ENERGY CHECK 2022. How do you know if you are one of the beneficiaries of the energy check distributed before the end of the year? Date, fuel oil, exceptional… We tell you everything.
[Mis à jour le 1er novembre 2022 à 08h13] Good news for French households, you won’t have to wait until spring 2023 and the distribution of the traditional energy check to benefit from help with energy bills! This year, two small novelties have just been introduced by the government. The goal? Help the households most in difficulty in the face of rising energy costs. Indeed, from the start of 2023, the price of electricity and gas will increase by 15%. So, the executive was working on solutions to remedy this soaring price, it is now done.
First, for households heating with oil, a fuel check from 100 to 200 euros will be paid on next november 8 ! For example, a single person, at minimum wage, with a dependent child will receive the sum of 200 euros. Then, for the poorest 40% of households: a exceptional energy check from 100 to 200 euros will be distributed before the end of 2022. For income below 13,310 euros, the check will be 200 euros. For income between 13,310 euros and 18,610 euros, the check will be for 100 euros. Here, 12 million households are affected.
In the summer of 2022, an envelope of 230 million euros was voted to help the most modest households, and allow them to pay their energy bills. And precisely, in order to support the French heating with fuel oil, a check of 100 to 200 euro will be paid from November 8 next. This brand new “fuel cheque” will benefit 1.6 million of hearths. The calculation takes into account the income of 2020, the number of people in the household as well as the income. But who can benefit from it? Here are three concrete examples provided by the government to try to better understand the amount you could receive next month:
- A single person at minimum wage with a child: 200 euros
- A single person with minimum wage without children: 100 euros
- A single woman with two children and a net salary of 3,000 euros: 100 euros
No action is expected if you have already used an energy check in the past. For others, you will have to apply at an online counter open from November 8. Have you already filled your tank with fuel oil before learning about this exceptional bonus? No problem, this new check can be used to pay your next oil or gas bill, for example, until March 2024.
Who will receive the bonus of 100 or 200 euros? To anticipate the combined increases in the price of gas and electricity, respectively of 15% in January and February 2023, the government was working on a new aid system to compensate for this increase. This has now been done with the creation of an exceptional energy voucher, which will be distributed before the end of 2022 to the 40% of the poorest households living in France. It will come in addition to the traditional energy check, paid in April 2023. Its amount? 100 to 200 euros according to very specific remuneration criteria.
For example, a single mother on Smic with a dependent child will receive 200 euros. On the other hand, a couple with 3,000 euros in income and two dependent children will benefit from a check for 100 euros. The cost of the operation for the coffers of the State is estimated at 1.8 billion euros according to the statements of the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire. To find out your eligibility, you can also refer just below to the precise scale established by the executive according to your level of income:
- Check for 200 euros : 20% of the most modest households, income below €13,310
- Check for 100 euros : households whose income is between 13,310 and €18,610
The payment of the energy check (classic) is made by department. The 2023 check will be sent automatically between March 30 and the April 29 depending on your department of residence. The “exceptional energy check” announced in September 2022, a sort of extension to deal with rising energy prices, will be paid before the end of the year, the government said.
About the exceptional energy vouchersthe official payment date has not been revealed, but the beneficiaries of this aid of 100 or 200 euros should receive them before the end of 2022. The executive should communicate more precisely on the subject in the weeks to come.
Finally, the fuel check will be distributed to him from November 8, 2022. Its amount is also between 100 and 200 euros depending on your level of income. Here is the full schedule to remember:
- Tuesday, November 8, 2022 : fuel check
- End of 2022 : exceptional energy check
- Spring 2023 : classic energy check
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.
At the end of 2022, an exceptional energy check will be paid to 12 million beneficiaries according to the announcement made by Elisabeth Borne on Wednesday September 14 as part of a press briefing on the energy crisis. The conditions have not yet been formally specified, but the beneficiaries should be generally the same as for the usual energy check paid in the spring of 2022. 4 out of 10 households should be eligible according to the government. Income criteria are put in place to specify the conditions for obtaining it.
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 < 10,800 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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).
For the exceptional energy check expected at the end of 2022 as announced on September 14 by the government, the amount may reach 200 euros for a household composed of a single mother receiving the minimum wage and with two dependent children. For a couple with two children and whose income is equal to 3,000 euros net, the exceptional check will be for an amount of 100 euros.
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”.
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 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 10,800 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 10,800 euros for one person only.
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.
Yes ! EDF is one of the electricity suppliers that accepts the energy check to pay your electricity expenses directly online. “No need to wait for your next bill: you can use your energy check now, it will be credited directly to your customer account”, we explain. on the official site of the energy check. To do this, simply enter the number of your energy voucher.
The energy check can be sent by Postal mail Where rissued in clean hand to the energy supplier. In this case, you must attach a copy of a document showing your customer references and report them on the back of the check. But you can also use it directly online, on the chequeenergie.gouv.fr website.
Note that in the case of carrying out work, the check can be used directly to pay the invoice. On the other hand, please note that this work must be carried out by a professional “Recognized guarantor of the environment” (RGE). You will find the list of RGE professionals on the website renovation info service. If you are the beneficiary of the energy check, know that its expiry date is listed. It usually occurs at March, 31st of the calendar year following the year of issue.
You are asked to report the loss or theft of your energy voucher. To do this, you have two options:
- Online at the following address: https://chequeenergie.gouv.fr/beneficiaire/cheque/declarer-perdu-vole
- Contact energy check assistance by telephone (read above) or by post, providing your contact details, tax number and the number of your energy check.