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The essentials
- APL is open to anyone renting in France with modest income, regardless of nationality (with valid residence permit if non-EU) ;
- Since January 2021, APL is calculated on your last 12 months' income, recalculated every quarter — no longer on the 2-year-old tax declaration ;
- Apply directly online at caf.fr as soon as you move in — entitlement starts the month after you submit ;
- Typical APL for a student renting at €600/month: €100-200/month back. Higher in Paris and tense areas.
Who is eligible for APL?
APL (Aide Personnalisée au Logement) is open to any tenant who meets these basic conditions:
- You have a signed lease in your name, or are a co-tenant with a separate share clearly identified ;
- The accommodation meets minimum standards (at least 9 m² for a single person, with running water, heating, electrical safety) ;
- The landlord is not a parent, child or grandparent — relatives can't be the source of rent claimed ;
- Your income is below the means threshold (which varies by household composition and city) ;
- You hold a valid residence permit (for non-EU citizens) or a passport (for EU/EEA/Swiss citizens).
For students specifically
Students, whether French or international, can claim APL on:
- A private studio, room or flatshare ;
- A CROUS room or university residence ;
- A private student residence (Studea, Studapart, Cardinal Campus, etc.).
Foreign students need a valid student visa or residence permit, plus the post-arrival ANEF validation if non-EU. Erasmus students with EU/EEA citizenship can apply with a passport and student certificate alone.
For workers, families and pensioners
The same rules apply — APL is means-tested, not status-tested. Low-income workers, pensioners, the unemployed and people on the RSA all qualify, with eligibility recalculated based on actual current income. Owners repaying a mortgage on their primary residence (with mortgages signed before January 2018) can also receive APL on the loan repayments.
How much will you receive in 2026?
APL depends on three factors: your income, your rent, and your location. France is split into three "rent zones":
| Zone | Cities and area | Effect on APL |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | Paris and Île-de-France | Highest rent ceiling, highest APL |
| Zone 2 | Lyon, Marseille, Lille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nice, Strasbourg, Nantes (and other cities over 100,000 inhabitants) | Mid-range |
| Zone 3 | All other cities and rural areas | Lowest rent ceiling, lower APL |
Indicative APL amounts in 2026 for a single person in a studio:
- Student with no income, paying €700/month in Paris: ~€200-260/month APL ;
- Student with no income, paying €500/month in Lyon: ~€160-200/month APL ;
- Worker on SMIC, paying €600/month in Bordeaux: ~€100-130/month APL ;
- Pensioner on €1,200/month, paying €500/month in a small town: ~€80-130/month APL.
Use the simulator on caf.fr for an exact estimate before applying — it takes 5 minutes and is the only authoritative source for your specific situation.
The 2021 reform: contemporary income
Until 2020, APL was based on your tax return from two years earlier — a problem for newcomers and people whose situation changed quickly. Since January 2021, the CAF uses your last 12 months of declared income, recalculated every quarter. This means a sudden job loss reduces your income and increases your APL within a few months instead of waiting 2 years.
Practically, this is good news for newly-arrived expats: even if your last tax filing was made abroad, you declare your French income from month one and the CAF adjusts the APL on that basis.
How to apply
Apply online at caf.fr. The form takes about 30 minutes if you have all your documents ready.
Documents needed
- Your passport or French ID card (front and back) ;
- Your residence permit (non-EU citizens) or visa ;
- Your birth certificate, in French or with a sworn translation ;
- Your French RIB (bank account details) ;
- The signed lease (contrat de bail) and a rent attestation from the landlord ;
- For students: proof of enrolment (certificat de scolarité) ;
- For workers: last 3 months' payslips and your employment contract ;
- If your landlord is a private individual, their address and SIRET if they have one (rental agencies must always provide a SIRET).
When entitlement starts and when you receive money
Apply as soon as you move in. Your entitlement starts the month after you submit the application. The first actual payment lands 1-2 months later. Move in 1 March, apply 5 March: entitlement starts 1 April, first payment around 5 May covering April.
For private landlords, APL is paid directly to you by the CAF. For agencies and HLM social housing, the APL is usually paid directly to the landlord, with you only paying the difference. Either way, it lowers your effective rent.
ALS and ALF: the other two housing benefits
If your accommodation is not "conventionné" (the landlord doesn't have an APL agreement with the state), the CAF can pay one of the alternative benefits instead. The simulator works out which one applies — you don't choose.
- ALS (Allocation de Logement Sociale) — for tenants without family responsibilities who don't qualify for APL. Most students renting in private flats end up with ALS rather than APL ;
- ALF (Allocation de Logement Familiale) — for couples married for less than 5 years, families with children or dependents, or households with elderly relatives.
Practically the difference is invisible to you — same application, same calculation, same monthly amount. The label only changes which "pot" the CAF uses internally.
Common mistakes and pitfalls
- Applying too late — APL is not retroactive, so each month's delay is a month of benefit lost ;
- Sharing a flat without splitting the lease — only the named tenant can claim APL ; co-tenants need separate clauses naming them ;
- Letting your bank account info go stale — the CAF stops payments without warning if a transfer fails ;
- Forgetting the quarterly income declaration — since 2021, log into your CAF account every three months to confirm your situation, otherwise payments pause ;
- Renting from a relative — disqualifies the lease entirely, even if it's an arms-length arrangement.
Getting help with your application
CAF runs a national helpline at 3230 (free from a French line). Most communications and document uploads happen through your personal account at caf.fr, which you create after your first application.
For complex cases — refused application, disagreement on the calculation — you can book an in-person appointment at your local CAF branch, find it via the search tool on caf.fr. Bringing a French-speaking friend is useful: the staff don't typically work in English.
University international offices and CROUS centres also help students through the application as part of their orientation week.