Since 2018, the energy check has been paid to the lowest-income households, but payment is no longer automatic this year.
Many French people concerned have still not requested it.
The deadline, currently set for December 31, could be extended.
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The 8 p.m.
This is welcome help for the most modest households. The energy check has been paid to them since 2018 to pay their gas, electricity or fuel bills. Its amount, between 48 and 277 euros, varies depending on income and family composition. While it was previously paid automatically, you must now request it. But the vast majority of new beneficiaries have still not taken the step.
In Gard, Emmanuelle, who testifies in the TF1 8 p.m. report at the top of this article, meets all the conditions to receive this famous check. But in November, she was surprised to still not have received it, before learning that she had to ask for it. In question, the abolition of the housing tax, which allowed the State to obtain a list of rights holders. “We have to take steps. If we don’t call, we don’t automatically receive it”emphasizes Emmanuelle. A month later, the woman who earns 1,100 euros per month finally received her help: “That’s 70 euros that I was able to spend on groceries or other things.”
An appeal rate of only 5% in November
Like Emmanuelle, a million households must apply (new window) for the first time this year, according to the Ministry of Ecological Transition. But there was a problem: only 53,000 of them had done so and received their check at the beginning of November, i.e. a take-up rate of 5.3%. However, the deadline is approaching: households officially have until December 31 to come forward.
According to Anna Creti, researcher and professor of economics at Paris-Dauphine PSL University, few beneficiaries were informed: “We also need education. For example, we have not seen an advertising campaign that announces this type of aid and how to obtain it”she points out in our report. The associations had already requested this effort at the beginning of the fall.
According to information from TF1, the ministry is considering extending the deadline to March 31. A decree to this effect must be studied this Thursday, December 19 by the Higher Energy Council.
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Energy check: hundreds of thousands of eligible households, here is the procedure to follow to claim it on time
The online counter has been open since July 4 on a dedicated website, chequeenergie.gouv.fr. Some supporting documents must be attached to the request, such as the tax number, an identity document and a nominative energy bill.
