Aid for gîte owners: pension issues
Reader question: Is it correct that the €1,500 help for gîtes and small businesses is not available for anyone who receives a pension? All our booked gîte guests have cancelled but my husband receives a UK state pension and I receive a small UK private pension, and our seasonal gîte income is very important to us.
It is correct that retired people receiving a pension are not eligible for the Covid-19 fonds de solidarité payment of up to €1,500 for small businesses which have either been forced to close due to the coronavirus confinement regulations or who lost 50% of their turnover in March and then in April 2020 due to the crisis compared to March and then April 2019.
Those who have a full time job on top of their small business, those who have received more than €800 in sick pay, and perhaps those who have stayed at home to look after children are also not eligible.
There are other options for those on low incomes due to the confinement period.
You can ask for your income tax installments to be postponed and you can make changes online at impots.gouv.fr;
You can also postpone Urssaf social contributions; the process can differ depending on your status (https://tinyurl.com/rrdqzjs).
If you are not covered by the fonds de solidarité, the Caisse des Allocations Familiales (CAF) says on its coronavirus Q and A page that independent workers or micro-entrepreneurs temporarily without employment or work can apply for the RSA (revenue de solidarité active) social benefit which is also available for retired people on very low pensions. You apply online via caf.fr
