900,000 households yet to claim 2024 French energy aid (but it is not too late)
The scheme is scheduled to end on December 31 but could be extended
The vouchers can be used to pay gas and electricity bills
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The deadline to apply for France’s 2024 energy voucher scheme to help with heating costs is approaching, with over 900,000 eligible households yet to claim theirs. However, the scheme could still be extended into spring.
The original - and for the moment current - deadline for households to apply for this year's voucher is December 31.
This deadline could be extended to March 31, 2025 via drafted legislation from the energy ministry.
"A draft decree was presented to the Conseil supérieur de l'énergie [High Council for Energy] on December 19 to postpone the closing date of the energy voucher scheme from December 31, 2024, to March 31, 2025," the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion told Moneyvox.
The new government of François Bayrou will need to sign off on the legislation and include it in an upcoming 2025 budget, which is considered likely to happen since only 5% of the million eligible households have applied so far.
In part the low take-up is due to 'technical errors’, which resulted in some groups - including those newly eligible for the voucher - not receiving the aid automatically and instead needing to apply online, reports news outlet Merci pour l'Info.
Read more: French energy vouchers in 2024: you may need to apply online
The energy vouchers can be used to pay for bills or energy renovations and are usually sent out automatically to eligible households and for 2024 can have a value of up to €277.
How do I apply?
You can apply through the official website, providing you meet the eligibility criteria.
You must have a reference tax income (revenu fiscal de référence that can be found on your tax statement) per consumption unit (CU) of less than €11,000 for your household, the same threshold as for the 2023 voucher.
This applies to income declared on the 2023 tax return (for the 2022 calendar year).
You can use the government simulator to check eligibility by entering your numéro fiscal.
To officially apply, you must submit information including the numéro fiscal of all household members that have one, proof of ID, and a recent tax bill.
If eligible, you will receive the voucher within one month.
There is information on the website on how to apply via post. Vouchers can take up to two months to arrive in this case.
You can look at what the vouchers can be used for in the article below.
Read more: How can I use my French chèque énergie vouchers?
