While the payments have started, the Christmas bonus will arrive a little later than expected in the bank accounts.
It’s one of the months when the French spend the most. With September and its back-to-school costs, the month of December and its holidays put a strain on household wallets. Traditional end-of-year meals are often an opportunity to indulge in unusual and more expensive foods than usual. And, of course, a certain budget must be planned to place gifts under the tree.
In some homes, having fun at Christmas is not always easy. Due to low income, many families try to reduce the expenses planned for this period to what is strictly necessary. However, so that any household can take advantage of these moments while forgetting – a little – the thinness of the bank account, a check is automatically paid in mid-December for the most deprived.
Before Santa Claus comes, it is the CAF or Pôle emploi which comes to supplement the finances of the people most in difficulty. Every year, the Christmas bonus is eagerly awaited by the more than 2 million households who benefit from it de facto depending on their situation (RSA, ASS, fixed bonus for resumption of activity, AER). And, good news, the organizations responsible for making the payments have announced the dates on which the transfers will be made.
But who says date of transfer does not necessarily mean same date of receipt! The beneficiaries of this aid will therefore still have to wait a few more days before seeing this financial boost arrive in their bank account. Delays between the transfer and its receipt can range from three to five days, depending on the banks.
Thus, the exact dates for receiving the Christmas bonus are as follows: between Thursday 14 and Tuesday 19 December (at the latest) for the Christmas bonus paid by Pôle emploi; between Saturday 16 and Wednesday 20 December (at the latest) when it is paid by CAF.
Both organizations indicate that it takes between 3 and 5 days between the announced date and the date of receipt. With a Sunday and a Monday in the middle of the deadline, this can delay the arrival of the bonus by almost a week. However, it is a safe bet that most payments will arrive between Friday December 15 and Saturday December 16. So don’t panic if you are a beneficiary and you don’t see anything happening immediately!