krisifullbrook

hi, me the hubby and our 5 yr old boy are moving to france in 8 months time and i have a few questions that someone can hopefully answer as websites are really confuseing me!
my mother and father in-law have just moved and are setting up there businesses as we speak and building our home on their land aswell, me and my husband will both be working for them but was wondering firstly if i can take my child tax credits/child benefits with me or do i claim something similar in france ive looked up about family allowance and every where says that you need to have 2 children to be able to claim anything!!?!
my husband and i are self-employed in the uk atm and are on a low income which is why we get additional help so was wondering as we would be on a low income in france if we would get any help?
also was wondering if its worth putting lil man into private school as he only knows basic french or would a main stream school help him with the language?
thanks for any help

dmu

Hi, welcome to the forum!
It's true that Allocations Familiales (family allowance) start with the second child (unless there's only one parent). There's an equivalent of child tax credit in that you declare a dependant child on your annual Tax Declaration and you pay a little less Income Tax the following year.
Someone may know whether there's help for low-income families here - I think I'd be more concerned about your healthcare coverage. Will you and your OH be salaried, paying côtisations into the Social Security? You'd need to take out a Mutuelle (top-up insurance) to reimburse the 30% of doctors' consultations and medicines that the S.S. doesn't reimburse.
At 5 years old, your son can go to a French Maternelle without a problem. He'd start to read and write at 6 when he moves up to Primary, by which time his French should be OK.
Hope this helps a little!

Ka Ora!

Welcome to the Forum, If you get any issues give me a shout

krisifullbrook

thank you for your help....im not to worried about healthcare as mother and father in-law will be paying for some kind of health insurance for us over there, im just mainly concerned about the fact that it will take us a while to establish our own businesses out there and worried that we wont have enough money for the first year of being there.....we are saving at the moment in england so we have money to rely on if we get stuck while setting up i just wondered if there was any extra help we could get while we setted up

dmu

You may be entitled to the rSa
http://www.solidarite.gouv.fr/espace...d-emploi,2279/
Click on "quelles démarches..." and "Questions-réponses" under "Vous êtes futur bénéficiaire" for info, but you'd have to wait until you start working before you can apply to your local CAF for rSa.
Sorry to insist, but I don't like the too vague expression "some kind of health insurance"! I'd ask your in-laws exactly what coverage the three of you are entitled to, in order to know whether you've got to budget for the Mutuelle that I mentioned (up to 150 € a month for a family of 3). If they are paying for private health insurance, no problem. But if they are paying the employers' côtisations and even your own employees' côtisations under the Social Security system (Régime Général), you'd be advised to take out a Mutuelle....
Hope this helps, and good luck in your venture!

dennerlymum

I have to agree with DMU: healthcare was tenuous for hubby for the first 4 years of being here and it was a constant stress on our minds and a real issue when he needed a doctor
If you are on a low income then you may be entitled to back to school help; it all depends on how much income you declare. Be aware that you declare the income of the year before (ie this may we will declare our income in 2011) The benefits arising from this only kick in in the case of the return to school money in 2013!

Good luck with the move

krisifullbrook

...thank you so much just had a llok at the site and it looks like we would be able to get some help wich has takeing a load of my mind...spoke to the inlaws about the medical stuff and basically they will be paying for it in full i dont quite understand what it is but they do lol and told me not to worry cos we will be covered...i really appreciate your help

cupoftea

Just a couple of thoughts

Firstly, I would NEVER entrust the healthcare of my entire family to someone who told me 'not to worry cos I would be covered' - I would want to be absolutely sure for myself that everything - and I mean everything - was exactly as it should be.

Secondly, I suspect that the french authorities may be less than willing to support a family who turns up unable to support itself financially and who starts their stay in France by trying to claim means tested and non-contributory state benefits.

Doesn't mean that you plan couldn't work - at the very least you will need a very good level of both verbal and written french.

dmu

Hi, I agree, even if it's the OP's parents-in-law who say it.
As I said before, find out exactly how you're covered. You say they've set up businesses and you'll be working for them. But with what status? Are they Sàrl's (limited liability companies)? Auto-Entrepreneurs? (in which case their permitted turnover wouldn't enable them to employ anyone). They ought to be able to tell you exactly and their own coverage won't cover you. Unless they are paying private health insurance for you (in which case they can tell you without beating about the bush), I would insist on details.... You're lucky to have jobs to come to, but make sure they are legal and above board, don't accept vague replies.... I'm not saying your parents-in-law are proposing illegal work - they may not know all the regulations where employees are concerned...
The rSa I mentioned isn't given to just anyone, you have to justify any claim with payslips at least, which brings us back to your work status. Will you be getting payslips and paying S.S. côtisations? Ask your inlaws!!!!
Hope this helps!