ENERGY CHECK. If the payment of the 2023 energy check has been a little late, the good news is that the ceiling for the reference tax income has been increased. Are you one of the 5.8 million French households who will touch it this year? Here are the new resource requirements.
[Mis à jour le 24 mars 2023 à 10h59] If you haven’t yet heard about the energy check 2023, it’s normal. Its payment date has been postponed by a few days, if you are eligible, you will automatically touch it on April 21, 2023, without having to do anything. The government has planned a change this year on eligibility conditionsand good news, it is in your favor. THE reference tax income should not exceed 10,800 euros last year for a single person. In 2023, the ceiling has been increased by 200 euros, you will therefore receive the energy check at the end of April 2023 if your reference tax income is less than 11,000 euros for a single person. For a couple, this ceiling is 16,500 euros for a couple and for a couple and a child 19,800 euros. To find out if you are one of the 5.8 million eligible householdsfeel free to do the simulation on the site dedicated to the energy check.
If you were a beneficiary of energy check 2022 and you still haven’t spent it, hurry to use it, it will not be valid after March 31, 2023. It’s time to pay your energy bills (electricity, gas, fuel oil, wood…) or your energy renovation work with this boost.
The payment of the energy check is made by department. THE check 2023 will be sent automatically from April 21, 2023 depending on your department of residence.
The energy check is awarded each year, depending on your income and the composition of your household. It is sent to you, automatically, on the basis of the information transmitted by the tax services, and provided that you have made your tax return within the deadlines set by the tax authorities. You must also live in accommodation subject to housing tax (even if you are exempt). You can also decide to “pre-assign” it to your energy supplier.
The energy check is reserved for the most modest households. Its allocation depends on the resources of the household and the composition of the household: your reference tax income is taken into account. Please note that it must be less than 11,000 euros per consumption unit (CU). As an indication, a person represents a CU. The second person is counted at 0.5 and each person at 0.3 CU. To find out if you can benefit from the energy voucher, you must therefore divide your reference tax income by the number of consumption units in your household.
Very concretely, this means that the reference tax income must not exceed:
- €11,000 for a single person.
- €16,500 for a couple (+3,300 euros per additional person in the household)
To determine your eligibility for the energy check scheme, you can go to the site dedicated to the energy check. There is no simulator in the strict sense of the term. On the other hand, we invite you to enter your tax number to determine if you are eligible for the device. By entering your tax ID, the site tells you whether or not you are concerned. If this is not the case, the following message is displayed: “If you nevertheless think that your household fulfills the conditions of income and composition to benefit from the energy check, or, if you are an approved operator for housing in rental intermediation and you wish to check the eligibility of a sub-leased household for the energy check, you can nevertheless continue with the eligibility test”. You are then invited to complete a questionnaire comprising three questions.
The amount of the energy check depends on the resources and composition of your household. To determine this, the government has established a scale. Here is the scale that applies in 2022.
| RFR / UC < 5,600 euros | 5,600 euros < RFR / UA < 6,700 euros | 6,700 euros < RFR / UA < 7,700 euros | 7,700 euros < RFR / UA < 11,000 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 CU | 194 euros | 146 euros | 98 euros | 48 euros |
| 1 < UC < 2 | 240 euros | 176 euros | 113 euros | 63 euros |
| 2 or more CUs | 277 euros | 202 euros | 126 euros | 76 euros |
As you can see, a single person can receive an energy check for a maximum amount of 194 euros in 2023. Note that the energy check can be combined with the Ma Prime Rénov aid, the device that replaces the tax credit for energy transition (CITE).
You don’t have to do anything. The energy voucher is allocated in such a way automatique. In practice, it is the tax administration that sends the list of eligible households to the Services and Payment Agency (ASP). The latter is in charge of editing and sending the check by post. Eligible households therefore receive it automatically, without having to fill out any form. There is therefore no point in contacting the services in charge of the energy check if you are not eligible.
Energy check assistance can be reached on 0 805 204 805 (freephone number), Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. “In case of heavy traffic, we recommend that you call in the morning from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., or at the end of the day from 5:00 p.m.”, we warn on the energy check site.
You are sure and certain to meet the conditions of the energy check, and yet there is no trace in your mail? In this case, contact support, either via the contact form on the dedicated site, or by telephone. Remember to bring your tax notice. “To be able to benefit from the energy check, you must have declared your income to the tax services (even if your income is low or zero)”, we recall in the Frequently Asked Questions. “After having regularized your situation, you will be able to apply for an energy check. On the other hand, if you have still not declared your income for the following year, you will no longer be able to claim the benefit of the energy check”.
You cannot cash the energy check directly into your bank account. It has been set up to pay your energy bills directly to energy suppliers (electricity, gas, heating oil, wood, etc.). You can also use the energy check to finance energy renovation work such as changing the heating system or thermal insulation of your home. This work must meet the criteria required for the energy transition tax credit.