When you start looking for a spot in a daycare, the first instinct is often to ask about the fees from the facility. The answer is rarely a fixed number. The amount depends on the household income, the number of dependent children, and the hours of care needed. Without laying out these three variables clearly, you navigate your budget blindly.
Effort rate and CAF scale: the mechanism used by simulators
Most daycares approved by the CAF apply the PSU (Unique Service Payment) system. The hourly rate charged to parents is based on a precise calculation: monthly household income multiplied by an effort rate, which is set according to the number of dependent children.
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This effort rate decreases as the family grows. A household with one child pays proportionally more per hour than a household with three children, assuming the same income. The scale is national, meaning that a municipal daycare in Lyon applies the same rate as an associative daycare in Nantes, provided both are approved.
Launching a simulation of daycare costs involves reproducing this calculation by inputting your own data. Online simulators ask for the taxable net income from two years prior (the figures on the latest tax notice), the number of dependent children, and then the number of hours and days of care desired per week.
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You get an hourly rate, which you multiply by the monthly care volume to obtain an estimated bill. The result remains indicative, but it provides a reliable ballpark figure for an approved daycare.
Approved daycare or PAJE micro-daycare: two pricing logics not to confuse
A common mistake when simulating a fee is to apply the PSU scale to all facilities. Micro-daycares operating under the PAJE regime (and not PSU) set their prices freely. The hourly rate is often higher, but parents receive the Complement of Free Choice of Childcare (CMG) paid by the CAF in return.
For these facilities, the CMG “structure” can cover up to 85% of the cost of the spot, with a minimum of 15% remaining the responsibility of the parents. The amount of the CMG varies based on income and the child’s age. Therefore, it is necessary to simulate two things separately: the gross rate displayed by the micro-daycare, and then the amount of CMG to which you are entitled.
You do not compare a PSU bill from a municipal daycare with a gross bill from a PAJE micro-daycare. The comparison only makes sense once the CMG is deducted from the latter. Feedback on this point varies among facilities: some micro-daycares provide an estimate of the remaining charge directly, while others leave the calculation to the parents.
Data to gather before any simulation
- The N-2 tax notice of the household, which contains the taxable net income used by the CAF to calculate the effort rate or the amount of the CMG.
- The number of dependent children for tax purposes, including those who are not yet of age to be cared for, as each additional child alters the effort rate.
- The planned care schedule (number of days per week and daily time range), which determines the monthly billed volume.
- The type of facility targeted (PSU approved daycare or PAJE micro-daycare), as the calculation method differs.
Tax credit and actual remaining charge: the simulation does not stop at the monthly bill
Many parents stop at the monthly amount displayed by the simulator. This is a distorted view of the actual cost. The tax credit for childcare expenses significantly reduces the final bill, but it only appears on the income declaration of the following year.
Since the finance law for 2023, the spending cap qualifying for this tax credit has increased from €2,300 to €3,500 per child per year. The credit corresponds to 50% of the amounts incurred, which brings the maximum gain to €1,750 per child per year. This cap remains in effect until 2026.
To incorporate this benefit into your simulation, you add up the monthly daycare bills over the year, subtract any aids already received (like the CMG for a micro-daycare), and then apply the 50% credit within the cap limit. The result gives the true annual cost, which you divide by twelve to obtain a smoothed monthly remaining charge.
Example of reasoning for a typical household
Let’s take a household with two dependent children, only one of whom is in an approved PSU daycare. The online simulation gives an hourly rate. You multiply it by the monthly care volume to obtain the bill. Over the year, you accumulate these bills, apply the 50% tax credit (capped at €3,500 in expenses), and you get the actual net cost.
Without this last step, you overestimate the daycare budget by several hundred euros per year. This is a gap that weighs heavily when deciding between daycare, a nanny, and home care.
Public API for calculating rates: a recent tool to ensure reliable simulation
The government has launched an API allowing daycares and platforms to automatically calculate the rate based on the tax data provided by parents. This tool reduces data entry errors and approximations associated with older manual simulators.
In practice, instead of manually entering your income into a form, the API can directly query tax data (with the parent’s consent) to produce a rate compliant with the national scale. Not all daycares have integrated it yet, but its adoption is progressing.
For parents, the benefit is twofold: a fairer rate from the start, and fewer adjustments during the year when declared income does not match actual income.
Anticipating the daycare budget is not just about entering three figures into a simulator. First, you establish the type of facility targeted, gather the tax documents, simulate the gross monthly bill, then incorporate the CMG (if PAJE micro-daycare) and the tax credit. It is this complete chain that provides an exploitable remaining charge to plan your finances for the year.