The Energy Check is a subsidy established by the state to provide financial support to vulnerable households, intended to cover part of their energy costs. This assistance, offered without prior request or action, will not benefit many beneficiaries this year due to an administrative error.
This administrative error affects millions of beneficiaries
This administrative error has left millions of beneficiaries in doubt due to its allotment without file or process. For good reason, due to the end of the housing tax, the old data allowing the tax administration to determine the eligibility of the French for this aid has been lost.
In this case, this is the 2022 data released in 2023, which is required to verify the household income threshold. Due to this inaction, which results in a lack of information, the tax administration risks paying this aid to certain beneficiaries, especially those who are newly affected by the system.
As a reminder, the energy check payment campaign starts from April 1 this year. Beneficiaries who have not yet used their 2023 checks must do so before their expiry date is set on March 31. It can be used to pay part of an energy bill or to buy fuel. Regarding its amount, it varies depending on the income of the household as well as its composition and oscillates, this year, between 149 and 277 euros.
What to do if you can’t find an energy check?
In response to this administrative inaction, it will now be possible for precarious households to apply for an energy audit. An online counter has been set up for this. It allows you to report the receipt of your energy audit, after the end of the allocation campaign.
It is useful to emphasize that the eligibility for the energy audit is based on the reference tax revenue (RFR) per unit of household consumption, which should not exceed 10,800 euros in 2024.
In addition, it is possible to check whether you are indeed entitled to the subsidy by consulting your tax notice from last year, which contains this information. Conversely, some beneficiaries whose incomes increased between 2022 and 2023 are at risk of receiving this bonus in April 2024 due to an administrative error, despite losing eligibility for this bonus. And according to the government, no compensation will be sought.
