As Christmas approaches, companies are giving out end-of-year gift vouchers to their employees. Has your company been generous?
This is the moment many companies have been waiting for to reward their employees a little more. As Christmas approaches, many employees may be offered a small gift to recognize the work accomplished during the year. This can be translated in various ways, from an individualized gift to a gourmet box for everyone, including a little financial “extra”.
This is precisely what employees mainly expect at this time of year. If this can result in a bonus on results, companies generally grant gift certificates to their teams.
Around a third of workers receive these vouchers which can be used in hundreds of stores. But only 155,000 companies award them. These are mainly large companies since this represents nine million beneficiaries. However, not everyone receives the same amount. This depends on the choice of the company or the CSE, which is also authorized to pay gift vouchers.
In a context where every expense is closely watched by the French, employees can evaluate the generosity of their company in terms of gift certificates. To do this, two elements must be taken into account: the maximum amount that can be paid individually and the average amount received.
In theory, companies are free to pay out any amount they wish in gift vouchers. However, above a certain amount, this is subject to tax contributions. So, companies very rarely go beyond this amount. In 2023, it is €183. Any employee can therefore receive as much money in vouchers without it costing their employer an extra euro. Last year, it was €171. Despite these limits, the amounts granted vary from one company to another.
On average, beneficiaries receive 119 euros. Generally, these gift vouchers are awarded in view of Christmas. This is the case in most companies that pay it. However, a small portion (25%) prefer to grant them on other occasions, notably for the start of the school year, but also in the event of an event in the employee’s life (birth, PACS, marriage, retirement, etc.). It depends on the enterprise agreement. In addition, a supplement may be paid depending on the number of children.