PRIME MACRON. In 2022, the new value sharing bonus can reach up to 8,000 euros. Conditions, payment, amount… We tell you everything.
[Updated on October 7, 2022 at 4:52 p.m.] In order to support the purchasing power of the French, the Government is introducing the value-sharing bonus in order to allow companies to pay their employees a bonus exempt from contributions and social contributions. Employees earning up to 3x the minimum wage also benefit from income tax exemption. The amount of this bonus has tripled in 2022. It has gone from 1,000 euros to 3,000 euros for everyone, and from 2,000 euros to 6,000 euros for companies that have signed a profit-sharing agreement. The value-sharing bonus cannot, under any circumstances, replace the employee’s remuneration, nor increases in remuneration or bonuses provided for by a salary agreement, by the employment contract or by the practices in force in the company, establishment or service.
All employers under private law can pay the premium. In the same way as public industrial and commercial establishments (EPIC) and public administrative establishments (EPA). On the employee side, to hope to pocket the Macron bonus, you must be linked to the company by an employment contract (CDD, CDI), or be a disabled worker covered by an ESAT, or be a temporary worker or public official. Please note that from 2024, the value sharing bonus will undergo some changes. Payment will remain possible for all employees. The exemption from social contributions will also continue, however, the exemption from income tax will disappear. The ceilings will not change. The payment can always be made in one or more instalments, within the limit of one payment per quarter during the calendar year. This Macron bonus is to be differentiated from the inflation bonus, paid to support low-income households in the face of inflation. To find out all about this other bonus, here is our dedicated article:
The Macron bonus is paid within a period provided for by law. In this case, between August 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022. Whether you are a civil servant, employee, or industrialist, you have the possibility of benefiting from it. With the purchasing power bill, for this year 2022, the end of payments is set for December 31, 2022. This Macron bonus is exempt from taxes and social security contributions until December 31, 2023, precisely. On the employers’ side, the payment of this “PEPA” bonus is based on voluntary work, it is just compulsory to respect the ceilings in force. It is up to them, within the limits of these ceilings, to pay the desired amount.
The value-sharing bonus can be paid by all employers under private law, including self-employed workers (craftsmen, traders, farmers, liberal professions), mutual insurance companies, associations or foundations, trade unions, etc. Public establishments of an industrial and commercial nature (EPIC). Public administrative establishments (EPA) when they employ staff under private law (e.g. regional health agencies (ARS)).
For payments between July 1, 2022 and December 31, 2023, the bonus paid to employees who received, during the twelve months preceding its payment, remuneration less than three times the annual value of the SMIC corresponding to the duration of work provided for in contract, is exempt from all contributions and employer and employee social security contributions, including the CSG and the CRDS. In this situation, the social package is not due. The premium is also exempt from income tax. On the other hand, if the employee’s remuneration is equal to or greater than 3x the amount of the minimum wage, also from January 1, 2024, the bonus is subject to social security contributions and income tax.
The amount of the Macron bonus exempt from contributions is capped at 1,000 euros. In 2022, it triples to reach 3,000 euros for all beneficiaries, a decision voted by the deputies in the National Assembly as part of the purchasing power bill. This value-sharing bonus will even increase from 2,000 euros to 6,000 euros for all companies that have signed a profit-sharing agreement in 2021, those whose number of employees does not exceed 50 and for second-line workers. (if revaluation measures are taken).
Good to know, in 2022, the value-sharing bonus may even reach 8,000 euros. Indeed, an employer who has already paid the bonus (old version with the ceiling of 1,000 euros) this year, will be able to pay it again from August 1, 2022. Enough to allow employers to pay up to 8,000 bonus euros, in total, for the year 2022 (2,000 6,000).
