your first and last name and beneficiary number;
• The name of the newborn child and date of birth;
• The number of children currently dependent in your household;
• Your current family situation (married, single, etc.);
• Your approximate household income if needed for benefit calculation;
• The list of documents attached (birth certificate, family record book, etc.).

The more accurate and complete this information is, the faster your request will be processed.

Official letter template

Important note: the letter sent to CAF must be written in French, as it is a French administration. Below is a template you can use as a basis.

[First name LAST NAME]
[Full address]
[Beneficiary number]

CAF of [Department]
[CAF address]

Written in [City], on [Date]

Subject: Birth declaration

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am informing you of the birth of my child [first name], born on [birth date].

[...]

→ The complete letter, tailored precisely to your situation and ready to send, is generated automatically in 3 minutes using the tool above.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I declare my child's birth?

It's advisable to declare as soon as possible after the birth, especially to ensure the birth grant and basic allowance are paid without delay.

Is the birth declaration automatic from the maternity hospital?

No, some information is automatically transferred for income tax purposes, but direct declaration to CAF remains necessary to activate the benefits.

What is the birth grant?

It's a one-time financial payment made at birth, subject to income conditions, to help cover the initial expenses of the new child.

Does housing benefit change after a birth?

It may change, yes, because the number of household members affects the calculation of housing benefit based on housing size and income.

What if I'm late in declaring?

You can still declare later, but you may miss some retroactive payments depending on the elapsed time, so it's best not to delay.