The Energy Check: Changes Ahead in 2025
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the thrilling theatre of energy assistance! Can you keep your excitement in check? Because just when you thought it couldn’t get any more scintillating than watching paint dry, here comes news about the energy check, a delightful little government aid for those teetering on the edge of financial despair!
Created in 2015 and fully rolled out by 2018, the energy check has been the shining knight in a rather dreary financial landscape for the poorest French households. And now, in a twist you may see in a B-rated soap opera, it is set to evolve in 2025 — because who doesn’t love a good plot twist? But beware, starting next year, you’ll have to actually put in some effort to get your hands on it. Yes, you heard that right! It’s no longer an automatic joy drop into your bank account. Get ready to request it yourself — because government help shouldn’t be that easy, right?
The Lowdown on the Energy Check
Now, let’s break it down. Each year, the government doles out this aid to alleviate the pain of those hefty electricity and gas bills. The amounts this year range from a measly 48 euros to a more respectable 277 euros, depending on how much you’ve got left over after paying for basic survival, I mean, living expenses. A whopping 5.6 million French people are currently benefiting from this — that’s a fair chunk of the population! I can only imagine the joy of receiving those funds, like finding an extra fry at the bottom of the container. Trash it, and it’s gone forever!
Removal of Housing Tax: A Comedy of Errors
But ah, the plot thickens with the abolition of the council tax! It seems the government decided that keeping track of who was living where and their financial situations was just too much hassle. So, they scrapped it! Apparently, tracking people was too invasive, but the thought of requiring them to fill out an online form isn’t! Now, the government must come up with a solution that doesn’t completely break the system. Apparently, about a million poor souls have been ‘forgotten’ in this bureaucratic maze. A million! That’s enough to fill a decent-sized football stadium and then some! And, spoiler alert: many of them probably don’t even know they’re missing out!
Criteria Remain the Same: The Good, The Bad, and The Confused
Now, before you throw out your energy bills in sheer excitement, let’s get this straight: the criteria for the energy check remain firmly in place. So, if you’re already a lucky recipient, you get to sit back and relax (or cry, it’s your choice). For the rest of the soon-to-be-eligible — about one million people every year — you’ll have to hop onto an online platform and fill out a form that’ll likely ask you more questions than a first date gone wrong.
In conclusion, as the energy check prepares for its big transition from a golden ticket to a game of ‘please, sir, may I have some more?’, let’s hope the government gets its act together and makes the process less painful than a dentist visit after a night of binge candy eating. Until then, remember to keep your receipts and your applications in line! After all, don’t let a sensible government process get in the way of financial assistance. Cheers!
Created in 2015 and generalized in 2018, the energy check will evolve in 2025. If until then the check was sent automatically, from next year, you will have to request it.
The energy check is aid paid by the government since 2018 to relieve the payment of electricity and gas bills for the poorest households. Its amount is 48 to 277 euros this year, depending on your income and your household. 5.6 million French people benefit from it.
Removal of housing tax
The difficulties linked to the abolition of the council tax led the government to change the system next year. Until now, the energy check was paid automatically to any eligible person.
It was the housing tax that allowed organizations to clearly identify the composition of housing. But the latter was deleted and no other solution had been put in place, recall our colleagues.
As a result, checks had been sent to beneficiaries from the previous year and a window had been opened for new requests, while the number of forgotten households would amount to nearly a million.
The criteria remain the same
However, the amount and criteria remain the same. It is the payment method that will change. Those who already benefit from it will not have to do anything to receive it. For the others, 1 million each year, you will have to register on an online platform.
