More than 5 million French people use it each year.
It is currently being released, little by little, throughout France. This year again, the energy check will benefit more than 5 million French people, as in 2023. More precisely, 5.3 million taxpayers received this aid last year. Its goal: to help the most deprived to pay an energy bill (electricity, gas, fuel oil, wood), rental charges when residing in an HLM, the bill for a nursing home or other independent residence, or even certain works insulation.
The amount received by beneficiaries varies depending on income. It can range from 48 to 277 euros, with the average paid being around 150 euros. To receive this check, there is nothing to do. This happens automatically. The Ministry of the Economy – which is at the origin of the sending – establishes the list of eligible people based on their last income declaration.
A declaration during which there may be this question: should we declare the energy check in one of the many boxes of the form? On the government site dedicated to this financial support, no answers are provided in the Frequently Asked Questions. And it’s difficult to find an official answer elsewhere. However, it is very simple and very clear.
There is no need to declare the energy check to the tax authorities. In fact, there is no tax to pay on this aid: it is completely tax-exempt. So, regardless of the amount you have benefited from, you do not have to include it in your income. The 5.6 million beneficiaries can therefore take a breather. A provision that is all in all logical since this payment is intended for precarious people who, generally, pay no or very little income tax.
And, good news for households eligible for the energy check: its exemption from all taxes should continue. While the system costs the State around 840 million euros each year, the question of making it taxable has never been put on the table, neither by the government, nor by control bodies, such as the Court of Justice. accounts, even if the latter has issued several recommendations to review the conditions for granting this aid.