The crystal structure, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of the [Formula: see text] (RE=Y and Gd) compounds were investigated. Both of the compounds crystallize in a single phase with a tetragonal [Formula: see text]-type structure (space group [Formula: see text]/mbm) and undergo a second-order transition from ferromagnetic (FM) state to paramagnetic (PM) state. In the PM region, the reciprocal susceptibilities both obey the Curie–Weiss law. The paramagnetic Curie temperatures [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] were determined to be 4.9 K and 3.2 K, and the corresponding effective magnetic moments [Formula: see text] are 10.3 [Formula: see text]/RE and 10.5 [Formula: see text]/RE, respectively. Under a field change from 0 T to 5 T, the maximum values of [Formula: see text] for the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] compounds are determined to be [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], with the corresponding RC values of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], respectively.