PFMP allowance: who receives it, how much, and how to follow the payment

What the PFMP allowance is

PFMP stands for périodes de formation en milieu professionnel: the weeks that pupils on vocational courses in France spend in a company or host organisation, much like a school-based internship. During these weeks the pupil keeps school status. They are not an employee, have no employment contract and therefore receive neither a wage nor a payslip.

To recognise this time, an allowance is paid to the pupils concerned. It is paid by the Agence de services et de paiement (ASP), but the process runs through the school, which reports the periods and the days of attendance. A simple way to remember who does what: the school prepares the file, the ASP pays, and the company certifies attendance.

Which pupils are covered

In France, the allowance is aimed at pupils enrolled on vocational CAP and vocational baccalaureate courses, in a public school or in an establishment covered by the scheme. It follows the pupil through their course, year after year, and does not depend on which employer they are placed with.

• CAP pupils in their first and second years.
• Pupils in the vocational seconde, première and terminale years.
• Pupils who change school during the year, who must submit a new file.

An apprentice is not covered: they sign an employment contract and receive a wage. Arrangements can differ for some agricultural, maritime or private establishments, so the school bursar's office will explain the local rules.

The rates quoted for the 2025-2026 school year

Each year schools publish start-of-year documents that set out the amount paid per day actually worked. For 2025-2026, these documents mention the following values:

• CAP: 10 euros per day in the first year and 15 euros in the second year;
• vocational baccalaureate: 10 euros in seconde, 15 euros in première and 20 euros in terminale.

Several schools pass on these figures, but they can be revised at the start of a school year. The amount that counts is the one shown on the document your school gives you for the current year. The logic is progressive: the further the pupil moves through the course, the higher the daily rate.

Which days are counted?

Only the days actually worked are taken into account. This leaves out absences, even justified ones such as illness or a medical appointment, as well as public holidays and days when the company does not receive the pupil, for example a closing day in mid-week.

Fictional example, using round numbers. A first-year vocational baccalaureate pupil does a four-week PFMP, which is 20 working days. They miss two days through illness, and a public holiday falls within the period. They have worked 17 days. At 15 euros a day, the allowance is 255 euros, not the 300 euros you might expect from simply counting four weeks.

The figure used is the one on the end-of-internship certificate, which is why it is worth checking it with the tutor before it is signed.

The documents to prepare at the start of the year

The file is put together at the start of the school year with the school's administrative office. It usually includes:

• the payment authorisation, signed by the legal guardian if the pupil is a minor;
• a bank details slip (RIB) in the name of the pupil or of their guardian, as the form specifies;
• proof of identity for the pupil, and for the guardian if the account is theirs;
• the family record book or a birth certificate where the surnames differ.

A mistake in the IBAN is the leading cause of delay. If your bank details change, give the school a new slip quickly. If the pupil moves to another school, a new authorisation must be sent to the new school.

After each PFMP: the certificate and the expenses form

At the end of each period, the company completes and signs a certificate stating the exact number of days worked and the tasks given to the pupil. The pupil hands it to the school within about fifteen days, depending on local instructions. This document triggers the payment.

A second document deals with internship expenses, such as travel or meals, under the rules of the school or the region. It is submitted to the bursar's office together with a copy of the certificate. Expenses and the allowance are two separate channels: failing to file one does not necessarily block the other, but each has its own deadline.

A late payment: what to do

Work in order, from the source to the destination:

1. check that the end-of-internship certificate has been handed in and is complete, with the right dates;
2. ask the school's administrative office how the file is progressing and whether the period has been validated;
3. check the IBAN and the name of the account holder;
4. ask for the approximate payment date.

The ASP generally pays once the school has validated the period, and several PFMP can be paid in a single transfer. A wait of a few weeks is therefore not necessarily unusual. Contact the school first rather than the paying body: the school holds the details of the pupil's file.

Allowance, tax and family benefits

According to school documents, the allowance is not counted in the family's taxable income and does not affect family benefits. This reassures many parents who worry about the effect on the household.

It also does not replace the pupil's other forms of social support, such as the school grant (bourse de lycée). If a doubt remains about a particular case, especially for an adult pupil who is financially independent for tax purposes, put the question to the school administration rather than to the host company.

Preparing well for the PFMP itself

The allowance is a bonus; the main aim is still to make the period a success. Prepare a simple CV, go through the objectives of the period with the supervising teacher, and check the working hours, dress code and safety rules. A successful PFMP often opens the door to a job offer, a later internship or an apprenticeship contract.

Common mistakes include turning up without the blank certificate, forgetting to have it signed on the last day, leaving an absence unexplained, or failing to report a change of bank account. Each of these slips delays the payment, and some of them reduce it.