Exceptional energy check: who is entitled to it, payment… The terms and conditions revealed

The terms around the exceptional end-of-year energy check are a little more specific. The government published on Sunday 11 December a decree in the Official Journal fixing the conditions of eligibility and validity of the aid. The text, which comes into force from December 12, 2022, specifies that the amount of the exceptional energy check will vary from 100 to 200 euros depending on the income of the eligible persons. In effect, the aid will be 200 euros for “households whose annual reference tax income per consumption unit is less than €10,800”. On the other hand, the check will be 100 euros for households whose “the annual reference tax income per consumption unit is greater than or equal to 10,800 euros and less than 17,400 €”. Regarding the period of validity of the check, the decree tells us that energy suppliers can accept the check for a payment “until March 31, 2024”and for a refund “until May 31, 2024”. As a reminder, the exceptional end-of-year energy check is an additional aid provided by the government, in addition to the classic energy check. The objective of this new subsidy: to relieve the budget of low-income households in their energy expenditure. What are the conditions to be met to benefit from the exceptional energy voucher? What is the payment date of the check? We take stock, with new details from the ministries.

Who can benefit from the exceptional energy check 2022?

The exceptional energy check was designed to help the poorest 40% of French people. Specifically, 12 million households are affected by this aid, i.e. 4 out of 10 households. To be eligible for it, as for the classic energy check, beneficiaries must complete three conditionsto know :

• “live in a dwelling that is subject to housing tax”
• “have declared their income to the tax authorities and not exceed a certain amount of resources”
• “not to exceed a certain amount of resources”

The aid is therefore allocated taking into account the means test, and the famous tax reference income (RFR) per consumption unit (CU). For those who don’t know, the value of a family’s consumption unit is calculated this way: “the first person in the household counts for 1 UC, the second for 0.5 UC and the following for 0.3 UC”precise Public Service website. To note that the value of this unit is reduced by half for minor children who are dependent on the parents.

What is the payment date for the exceptional 2022 energy check?

Contacted by our editorial staff last week, the press service of the Ministries of Ecological and Energy Transition confirmed to us on Wednesday December 7 that “them exceptional checks will be sent from December 12″ 2022, until the last week of January 2023. The delivery schedule will be communicated “very soon”, we were told. With the decree published, we have again contacted the dedicated service to have further details on the date of dispatch, without return for the moment. Anyway, the payment will be made by department and the check will be sent by mail automatically to the beneficiaries who meet the award criteria.

What is the amount of the exceptional energy check 2022?

As specified Public Service website, the amount of the exceptional 2022 energy check will be 100 or 200 euros depending on the income and composition of the household. If you have recently had a new child, there is little chance that your new family situation will be taken into account. Indeed, the press service of the Ministries of Ecological and Energy Transition explained to us that “it is the composition of the household on January 1, 2021 that determines the allocation” the exceptional end-of-year energy check. In details :

• a check for 200 euros will be awarded to the 20% of the most disadvantaged families

• a check for 100 euros will be granted to households in deciles 3 and 4 (between the poorest 20% and the wealthiest 60%)

“For example, a single mother with two children who earns the minimum wage will receive an exceptional energy check of 200 euros and a working couple with two children who earn 3,000 euros net cumulatively will receive 100 euros”, explained Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. This aid is supposed to curb the announced increase in gas and electricity prices in 2023, which despite the price shield applied by the government will increase by 15%.

What are the resource ceilings to be able to receive the exceptional energy check 2022?

The resource ceilings for the 2022 exceptional energy check have been set at:

Should the amount of the energy check be adapted to the region?

In the current state for some, the device for distributing the exceptional energy check is not fair. This is what the socialist senator from Moselle, Jean-Marc Todeschini, deplores. “Giving the same help to a household in Metz or Nice, with an average winter temperature difference of +10°C, is not fair”, was indignant the chosen one on Twitter. On this subject, he challenged the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne in a letter that he shared online. In it, he asks the minister that the amount of the energy check is “increased for the inhabitants of the departments with the coldest average winter temperatures”. This would make it possible to obtain a “fair and equitable aid” for all French households. For the senator, the energy check as it is imagined today by the government, does not respond to the real difficulties faced by households.

Since 2018, the energy check has been granted to households as an aid for energy consumption. Therefore, it must be used to pay only certain expenses : bills and energy charges, but also the purchase of fuel (gas, heating oil, wood, etc.) and certain works for your home. This “cheque” is not not cashable by banks. It is only admissible with three types of service providers:

• Energy suppliers to pay electricity, gas, wood or fuel bills
• The managers of your accommodation (HLM, EPHAD, EHPA)
• The companies of renovation to finance energy renovation work (such as installing heat pumps, for example)

He is can be combined with the MaPrimeRénov’ scheme. Thus, you can directly use it online via this platform, where you can create your secure personal space, and carry out all your procedures relating to the energy check. Also to know that the 2022 energy check is valid until March 31, 2023. The validity date is normally written on the back of the check. Suppliers can therefore accept it until this date.

What are the steps to take ?

To receive the energy voucher, there is no procedure to take. In principle, the tax administration lists the persons meeting the conditions for allocation. This list is then sent to the Services and Payment Agency (ASP), which sends the energy check to the beneficiaries by post.

You are eligible for the energy check and yet you still have not received it? In principle, the dispatch takes place automatically by post. If you do not receive anything, there is a complaints procedure to do. For this you must fill in online this form, available on the chequenergie.gouv.fr website. The subject of the request must be “Dispute – Non-receipt”. After entering the various information, your complaint will be processed by a service. And if you don’t want to wait, another option is possible. There is a “energy check” phone number to contact : 0 805 204 805 (available Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.). You will then be put in touch with an advisor who will guide you for your request.

What is the amount of the 2023 energy check?

To determine the amount of the energy check, the government establishes a scale upstream according to the resources and the composition of the households. As indicated on the website of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, since January 1, 2021, the scale in place is as follows:

In 2023, we can therefore expect that a single person, with a taxable income of less than 5,600 euros, will receive an energy check for a maximum amount of 194 euros. It will also be automatically paid in April 2023, the date depends on each department.

*consumption unit (CU)

If I change energy supplier or contract in 2023, what should I do?

By next year, it may be due to a move or for reasons that belong to you that you want to change energy supplier or contract. But then, you are already eligible for the classic energy check. What must you do to continue to collect it in 2023? First of all, be reassured in these cases, “you will not lose the benefit of your energy voucher”, says the government website. Simply apply for pre-assignment, so that your energy check is automatically deducted from your new contract. To do this, you can either:

• Check the “pre-assignment” box on your energy check;
• Fill the online form ;
• Contact assistance by email or by telephone on 0 805 204 805 (free service).

Once your request has been validated, you will receive your energy check again next year.