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Parent support! Today, more than 15 million French people are retired… and sometimes have trouble making ends meet. Are their children obliged to help them financially?
“The alimony obligation”
Parent support! The Civil Code provides for a moral obligation of children towards their parents. This moral obligation also implies a notion of assistance in case of need. This is what defines the “maintenance obligation”. The Civil Code specifies that “children owe maintenance to their father and mother or to other needy ascendants. »
How should I help them?
This aid must include everything that is necessary for life: food, accommodation, clothing, medication, medical expenses… It is not a question of covering the comfort expenses (holidays, trips, etc.) of the parent. Very often, this takes the form of maintenance paid monthly by the child, but it can also be the financing of a household help, a contribution to the costs of a specialized establishment or accommodation. of the parent at home. To calculate this contribution, all of the parent’s income is taken into account (retirement, professional income, allowances, etc.), and the child pays the difference necessary to meet the parent’s needs.
Can I refuse to help them?
When the help is not spontaneous, the parent can contact the family court judge to ask for alimony. Third parties, such as social services who supported the parent, may also request a financial contribution. It is possible to be exempted from this assistance if you do not have sufficient financial resources or if the parent has seriously failed in his parental obligations in the past: abandonment, placement of the child in a foster family, etc. Société d’Avocats
DAMY , Nice, Do I have to support my parents? 2022 Update
