CSA reform for SEAJ: estimate your compensation
With the reform of the Chèque-Service Accueil, the State guarantees every non-contracted SEA a minimum level of revenue. Here is how the shortfall compensation is calculated, with a free calculator that estimates it for one billing period, line by line.
The calculation is made per approval and per billing period, never over the year. The floor includes EPL and meals: the €0.71 EPL aid disappears, and the extra staff it funded is built into the new staffing ratios.
Reform not yet passed. Planned to apply from the January 2027 billing period. Indexed amounts, SEAJ only.
CSA compensation calculator
Children are capped
The coefficient is worked out
The guaranteed floor is set
It is compared with revenue
The number of places in your approval. It caps the children eligible for compensation at +20%.
60 h means 7 am to 7 pm over 5 days. Only used to check the maximum billable hours.
A week counts if attendance is billed on 5 days. In August, the coefficient is neutralised.
A child counts as soon as one hour has been billed for them in the period.
The total for all children, shown in your CSA statement for a period already billed.
Approval cap : 20 × 60.00 h × 4 = 4,800 h
Each meal brings in €7.17, which adds to the CSA and reduces the compensation by the same amount.
- Total revenue
- €40,836.00
- CSA + meal revenue
- €30,400.80
- Guaranteed floor
- €40,836.00
- Average / child / week
- 40.00 h
- Coefficient
- 100%
+20% cap reached. 2 billed child(ren) give no right to compensation. They bring in CSA and meal revenue, but raise revenue without raising the floor: they therefore reduce the compensation.
Indexed amounts: CSA €7.17 / h, meal €7.17, floor €425.375 per child per week. SEAJ only.
The calculation in detail
Every line can be checked by hand. This is the table you show your accountant.
- 124 childrenChild cap (+20% of the approval, rounded up, maximum 120)roundup(20 × 1.2) = 24
- 224 childrenChildren counted for compensationmin(26 billed ; 24)
- 340.00 hAverage hours per child per week4,160 h ÷ (26 × 4 wk)
- 4100%Compensation coefficient40.00 h > 16 h
- 5€40,836.00Compensation floor for the period24 × €425.375 × 100% × 4
- 6€29,827.20CSA revenue4,160 h × €7.17
- 7€573.60Meal revenue80 × €7.17
- 8€30,400.80CSA + meal revenue€29,827.20 + €573.60
- 9€10,435.20Compensation paid by the State€40,836.00 − €30,400.80
- Total revenue for the period€40,836.00
Rent subsidy
Separate from compensationA separate source of revenue, based on approved places rather than attendance. Choose the zone your setting is in.
How this is calculated, and its limits
The calculator applies the reform's rules as known today, in indexed amounts (the ones actually paid): CSA and meals at €7.17, SEAJ floor at €425.375 per child per week. The floor rises to €471.50 indexed from the July 2029 period.
Three assumptions are made where the text leaves room for interpretation. All weeks in the period are treated as eligible: if you closed voluntarily for a week, enter one week fewer and remove the matching hours and meals. Revenue is compared with the floor across the whole approval, as in the reform's worked examples. Finally, children billed during the period and children billed in at least one eligible week are treated as the same group.
Not covered: SEAS, investment aid, eligible costs, reasonable profit and the economic firewall, which are assessed at the level of the operating company over several years. This estimate is indicative: the reform has not been passed, and it replaces neither legal advice nor the ministry's official statement. No data you enter leaves your browser.
Four points that change the amount
The formula is simple. What moves the compensation is a handful of rules people often discover only once the statement arrives.
Meals do not always add up
The floor already includes meals and EPL. While you are below the floor, billing more meals simply shifts part of the compensation into a meal share.
The 16-hour threshold
Many children on short hours pull the average down. Below 16 h per child per week, the floor is halved for the whole period.
Children beyond +20%
They bring in CSA and meal revenue, but add nothing to the floor. Below the floor, they therefore reduce the compensation.
A closed week costs a lot
A week is only eligible if attendance is billed on 5 days. A voluntary closure removes a quarter of the floor in a 4-week period.
With Kidola, ready for January 2027
Under the reform, planned and actual attendance must be recorded in time blocks in your management software. And there will be no test phase.
Kidola records attendance in blocks, bills by the actual block and gives you, period after period, the hours, children and meals billed: exactly the figures your compensation depends on.
- Planned and actual attendance recorded in time blocks, as the reform requires.
- Billing by the actual block, with CSA and meals calculated automatically.
- Hours, children and meals billed per period, ready for your statement.
- A team that follows the reform closely and evolves Kidola with it.
Frequently asked questions about CSA compensation
What is shortfall compensation?
It is the new funding mechanism set out in the reform of the Chèque-Service Accueil for non-contracted education and childcare services. The State guarantees a minimum level of revenue per eligible child and per eligible week. If CSA and meal revenue reach that floor, there is no compensation. If they fall short, the State pays the difference.
When does the reform take effect?
It is planned to apply from the January 2027 billing period. The reform has not been passed yet: the parameters used by this calculator may still change, and we will update the page as soon as the text is final.
Why is it calculated per period rather than per year?
Compensation is assessed per approval and per billing period, which lasts 3, 4 or 5 weeks depending on the calendar. Each period is therefore a separate calculation: a weak period is not offset by a strong one. An annual statement is then drawn up at the level of the operating company.
Why a 50% coefficient?
The floor is designed for children who attend to a meaningful extent. When the average falls to 16 h per child per week or less, only half of the floor counts. In August, this coefficient is neutralised to allow for the summer dip in activity.
What happens if I bill more hours than my approval allows?
Attendance can only be billed when the service is open. The maximum for the period is therefore places x opening hours x weeks. Beyond that, the hours would be rejected. The calculator does not block your entry, but it warns you and offers to apply that cap.
Are SEAS (school-age services) affected?
SEAS follow the same mechanism with different parameters, including a lower floor and a coefficient threshold of 8 h. This calculator only covers SEAJ, for children below school age.
What changes for my management software?
From January 2027, planned and actual attendance must be recorded in time blocks in the management software, with no test phase. That register will be the reference for both CSA and compensation. Kidola is getting ready for it today.