The activity bonus will see a significant increase starting from April 1, 2026, with an average boost of €50 per month for around 3 million households across France. Announced on February 16 by Jean-Pierre Farrandou, Minister of Labour and Solidarity, this measure is part of the 2026 budget, adopted earlier this month. In practical terms, the first revalued payments will be reflected in recipients' accounts starting May 5, 2026, coinciding with the transfer from CAF for the month of April.
For the record, the activity bonus has been in place since 2016. It is available to adults with modest income, aimed at encouraging employment or the return to work. The benefit is paid monthly by the Family Allowance Fund (CAF) or the Agricultural Social Mutuality (MSA), and its amount is automatically reassessed every three months based on the household’s total income.
This reform targets two distinct groups. On one side, households already receiving the activity bonus, who will see their payments increased. On the other, households that were previously ineligible will now be able to qualify for the benefit. Overall, the number of recipients is expected to rise from 4.7 million to 5.3 million households, representing a 14% boost. However, individuals earning less than or equal to the minimum wage will not benefit from this specific boost, even though the annual revaluation of the fixed base amount, scheduled for April 1st, will apply universally to all recipients without exception.
The main driver behind this increase is the individual bonus, a component of the calculation formula that was already boosted in 2019 during a previous major reform. This bonus, added to the standard flat-rate amount and targeted at workers earning between 1 and 1.4 times the minimum wage, will also be increased.
The Ministry of Labour outlined several scenarios. A single individual without children earning €2,032 net per month, who previously received no activity bonus, will now start receiving 56 euros monthly. A couple with two children and a combined monthly income of 3,566 euros will see their bonus increase from 115 to 169 euros, a rise of 54 euros. A single-income couple with two children earning 1,854 euros will see their benefit grow from 436 to 490 euros. Lastly, a single-parent family earning €2,068 net per month, previously ineligible, will now receive 68 euros each month.
The cost of this reform is projected at 600 million euros in 2026, increasing to 1.8 billion euros for a full year. The government describes this investment as a move to bolster workers' purchasing power, aligning with the principle that employment should be more rewarding than unemployment. However, trade unions, particularly the CGT, have voiced their concerns, arguing that the measure does not address workers' actual needs and that it shouldn't be the state's responsibility to compensate for the insufficient wages paid by companies.
To determine whether you're affected by this increase or if you’ve recently become eligible, CAF offers a free online calculator accessible to everyone. It allows you to estimate the amount you could receive starting in April. Depending on when your quarterly update is processed, you could see the revised benefit as early as May 2026. Note that payments are discontinued for those earning more than 2,000 euros net per month if single, or 3,450 euros for a single-income couple with a child.
