French energy vouchers: 2025 date confirmed – and it is much later than usual
Five million people are eligible for the physical voucher, which can be up to €277
The government has asked for understanding and compassion from energy suppliers
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France’s 2025 energy vouchers (chèques énergies) will not be sent out to homes until November, the government has announced.
A combination of new measures included in the 2025 budget surrounding the annual vouchers, as well as the exceptional late passing of the budget, has led to the delay.
The vouchers are usually available in April, with around five million households eligible.
Recipients can send the chèque directly to their supplier to cover some or all of upcoming bill costs, or using the official government website (by entering details about your energy contract and voucher).
In light of the delay, the government has asked energy suppliers to “show flexibility and goodwill towards potentially eligible customers, particularly those who were previously beneficiaries” of the scheme, in a press release.
Suppliers should “maintain their protections associated with the [voucher], by favouring power reduction for electricity and avoiding supply interruptions,” the government adds.
The Finance Ministry will provide more details in the coming weeks over the rollout, after meeting with industry heads.
However, there will be no change to the amount of the voucher (€48 to €277) nor how they are delivered (via the post).
Several changes to voucher calculations
A delay was to be expected due to the late passing of the 2025 budget – which was not approved until February 2025 – however initially the vouchers were expected to be issued in summer.
It is thought new methods of calculating who is eligible are behind this additional pushback.
The taxe d’habitation was used for this until it was ended for all main homes in 2023.
Last year, over a million people were not automatically given a voucher they were entitled to as authorities grappled with new calculations. Many beneficiaries had to manually apply online.
From this year on, the tax authorities will also work directly with energy suppliers to check eligibility and minimise the risk of recipients falling through the cracks.
People who believe they are eligible but have not been notified of this will be able to use an official website or request a voucher via post. They must include evidence that they fall within the low-income criteria.
The eligibility criteria is outlined in the article below and remains unchanged from the previous year.
Read more: Who is eligible for France’s 2025 energy voucher?
To cover people who may not have an electricity meter in their name, criteria will widen to include more benefit recipients, including all in social housing who receive APL payouts, social housing for the elderly, and those in temporary rental accommodation provided by the government.
It is worth noting that the vouchers can now only be used to pay energy suppliers for bill costs. Previously, they could be used to partly fund ecological home renovations, but from 2025 onwards this is no longer the case.
