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French law · Prepare your case, step by step

Prepare to recover unpaid maintenance in France

An unpaid-maintenance file should reconcile the enforceable document with amounts due and received for each instalment. Separate partial payments, missing months and indexation discrepancies. The available recovery route depends on the document and circumstances. The preparation record supports a substantiated request; it does not start enforcement or establish a debt merely because a payment appears absent.

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02 / Prepare my file

Which issues should I examine in my file?

  1. Which document fixes the maintenance obligation?

    Read this distinction: Enforced recovery requires the instrument setting maintenance to be identified, such as a judgment, court-approved agreement or another accepted official instrument. Record what your documents establish and what remains uncertain.

  2. How should partial payments and indexation be recorded?

    Read this distinction: Total non-payment, partial payment and a dispute about indexation should be calculated separately for each payment period. Record what your documents establish and what remains uncertain.

  3. Do recovery routes have identical conditions?

    Read this distinction: Financial intermediation, direct payment, public recovery and any criminal complaint are different routes with their own conditions. Record what your documents establish and what remains uncertain.

A fact → a document → a check

Which situations should I distinguish?

Prepare to recover unpaid maintenance in France · two situations to keep separate
SituationPurposeWhat to check
Partial paymentAccount for money receivedAmount and instalment
Indexation discrepancyExamine the required adjustmentOrder and separate calculation
Source 1Source 2

Which document fixes the maintenance obligation?

Enforced recovery requires the instrument setting maintenance to be identified, such as a judgment, court-approved agreement or another accepted official instrument.

Source 1Source 2

How should partial payments and indexation be recorded?

Total non-payment, partial payment and a dispute about indexation should be calculated separately for each payment period.

Source 1Source 2

Do recovery routes have identical conditions?

Financial intermediation, direct payment, public recovery and any criminal complaint are different routes with their own conditions.

Source 1Source 2
01 / Prepare my file

How can I prepare this file?

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Your starting documents
The point to check

Read this distinction: Enforced recovery requires the instrument setting maintenance to be identified, such as a judgment, court-approved agreement or another accepted official instrument. Record what your documents establish and what remains uncertain.

Fictional example · adapt to your facts

What does a worked example show?

Two instalments are partly paid and a third appears missing, but an unlabelled transfer still needs matching.

The resulting sheet
Task
Prepare to recover unpaid maintenance in France
Evidence to locate
Enforceable judgment or agreement setting maintenance and its indexation
Question to resolve
How should partial payments and indexation be recorded?

Allocate evidenced transfers to instalments before calculating the amount to request.

03 / JULIE

What should I know before acting?

Which document fixes the maintenance obligation?

Enforced recovery requires the instrument setting maintenance to be identified, such as a judgment, court-approved agreement or another accepted official instrument.

Source 1Source 2

How should partial payments and indexation be recorded?

Total non-payment, partial payment and a dispute about indexation should be calculated separately for each payment period.

Source 1Source 2

Do recovery routes have identical conditions?

Financial intermediation, direct payment, public recovery and any criminal complaint are different routes with their own conditions.

Source 1Source 2

Which documents make this file useful?

Start by locating these records: Enforceable judgment or agreement setting maintenance and its indexation; Monthly schedule of amounts due and received, supported by bank statements; Follow-ups, the debtor's contact details and records required for the selected recovery route. Keep unknown or unavailable details marked as such; a checklist is not proof that a document exists.

What does the worked example demonstrate?

Two instalments are partly paid and a third appears missing, but an unlabelled transfer still needs matching. Allocate evidenced transfers to instalments before calculating the amount to request. This fictional example demonstrates a preparation method, not the outcome of a real case.

Which mistakes can change the analysis?

Avoid these shortcuts: Claiming a global total without showing each instalment, partial payments and indexation; Unilaterally deducting other expenses or disputes from the amount fixed by the instrument.

Source 1Source 2

Does completing the sheet submit a request?

No. The sheet organises your selected issue, available records and own notes. It sends nothing to an authority or another party, calculates no deadline and cannot suspend one. Copy the file and check the applicable procedure before acting. Allocate evidenced transfers to instalments before calculating the amount to request.

How can Julie help with this preparation?

Julie by AlphaDeep is an AI legal assistant for French law. Use the chosen question to discuss this task: Prepare to recover unpaid maintenance in France. Julie can help explain sources, examine document wording and draft a response. Check its proposals against your originals and ask the appropriate professional to review consequential choices.

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How can I continue with Julie?

Continue with Julie: sourced questions, document analysis and assisted drafting.

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Sources consulted on 21 September 2026.

Which official sources should I check?

Which related task can I prepare next?

Allocate extraordinary child expenses in FranceDocument breaches of a French contact orderChallenge a French adult-protection decision

General information about French law. This organiser does not file or send an application. Have consequential choices checked by the relevant professional.