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Letter templates

Administrative complaint template to send by fax

Challenge a decision, report an error, ask for a review: the template structures your letter — facts, request, documents — and can refer the case to the amicable appeals board.

In short

To challenge a decision by the CAF, CPAM or MSA, an appeal to the amicable appeals board (commission de recours amiable) is mandatory before any court case, within two months of notification. It is best sent by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt; a fax only makes sense to a number the organisation publishes for this purpose. For taxes, complaints are filed primarily through your online tax account.

Fill in the template

Everything happens in your browser: nothing is sent or stored until you submit the sending form.

This letter is addressed to a French organisation, so it is written in French and the PDF will stay in French. Please fill in the fields in French, using Latin characters.

Your details

One address line per line.

So the recipient can reply.

Recipient

For example "CAF du Rhône" or "CPAM de Paris".

In French, for example "Service résiliations".

Printed on the letter and carried over to the sending form. Check it on a letter from the organisation or in the site's directory.

Letter content

CAF beneficiary number, social security number or tax number.

In French, for example "notification du 12 mai 2026".

The facts, with dates, in French. One paragraph per line.

What you expect from the organisation, in one or two sentences.

One item per line. Add the files further down, under "Attachments".

Place and date

Where you are writing from, as in "À Lyon, le…".

Defaults to today.

Signature and attachments
Optional. A sharp photo on a white background, PNG or JPEG. Without an image, space is left to sign by hand.
Optional. PDF, JPEG or PNG: they are placed after the letter, in the same document.

One-page document: free, unlimited sending.

To generate the PDF, fill in: Your first and last name, Your postal address, Organisation, Statement of the situation, Your request, Town or city.

Need proof? When sending, the optional PDF acknowledgment of receipt (€3.99 incl. VAT) records the date and transmission of the fax. Keep it with a copy of the letter.

Letter preview

The letter exactly as it will be sent. Fields still to fill in are highlighted.

[Prénom Nom][Adresse postale]

[Organisme destinataire]

À [Ville], le [date]

Courrier envoyé par télécopie

Objet : Réclamation

Madame, Monsieur,

Je vous adresse la présente réclamation, pour les motifs exposés ci-dessous.

Exposé de la situation : [exposé de la situation]

Ma demande : [demande]

Je vous remercie de bien vouloir accuser réception de cette réclamation et de me faire connaître la suite qui lui sera réservée.

Je vous prie d’agréer, Madame, Monsieur, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées.

[Prénom Nom]

How to fill it in

  1. 1

    Choose the right route

    An error to correct calls for a simple complaint to the department concerned; a decision to challenge (refusal, overpayment claim, removal) goes to the amicable appeals board. Tick the matching box.

  2. 2

    Set out the facts, with dates

    One fact per line, with its date: notification received, documents already provided, exchanges. Give your CAF, social security or tax number.

  3. 3

    Make a precise request

    Restoring a benefit, cancelling an overpayment claim, correcting an amount: say what you expect. List the enclosures and add them to the PDF.

  4. 4

    Send it and keep proof

    Check the fax number on a letter from the organisation or in the directory, then send. The PDF acknowledgment of receipt records the date of your request, which matters when a deadline applies.

Check before sending

  • Two months to refer to the appeals board

    The deadline runs from notification of the decision. After it, the appeal may be rejected: do not wait for an answer to a simple complaint before acting.

  • Fax is not the usual channel

    Service-public.gouv.fr recommends a registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt to refer a case to the amicable appeals board; the tax office prefers the secure messaging of your online account, or post. Only fax a number the organisation publishes for this purpose.

  • Taxes: deadline and signature

    For income tax, a complaint can be made until 31 December of the second year after the tax was assessed for collection. A complaint sent by post must bear your handwritten signature.

  • After the board, the court

    If the board rejects the appeal, the challenge goes to the social division of the judicial court (pôle social du tribunal judiciaire), by an application that cannot be sent by fax.

Template provided for information, checked on October 8, 2026 against the official sources below. It does not replace advice from a legal professional, nor the terms of your contract.

Official sources (in French)

Send this document by fax

A one-page fax is free and unlimited, with no sign-up. From two pages, sending costs €3.99 incl. VAT. To prove you sent it, add the PDF acknowledgment of receipt (€3.99 incl. VAT).

Fill in the template

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