Unpaid child support in France: how the ARIPA recovers it

Has the other parent stopped paying, or do payments arrive late? You do not need a lawsuit to act. A dedicated public service takes over from the very first month. A lawyer checks your file in 20 minutes on Avocat20min.fr.

Our guide to child maintenance explains how it is calculated and reviewed. Here, we walk through the simplest remedy for unpaid child support, step by step: the ARIPA.

Unpaid child support: who does what?

The ARIPA is the French public agency for the recovery and intermediation of maintenance payments. It belongs to the family allowance funds (CAF). For farm workers and their families, the MSA plays the same role. Its official website is pension-alimentaire.caf.fr.

When faced with unpaid child support, the agency has three tasks:

• Collecting and passing on the payment each month, through financial intermediation.
• Recovering arrears from the paying parent, first amicably and then by enforcement.
• Paying the family support allowance to the parent raising the child alone, in the meantime.

Its help costs nothing for the receiving parent. The paying parent, however, bears the consequences of any delay.

Financial intermediation, now the default

Intermediation became general in two stages. Since 1 March 2022, it applies automatically to divorces. Since 1 January 2023, it covers every decision that sets child support.

In practice, the paying parent no longer pays the other parent. They pay the CAF or the MSA, which then passes the money on. As a result, the parents no longer need to discuss money with each other.

Situation	Intermediation
Divorce granted since 1 March 2022	By default
Judgment or agreement since 1 January 2023	By default
Written refusal by both parents	Set aside
Judge finds it impossible (parent abroad, for example)	Set aside
Domestic or family violence	Cannot be set aside
Older decision	At either parent's request, at any time

So a parent who opted out can still ask for it later. One parent is enough to set it up, without the other's consent.

The first month of unpaid child support

Under intermediation, the fund detects the problem itself. It first sends the paying parent a reminder. If nothing arrives, it then moves on to enforcement.

Mind the calendar: the payment can arrive up to the last day of the month. The ARIPA website therefore advises waiting until the following month before reporting a delay.

Without intermediation, it is up to you to contact the agency. You can do so from the first month of unpaid child support, even for a partial payment. There is no need to wait two months: that threshold only applies to a criminal complaint.

Documents and the online application

The application is made online, from your account on the ARIPA website. Prepare the following in advance:

• An enforceable title: a family judge's ruling, a divorce agreement filed with a notary, an approved agreement or a title issued by the CAF.
• What you know about the other parent: address, employer, and bank if you know it.
• A month-by-month record of the missing sums.
• Your bank details and your CAF number, if you have one.

Unmarried parents can also have their agreement approved by the CAF. That title then gives the same rights as a judgment.

Allow a few weeks for the file to open. The delay varies between funds and depends on the documents. A complete file therefore moves much faster.

How the agency recovers the money

The ARIPA starts with an amicable reminder. Next, it uses tools you do not have on your own. It searches social security and tax records to find the paying parent's employer or bank.

It then uses direct payment through a third party: an employer, France Travail, a pension fund or a bank. That third party pays the support to the fund before the parent even receives the money. Finally, as a last resort, it relies on the public Treasury.

Our article on direct payment and wage garnishment details these tools, which you can also start through a commissaire de justice (court enforcement officer).

How many months of arrears can be recovered?

For a long time, the agency recovered at most 24 months of unpaid child support. The 2026 Social Security Financing Act (article 98) raises that limit to five years. It thus matches the five-year civil limitation period in article 2224 of the Civil Code.

However, ask your fund how it applies this change to your file. The oldest debts may call for another route.

Arrears	Suitable route
Under six months	ARIPA, or direct payment through a court enforcement officer
Six months to five years	ARIPA, or wage garnishment
Over five years	Time-barred, unless the limitation period was interrupted

So never let arrears pile up. Every month beyond five years is lost.

The family support allowance during recovery

If you are raising your child alone, the CAF can pay you the family support allowance (ASF). It amounts to €200.78 a month per child from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027. The fund advances it, then recovers it from the paying parent.

If the agency recovers more than the allowance paid, it gives you the difference. On the other hand, moving in with a new partner ends the allowance, but not the recovery. Our guide to the family support allowance sets out the conditions.

Mistakes that delay payment

Some mistakes come up again and again in unpaid child support files:

• Waiting several months before acting: the money becomes harder to recover.
• Accepting cash without a receipt: you lose your proof.
• Forgetting indexation: the amount owed rises every year, even if nobody claims it.
• Not reporting a move by the paying parent: the agency loses track of them.
• Agreeing to a reduction on your own: only the judge can lower the support.

Finally, using the ARIPA does not rule out a complaint. Our article on family abandonment explains this criminal route.

When to consult a lawyer

A lawyer helps most when the file gets complicated. Think of a parent living abroad, self-employed or apparently insolvent. They also calculate the arrears, indexation included, and pick the fastest route.

They also go to the family judge if support was never set or needs to change. A family lawyer answers within 20 minutes. A divorce by mutual consent can also provide for intermediation in the agreement itself.