who are the French affected by the end of its payment next year

In France, benefits and social assistance represent a very significant part of public spending and up to 32% of GDP last year. Some of this aid is automatically allocated to potential beneficiaries. Others must be the subject of a formal request by the interested parties. In the latter case, some of the beneficiaries do not receive the aid to which they are entitled, through negligence or ignorance.

In the finance bill for 2025, an unnoticed technical measure plans to modify the method of granting aid which concerns nearly 6 million households with modest resources. This service, implemented in 2018, was until now automatically paid, with the energy check being sent by mail during the spring.

Until now, eligible households did not have to take any steps to obtain their check. They were identified by the administration based on their reference tax income and their housing tax. The abolition of the housing tax for main residences has pushed the public authorities to question the automatic nature of the service. Consequence: a portion of eligible households should lose up to €277. It is in fact the ceiling amount of the energy check which is the subject of this reform.

According to article 60 of the draft Finance Law, only part of the energy checks will be automatically sent to interested parties. If we are to believe the Minister of Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher, “For another part, households will have to report”. And in particular the new beneficiaries. According to the Government, this would involve avoiding duplication and issuing only one energy check per accommodation. Based in particular on “data relating to the delivery point making it possible to identify the main residence of the tax household, which are communicated by electricity suppliers and network managers.”

Concretely, the households concerned and in particular the new eligible households will have to use an online platform undoubtedly linked to this one https://chequeenergie2024.asp-public.fr/chqnrj2024/ to send their request. They will need to complete an online form and attach certain supporting documents. Naturally with a high non-recourse rate. According to a Drees study, a very high percentage of potential beneficiaries do not receive the aid to which they are entitled. Examples among others: 30% for unemployment compensation, 34% for RSA and up to 50% for minimum old age.

We can therefore legitimately fear that a very high proportion of potential beneficiaries of the energy check will not receive this aid. Fear… or hope, if we place ourselves in the perspective of an austerity budget…