MACRON BONUS 2022. The exceptional purchasing power bonus should triple this year if Emmanuel Macron is re-elected. For who ? How much ? We take stock.
[Mis à jour le 29 mars 2022 à 08h21] Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, more than ever, the purchasing power of the French is at half mast. Between the increases in energy, food and fuel prices, it is difficult to make ends meet for the poorest households. However, here is a declaration which could restore a little balm to the heart with some, with less than two weeks of the first turn of the presidential election. If he were to run for a second term, Emmanuel Macron announced that he wanted to triple the PEPA bonus. A net increase that would be made without charges or tax. In other words, the Macron bonus or exceptional purchasing power bonus would increase from 1,000 euros to 3,000 euros. Remember that for companies that have signed a profit-sharing agreement, the Macron bonus is capped at 2,000 euros. It could therefore be boosted to 6,000 euros. “It’s purchasing power, it’s what I call the employee dividend” declared Emmanuel Macron on the airwaves of France Bleu last week.
The Macron bonus or PEPA bonus is paid on a voluntary basis by employers to their employees. It was introduced in 2018 following the Yellow Vests crisis by the executive. Employers are not required to pay the maximum allowable amount. This is why the average amount paid by companies in 2021 was 506 euros. To qualify, an employee must be paid less than 3.5x the minimum wage. Last year, no less than 4 millions people benefited from this exceptional purchasing power bonus.
Since 2019, employees have been able to receive an exceptional bonus, exempt from taxes and social security contributions called the “Macron bonus”. That exceptional purchasing power bonus (is paid by any employer who wishes it to employees, under certain conditions. In particular if the employee in question does not exceed a certain income limit. This tax and social security exemption scheme aims to encourage employers to pay bonuses to their employees in order to enhance their purchasing power. It is not a state bonus, but a company bonus which remains optional and voluntary.
To be exempt from employee contributions, the Macron bonus cannot exceed the amount of 1 000 euros. Companies that have a profit-sharing agreement can pay the Macron bonus up to 2 000 euros. This amount, doubled, is also valid for companies with fewer than 50 employees, and second-line workers (if revaluation measures are taken).
The exceptional purchasing power bonus is exempt from income tax and from any social security contributions or contributions. But then, who is eligible for the Macron bonus? Employees earning less than 3.5 times the minimum wage (over the 12 months preceding the payment). This Macron bonus does not replace any element of remuneration.
The Macron bonus is paid within a period provided for by law. In this case, between the June 1, 2021 and the 31 mars 2022. Whether you are a civil servant, an employee, or an industrialist, you have the possibility of benefiting from it.
The amount of the Macron bonus exempt from contributions is capped at 1 000 euros. However, this amount may double and reach 2 000 euros in the following cases:
- The company has signed a profit-sharing agreement
- The company has less than 50 employees
- Second-line workers (if upgrading measures are taken)
During his very first campaign “meeting” on March 7 in Poissy, Emmanuel Macron dropped the bomb. The PEPA premium or Macron premium should be tripled if the LREM candidate is re-elected to the presidency of the French Republic. What does this mean? This tax exemption scheme put in place by employers should therefore go from 1,000 euros to… 3 000 euros ! Better, for companies that have a profit-sharing agreement, the PEPA is capped at 2,000 euros. With this new Macron bonus, this amount could reach 6 000 euros. Details should be provided by Prime Minister Jean Castex, the week of March 14.
Already extended in 2021, the premium PEPA is renewed for the year 2022. Note that the employer is not obliged to pay the Macron bonus. If he wishes to pay it, he has the option of doing so atall of its employeesor only to employees whose remuneration is less than 3 times the Smic.
In 2022, the Macron bonus benefits both employees and apprentices, as well as temporary workers and public officials. The employer can completely modulate the amount of the payment of the PEPA bonus according to the beneficiary according to certain criteria such as the employee’s remuneration, the employee’s classification level, his working conditions during the Covid crisis, or still his working time over a year.
The Macron bonus paid to civil servants between June 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022. Capped at 1,000 euros, the bonus PEPA will be flexible according to the commitment and mobilization required of the agents concerned.