OIL CHECK. The government has announced the creation of a new exceptional check dedicated to households heating with fuel oil. All the details in our dedicated article.
[Updated on October 14, 2022 at 8:09 a.m.] In the summer of 2022, an envelope of 230 million euros was voted to help the poorest households, and allow them to pay their energy bills. And precisely, in order to support the French heating with fuel oil, a check for 100 to 200 euros will be paid from November 8. This brand new “fuel cheque” will benefit 1.6 million households. The calculation takes into account the income of 2020, the number of people in the household as well as the income. But who can benefit from it? Here are three concrete examples provided by the government to try to better understand the amount you could receive next month:
No action is expected if you have already used an energy check in the past. For others, you will have to apply at an online counter open from November 8. Did you ever fill your fuel tank before learning about this amazing bonus? No problem, this new check can be used to pay your next fuel or gas bill, for example, until March 2024. Also note that another exceptional energy check will be distributed before the end of 2022, to compensate for the 15% increase in energy prices at the start of 2023 (in January for gas and in February for electricity). The amount is between 100 and 200 euros depending on your level of remuneration and the composition of your household.
How do we know if we are entitled to an exceptional energy check in 2022?
Who will receive the bonus of 100 or 200 euros? To anticipate the combined increases in the price of gas and electricity, respectively of 15% in January and February 2023, the government was working on a new aid system to compensate for this increase. It is now done with the creation of an exceptional energy check, which will be distributed before the end of 2022 to the 40% of the most modest households living in France. It will come in addition to the traditional energy check, paid in April 2023. Its amount? 100 to 200 euros according to very specific remuneration criteria.
For example, a single mother on Smic with a dependent child will receive 200 euros. On the other hand, a couple with 3,000 euros in income and two dependent children will benefit from a check for 100 euros. The cost of the operation for the coffers of the State is estimated at 1.8 billion euros according to the statements of the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire. To know your eligibility, you can also refer just below to the precise scale established by the executive according to your level of income:
The payment of the energy check (classic) is made by department. The 2023 check will be sent automatically between March 30 and April 29 depending on your department of residence. The “exceptional energy check” announced in September 2022, a kind of extension to deal with rising energy prices, will be paid before the end of the year, the government said.
Regarding the exceptional energy vouchers, the 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 coming weeks.
Finally, the fuel check will be distributed from November 8, 2022. Its amount is also between 100 and 200 euros depending on your level of income. Here is the full schedule to remember:
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.
As you can see, a single person can receive an energy check for a maximum amount of 194 euros in 2023. 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 Smic 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.
Are you sure you meet the conditions for 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 voucher, 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 a single person.
You don’t have to do anything. The energy voucher is allocated automatically. 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. “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 post or delivered by hand to the energy supplier. In this case, you must attach a copy of a document showing your customer references and write 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 generally occurs on March 31 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:
