ENERGY CHECK. Elisabeth Borne announced the creation of an exceptional energy check of up to 200 euros to offset the future rise in energy prices. For who ? How it works ? We take stock.
[Mis à jour le 6 octobre 2022 à 08h09] Who will be able to benefit from the exceptional energy check promised by Elisabeth Borne before the end of 2022? As a reminder, this new device comes in addition to the classic energy check, which will be distributed at the beginning of spring 2023. The people concerned are the 40% of the most modest households on French territory. To support its point, the government gave the example of a single mother, paid at minimum wage, with two dependent children. In this situation, the exceptional check will be 200 euros. On the other hand, for a couple whose combined income reaches 3,000 euros, with two dependent children, the check will be 100 euros. As a reminder, this exceptional energy check was put in place to support the French in the face of the heavy increase in the price of energy scheduled for the start of next year (+15% for gas and electricity). Cost of the operation for the coffers of the State: 1.8 billion euros. To find out your eligibility, you can 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 euros
- Check for 100 euros : households whose income is between 13,310 and 18,610 euros
The payment of the energy check is made by department. The 2022 check was sent automatically between 30 mars and the 29 avril 2022 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.
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 / UC < 6 700 euros | 6 700 euros < RFR / UC < 7 700 euros | 7 700 euros < RFR / UC < 10 800 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 UC | 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 in 2022. 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 system, 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. “There is no need to wait for your next bill: you can use your energy check now, it will be credited directly to your customer account”, explains the official website of the energy check. To do this, simply enter the number of your energy voucher.
The energy check can be sent by Postal mail or remis and 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 renovation info service website. If you are the beneficiary of the energy check, know that its expiry date is listed. It usually occurs at 31 mars 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.