CHRISTMAS BONUS 2024. CAF paid the Christmas bonus this Tuesday, December 17. But not all beneficiaries received it.
She's finally here! Postponed by several days from the date initially announced, the Christmas bonus is paid this Tuesday, December 17 by the CAF but also France Travail, depending on the situations of the beneficiaries. A beneficial boost for the most deprived, a few days before Christmas.
But when the day has arrived, many of those who are entitled to it are surprised to see no transfer appear in their bank account. An administrative error? Nothing at all. It's normal if the amount still doesn't appear. So don't panic.
The Family Allowance Fund explains that “depending on your bank, there may be up to 8 working days before the payment is posted to your bank account. “. The money may therefore not be credited until next Wednesday. However, these are exceptional cases. In general, the bonus arrives the next day or two days later, at most.
The 2 million beneficiaries of this aid therefore have nothing to worry about. As since 1998, this check, the amount of which has never changed, will be able to put (a little) in the spinach for this end of the year.
10:02 – I was on RSA in March but I no longer receive it: am I still entitled to the Christmas bonus?
No. To benefit from the Christmas bonus, you must receive one of the aids triggering the payment of the bonus during the month of November 2024. Thus, a person who left the RSA during the year and who does not receive it in November will not receive the Christmas bonus in December.
09:39 – Will it be necessary to declare the Christmas bonus for taxes?
No ! The question comes up often but, like other social assistance, the Christmas bonus is not taxable. It does not have to be mentioned on the annual income tax return. So no worries.
08:03 – I work but receive a low salary and I have the activity bonus: will the Christmas bonus be paid to me
No. The Christmas bonus is only awarded to people receiving one of the social minimums. This does not concern workers, even with the most modest incomes, such as those who earn the minimum wage and receive the activity bonus in addition.
07:08 – Can I spend the Christmas bonus however I want?
Yes ! The CAF, the MSA or France Travail are simply responsible for paying the money into the beneficiary bank account. Then, the use of this aid is completely free and can be used for any type of purchase since it funds the current account, unlike gift vouchers or holiday vouchers.
06:18 – Why do 4,300 French people only receive 50% of the Christmas bonus?
Among the contingent of people eligible for the Christmas bonus, a little over 4,000 are not entitled to the same amounts. In fact, beneficiaries of the bonus domiciled in Mayotte only receive 50% of what is received in mainland France or in other overseas departments. This is a local specificity because the inhabitants of the island, which only became a department in 2011, still have large salary differences with the mainland.
05:34 – Is the Christmas bonus necessarily paid by transfer?
Yes: do not wait for a specific check from the creditor organization, as may be the case with the energy check. The Christmas bonus is only paid by bank transfer, as for other social benefits.
05:00 – I did not receive the Christmas bonus this Tuesday, is this normal?
This morning, you may be annoyed: the transfer promised by the government does not appear in your bank account. Don't panic, it's normal. This Tuesday, December 17, these are the transfer orders that were made by the organizations. So this does not automatically mean that the money arrives on the same day. One to three days of delay may be necessary. The amount should be credited between Saturday and Monday at the latest, even if Caf announces a delay of up to 8 working days.
16/12/24 – 5:02 p.m. – I am unemployed, can I receive the Christmas bonus?
Are you currently unemployed? Pôle emploi is responsible for paying the Christmas bonus to certain unemployed people. The latter must have exhausted their unemployment rights and receive the specific solidarity allowance (ASS). This therefore means that unemployed people receiving traditional unemployment benefits, also called return to work allowance (ARE), are not eligible.
As a reminder, the specific solidarity allowance concerns unemployed people at the end of their rights whose resources do not exceed a ceiling. You must also have carried out professional activity for five years during the 10 years preceding the end of the last employment contract.
16/12/24 – 12:43 – I am a scholarship or work-study student: will I receive the Christmas bonus?
Unfortunately, no pleasant surprises as we approach. The Christmas bonus does not concern students, whether they are on scholarships or on a work-study basis. No additional income is paid to these people for the end-of-year holidays.
16/12/24 – 07:12 – I am retired: will the Christmas bonus be paid to me?
Are you now retired and approaching these end-of-year holidays with apprehension given your low income? It is legitimate for you to wonder if you will benefit from the Christmas bonus. Unfortunately, this is not the case. (Almost) no retirees receive the Christmas bonus, not even beneficiaries of the solidarity allowance for the elderly, ASPA (ex-minimum old age). Only the last beneficiaries of the retirement equivalent allowance (AER) receive it. This is aid only always paid to those whose rights were opened before January 1, 2011… or just a few dozen people.
15/12/24 – 7:18 p.m. – Since when has the Christmas bonus been paid?
The Christmas bonus has been paid to low-income French people since 1998. It was set up by Lionel Jospin, then Prime Minister of Jacques Chirac when the left was in the majority in the National Assembly. The previous year, in December 1997, the socialist was faced with a major social crisis: a social movement of the unemployed and precarious workers was shaking France. At the time, the unemployment rate reached records due to the recession of the early 1990s: 3.195 million people were unemployed in category A.
Then emerged, in Marseille, the idea of a Christmas bonus, which would become a national demand of the CGT. Objective stated, to find 3,000 francs, which the unemployed had not obtained. Recipients of the RMI (minimum integration income), which later became the RSA, and the most disadvantaged unemployed, on the other hand, obtained a bonus of 1,000 francs (153.85 euros). The Christmas bonus was then born.
15/12/24 – 1:14 p.m. – We are a couple and both on RSA: will we receive twice the Christmas bonus?
No. The law is very clear on the subject: only one Christmas bonus per tax household, regardless if two people are eligible. The amount is, however, a little higher than for a single person. Thus, a couple without children, in a civil partnership or married, and with RSA will receive €228.68.
