Should we reimburse wrongly paid family benefits?

Verified 01 January 2024 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Yes, you have to repay benefits wrongly paid by the Family Allowance Fund (Caf) or the Mutualité sociale agricole (MSA).

The FCA or AMM may ask you to repay benefits paid in error:

  • During a period of 2 years
  • During a period of 5 years if the award of these benefits is the result of fraud or misrepresentation on your part.

After these deadlines, the Cof or the MSA can no longer ask you for a refund.

The recovery of wrongfully paid family benefits is effected in one of the following ways:

  • In one installment
  • In several installments (a sum is then regularly deducted from the benefits paid afterwards).

In the case of fraud (e.g. acts to obtain or attempt to obtain undue payment of benefits), the amount of the penalty shall be determined according to the seriousness of the acts.

For example, whether the alleged acts were intentional or repeated, the amount of the damage and its duration, the means and methods used.

This amount may be up to €15,456.

Warning  

Penalties are increased when the intent to defraud is established.

If a change occurs in your household, you must immediately declare it to the CAF or the MSA, even if you have already declared it to another organization (Taxes, France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi), CPAM...).

This will help you avoid having to pay back to the UIC the money you wrongly received.

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